I’ve been reading a lot about buying backlinks in 2024, and I’m still unsure. Seems like it can help rankings but is super risky. Has anyone here actually bought backlinks and seen good results? Or is it not worth the trouble?
I’ve seen a few people talk about it. The big issue is Google, right? If they catch you, your rankings can drop, or they might just ignore the links altogether.
SophyGenesis said:
I’ve seen a few people talk about it. The big issue is Google, right? If they catch you, your rankings can drop, or they might just ignore the links altogether.
Yeah, that’s the problem. Buying backlinks can really backfire. Google’s been ignoring a lot of those spammy links since that Penguin update in 2016. So, you could end up wasting your money.
@PhantomRift
Penguin update? What’s that?
brown said:
@PhantomRift
Penguin update? What’s that?
It’s an algorithm Google uses to catch spammy or paid links. It’s been around for a while now, and they keep improving it. Basically, if Google thinks a backlink is sketchy, they’ll ignore it or penalize your site.
brown said:
@PhantomRift
Penguin update? What’s that?
Yeah, Penguin’s been around since 2016. Google is really good at catching paid links now. Even worse, they can hit you with a manual action, and your site disappears from the search results.
I’m still confused, though. If Google’s so good at catching them, why do people still buy backlinks? It seems like it’s just asking for trouble.
robert said:
I’m still confused, though. If Google’s so good at catching them, why do people still buy backlinks? It seems like it’s just asking for trouble.
Well, some people buy links because it’s easier than trying to earn them. Writing great content and waiting for natural links to come in can take forever. And some paid links look pretty much like natural ones, so if Google doesn’t catch them, you get a nice boost.
@Caius
Exactly, plus, not all paid links are obvious. Some people pay for niche edits or sponsored posts, and it’s hard to tell the difference. Google isn’t perfect, so some paid links still work.
Evans said:
@Caius
Exactly, plus, not all paid links are obvious. Some people pay for niche edits or sponsored posts, and it’s hard to tell the difference. Google isn’t perfect, so some paid links still work.
What’s a niche edit?
@AVA
A niche edit is when you pay a site owner to add a link to an existing page on their site. It blends in with the content, so it doesn’t look like an obvious paid link.
So, how much do these paid backlinks usually cost? I’ve heard the prices can be crazy.
markus3 said:
So, how much do these paid backlinks usually cost? I’ve heard the prices can be crazy.
Oh yeah, it depends on the type of link. Niche edits can be pretty expensive—like $361 on average. Guest posts are cheaper, about $78. And then you’ve got the cheap Fiverr packages that offer thousands of links, but those don’t really help.
@Miles
Wait, $361 for a single link? That’s insane. Why do people pay so much for these?
Terry said:
@Miles
Wait, $361 for a single link? That’s insane. Why do people pay so much for these?
Yeah, it seems crazy, but links can help you rank for competitive terms, which can earn you a lot of money. Especially for sites that make big bucks from affiliate marketing, a few high-quality links can be worth it.
Terry said:
@Miles
Wait, $361 for a single link? That’s insane. Why do people pay so much for these?
Exactly. Some websites make tens of thousands a month in commissions from ranking high on Google, so they don’t mind paying for links if it means more traffic and sales.
It’s risky, though. I’ve read about sites getting hit by Google and losing all their rankings overnight. It’s like playing with fire.
Zack said:
It’s risky, though. I’ve read about sites getting hit by Google and losing all their rankings overnight. It’s like playing with fire.
Totally. I know a site that lost 95% of its traffic after a Google update because they were buying links. Google doesn’t mess around when it comes to paid links.
@Sav
That’s brutal. Was it one of those core updates?
NomadNerd said:
@Sav
That’s brutal. Was it one of those core updates?
Yep, the August 2018 update. It hit a lot of sites hard, especially in the health and medical space. That site’s traffic fell off a cliff, and it hasn’t recovered since.