How Much Do Backlinks Cost

The average price for a backlink depends on a lot of factors.

As an investor in Searcharoo, Agency Backlinks, High Rise Links, and a few other link-building agencies we have data on over one million backlinks generated.

In our surveys, it was alarming how much the costs of backlinks have risen in the past 4 years.

Understanding key factors such as domain authority, relevance, niche and content quality is essential for successful backlinks.

Quality is more important than quantity when investing in backlinks to ensure better results.

Assessing link providers carefully and avoiding common pitfalls associated with low-quality links are crucial for success when buying backlinks.

In our link-building costs guide, we explain how much it is to acquire backlinks directly from blog owners in comparison to from a link building agency.

What is the Average Cost Of A Quality Backlink?

The average cost of a quality backlink is $195.

If you purchase the link directly from the website this would be around $173 whereas the average cost of a quality backlink directly from a link-building agency is $217.

The average prices fluctuate depending on the following factors:

• DR (domain rating)
• Content provided or not
• Industry (more for gambling, CBD, and porn)
• Previous relationships

If looking to acquire backlinks directly from website owners you need to consider the costs of tools, staff time, and overheads.

What is the Average Cost of a Tier Two Backlink?

The average cost of a tier 2 backlink directly from the website is $47.

The average cost of a tier 2 backlink directly from the Searcharoo link-building agency is $20.

Tier two backlinks are when you link build to web pages that point to your website.

Tier 2s make the backlinks to your website more authoritative and increase your domain authority.

The reason Searcharoo tier two backlinks are more competitive is due to bulk orders and existing relationships.

What is the Average Cost of a Niche Edit Backlink?

The average cost of a niche edit backlink directly from the website is $82.

The average cost of a niche edit backlink directly from a link-building company is $73.

Niche edits are inserting links into existing blog posts that are indexed in Google SERP.

Link-building companies are able to negotiate better rates by ordering the link insertions in bulk.

What is the Average Cost of a DR30 Guest Post Backlink?

The average cost of a DR30 guest post backlink directly from the website directly is $91.

The average cost of a DR30 guest post backlink directly from a link-building company is $164.

It is cheaper to outreach to niche relevant websites when purchasing links – but business owners need to consider the staff time and costs of the tools to decide whether an inhouse link building team is worthwhile.

What is the Average Cost of a DR45 Guest Post Backlink?

The average cost of a DR45 guest post backlink directly from the website directly is $157.

The average cost of a DR45 guest post backlink directly from a link-building company is $249.

If acquiring a lot of backlinks it makes commercial sense to build an outreach team to build the link velocity of your money sites.

What is the Average Cost of a DR60 Guest Post Backlink?

The average cost of a DR60 guest post backlink directly from the website directly is $193.

The average cost of a DR60 guest post backlink directly from a link-building company is $327.

You can expect the price of an average DR60 guest post link to be almost double the rates in the casino, CBD, porn, or gambling industries.

PR Link Building

The prices for PR Link Building are much more expensive due to PR agencies working with enterprise companies who want the exposure and reputation management from the articles (not just the link juice).

How Much Is An MSN Backlink?

The average cost of an MSN backlink is $4000 to $7000.

A PR Agency needs to provide a great-quality article and build a relationship to get the content shared on the MSN platform.

Some spammy link vendors try to sell MSN backlinks on Fiverr, but these have been proven to be removed or placed on subdomain web pages that do not pass the domain authority power.

MSN is a great backlink to secure, as is a DR92 score and domain traffic estimation of over 655M+.

Many SEOs claim an MSN backlink is worth over $10,000 because it helps increase organic ranking and Domain Authority (DA). High authority backlinks will increase your traffic by ranking higher in Google search results.

The additional benefit of an MSN backlink is that the website is Google-News-approved and drives more organic traffic.

One authority MSN backlink is better than 1000 regular backlinks.

Understanding Backlink Costs: Factors to Consider

In the realm of link building, various factors play a role in the cost of buying backlinks.

Proper evaluation of these factors is essential to ensure that you spend your resources wisely. After all, your website’s success in terms of search engine rankings, traffic, and revenue depends on it.

Four key factors that affect backlink costs are domain authority, relevance, niche, and content quality.

Grasping the significance of these factors will allow you to make informed decisions when acquiring backlinks, ensuring a higher return on investment and better long-term results.

Domain Authority and Relevance

Domain authority is a metric used by search engines to quantify the strength of a website’s domain. Relevance, on the other hand, refers to the degree to which a website is pertinent to a particular topic.

The existing domain authority of your website determines how many backlinks you need to build links effectively.

Newly established websites require more backlinks to augment their domain authority and online presence, while established websites with strong authority need fewer backlinks to rank higher.

The type of website you seek backlinks from also affects the cost, as site owners generally prefer to acquire links from websites with high organic traffic.

When evaluating a website for backlinks, it’s crucial to consider factors such as domain/page quality, design, DR/DA, page rating, traffic, and website structure, as these factors can impact search engine rankings.

Niche and Content Quality

The niche of a website also influences the cost of high-quality links. More competitive niches typically have higher prices. Content quality plays a significant role in backlink costs as well.

Websites that generate substantial web traffic are selective when it comes to the quality of the content. They search for content written by specialists and usually publish it along with an authentic author bio.

Building links with relevant websites is crucial, as the relevancy of links can provide greater value and aid in the ranking of content. Guest posts and niche edits can offer powerful backlinks by incorporating your link to existing content, thereby boosting your website’s domain authority and relevance.

Assessing the Value of Backlinks: Quality vs. Quantity

When it comes to investing in backlinks, it’s essential to concentrate on quality rather than quantity. A survey of over 800 SEO professionals, including those working at link-building agencies, revealed that the quality of backlinks is the most significant factor.

John Mueller of Google has also asserted that high-quality backlinks, not paid links, are one of the most crucial ranking factors.

Investing in high-quality backlinks rather than trying to buy backlinks of low quality provides more effective and sustainable results in the long term.

Low-quality links may be cheaper, but they can also be detrimental to your website’s performance and reputation. In contrast, high-quality links can boost your website’s domain authority, increase organic traffic, and improve search engine rankings.

Calculating the return on investment (ROI) is essential in assessing the profitability of any marketing campaign, investment, or business decision, including the cost of buying backlinks.

By focusing on the quality of backlinks, you can ensure that your investments yield the best possible results for your website.

Remember that the goal is not to acquire as many backlinks as possible, but rather to build a strong and diverse backlink profile that will drive long-term success. In this regard, it’s better to have fewer high-quality links than a large number of low-quality ones.

Are backlinks expensive?

Backlinks are 241% more expensive to acquire than in 2021.

The huge increase in prices for backlinks is due to higher demand from SEO specialists.

As the outreach increases the blog owners are able to raise the price for a link.

The higher the domain rating (DR in ahrefs), the more expensive the backlinks cost to purchase.

Why Have Backlinks Increased 241% In Price?

The costs to acquire backlinks have increased by 241% because of the following:

• Website owners become savvy to charging more money
• Higher demand to sell link placements on sites
• Business owners educated on the importance of page rank
• SEO case studies show link building as the main ranking factor
• Ease for blog owners to see rates link-building agencies charge

The 241% increase was carried out from studying 500,000 backlinks placed in the past 3 years and comparing the rates year on year.

Will Backlinks Continue To Become More Expensive?

As the demand increases, the rates increase and are more expensive.

But from speaking to industry leaders in the SEO industry the estimates are the prices will drop next year.

The backlinks will fall in price because of the following reasons:

• AI content will help keep costs down
• AI’s ability to build PBNs faster
• More focus on PR
• More competition for selling links
• Topical authority grows to be the number one ranking factor

As more case studies are showing semantic SEO to be more important the desire to purchase expensive backlinks will shift.

How Do You Value A Backlink?

Here are the main factors to value a backlink:

• AhRefs Domain Rating Score
• Moz Domain Authority Score
• LRT Power * Trust Score
• Domain Relevance
• Toxicity Score

The best metric to value a backlink is a combination of all the scores above.

DR and DA can easily be manipulated so when valuing links an holistic approach to all the metrics is important.

What Makes a Backlink Valuable?

Backlinks are used by Google as a ranking signal to highlight your website content is valuable and trustworthy.

The most valuable backlinks are those editorially placed in the main body of the content.

Backlinks improve your organic search rankings because they pass authoritativeness (page rank) and votes of confidence (trust) from other websites.

SEO recently voted backlinks as the most valuable ranking signal to rank for search terms in Google search results.

Which backlinks are more valuable?

Here are the signals for the most valuable backlinks:

• Backlinks from Trusted and Authoritative Websites
• Anchor Text Includes Your Target Keywords
• A Relevant Site
• It is a “Dofollow” Link
• Links From a Domain That Hasn’t Previously Linked to You
• The link is placed higher up on the page
• The referral page has backlinks (tier 2s) pointing to that

Cheaper Link Building Strategies

Some SEO beginners have small budgets and try to purchase cheaper backlinks online.

The cheaper link-building methods generally cause a Google Link Building Penalty and end up needing a disavow service being carried out by specialists like Backlink Doctor.

Here are the costs of cheaper link building strategies:

• Web2 Links – Free No-follow Backlinks from sites like Blogspot and Tumblr
• Blog Comments – Free No-follow Backlinks by commenting on blogs
• Directories – $1 per listing no follow links that work nicely for local rankings as include NAP
• Link Exchange – A webmaster allows you to get a backlink to your site in exchange of a backlink from your site
• Broken Link Building – Search for dead links and outreach to replace the dead anchor text to your related post
• PBNs – Rental of private blog network links cost on average $25 per month for homepage rentals
• Press Releases – A press release distribution costs approx $250 but gets over 300 backlinks so less than $1 per backlink

Backlink Survey Costs

From our research here is the analysis of the surveys carried out on link-building costs:

• DR30 guest posts have risen from $30 to $91 on average
• DR45 guest posts have risen from $50 to $157 on average
• DR60 guest posts have risen from $80 to $193 on average
• Niche Edits have increased from $25 to $82 on average
• Tier 2’s average cost has increased from $20 to $47

The average costs showed a huge 241% increase in price for purchasing backlinks.

Link Building Strategies: In-House vs. Agency

Choosing between in-house and agency link building strategies can be a difficult decision. Both options come with their own set of pros and cons, making it crucial to weigh them carefully before deciding on the best approach for your business.

In-house link building offers cost efficiency and oversight, but it can be challenging to expand and requires a higher level of expertise.

On the other hand, a link building agency is more costly but can be scaled rapidly and provides access to a wider network of contacts.

Employing link building services such as uSERP has the advantage of already established connections, allowing them to quickly generate content and acquire high Domain Rating backlinks.

Ultimately, the most suitable option for any given situation will depend on the particular needs of the business when it comes to building links. It’s essential to consider factors such as budget, expertise, scalability, and the specific goals of your link building campaign before making a decision.

The Process of Buying Backlinks: Tips for Success

The process of buying links involves exchanging money, products, or services for a link from another website.

To ensure a successful link building campaign, it’s essential to follow the proper procedure for purchasing backlinks, including researching link vendors, assessing link vendors, avoiding common mistakes, and confirming adherence to Google’s standards.

Being aware of the potential risks and rewards of purchasing backlinks can help you make informed decisions and avoid pitfalls.

Evaluating Link Providers

When assessing link providers, it’s vital to consider factors such as relevance, human value, authority, trust, credibility, content, disclosure, and high-quality links.

To gauge the credibility of a link building agency, look for customer reviews, industry awards, and the provider’s track record.

When assessing link quality, consider the relevance of the link to the content, the authority of the linking domain, and the trustworthiness of the linking website.

Additionally, take into account the quality of the links, the quantity of links provided, and the cost per link when assessing the link building pricing of link providers.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Purchasing low-quality paid links poses several risks, including the possibility of engaging in black hat link building practices and being penalized by Google for violating their guidelines.

Acquiring low-quality backlinks will not yield any significant results, thus resulting in a financial loss.

To avoid these pitfalls, focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable providers, and ensure that your link building efforts adhere to Google’s guidelines.

By carefully assessing link providers, avoiding common mistakes, and ensuring compliance with Google’s standards, you can successfully navigate the process of buying backlinks and build a robust backlink profile that drives long-term success.

Summary

Understanding backlink costs is essential for the success of your website.

By considering factors such as domain authority, relevance, niche, and content quality, you can make informed decisions when acquiring backlinks for your website.

Remember to focus on quality over quantity and choose the appropriate link-building strategy, whether in-house or agency-based, to suit your specific needs.

We strongly advise avoiding poor-quality links because you run the risk of getting penalized by Google.

Avoid spammy outbound links and vary the anchor texts for all backlinks placed.

Explore alternative link building methods, such as guest posts and sponsored content, and learn from real-life examples of successful link building campaigns. By following these guidelines, you can build a strong and diverse backlink profile that drives long-term success for your website.

Buying backlinks can positively impact your rankings in search engines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are backlinks expensive?

Backlinks can range in cost depending on various factors such as website type, niche, content quality, link quality, brand strength, and agency costs.

Generally, the higher the domain authority, the more expensive the backlinks will be, with prices ranging from $50 to $2500 per link.

The cost of a specific link can also depend on other factors, with average prices hovering around $300 to $500 per month.

How Many Backlinks Should I Get Each Month?

In general, 5-10 backlinks per month is a good rule of thumb, however, it can vary depending on the size and type of SEO you are doing.

Between 0 and 500 backlinks per month is a reasonable promise to make to your client.

What factors influence the cost of backlinks?

The cost of backlinks is determined by domain authority, relevance to the topic, the niche, and the quality of the content.

Is it better to focus on quality or quantity when investing in backlinks?

Focusing on quality over quantity is essential when investing in backlinks, as high-quality links will bring better results in the long run.

Link building is an important part of SEO, and it’s important to make sure that the links you are investing in are of the highest quality.

Quality links will help improve your website’s ranking and visibility in search engine results.

What are the pros and cons of in-house and agency link-building strategies?

In-house link building can offer cost efficiency and greater oversight but can be challenging to expand and requires a higher level of expertise.

Agency link building, on the other hand, is more costly but can be scaled rapidly and provides access to a wider network of contacts.