Buying Backlinks: Should You Do It?

Let’s be real — we’ve all been tempted to click that “buy backlinks” ad at some point when looking for ones. Can you blame us? Nope!

And here’s why: in a perfect world, to buy backlinks means exactly what it sounds like — you’re simply paying for links from other websites to point back to your site.

Easy? Indeed!

It’s like exchanging money for a shortcut to guaranteed top search rankings. But don’t get too comfortable…  There are NO guarnatees 😕

Moreover, it’s a blatant violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Once you mess up with PageRank like this — penalties ARE guaranteed 🤡

So, why would anyone still want to buy backlinks?

Well, maybe it's not all doom and gloom! According to our 2024 State of Link-Building Survey, 92% of the 113 SEO experts we interviewed worldwide believe their competitors buy backlinks.

To dig deeper into more of the WHYs, we’ve done our homework and will share insights straight from our own link-building experience. Here’s what you’ll learn from this post:

✅ What it really means to “buy backlinks” 

✅ Whether buying links is a risky move

✅ Why people still buy backlinks 

✅ Best place to buy backlinks safely

✅ Red flags on where to buy backlinks 

✅ Alternatives to buying backlinks

Buying Backlinks: How Does It Work?

To buy backlinks means to ask preferred website owners, webmasters, or editors to link their website content to your website in exchange for a payment. This tactic helps when organic link-building feels too slow, and you need to ramp up your SEO performance faster.

If done correctly, buying links helps you build a more diverse link profile, which signals trust to Google and lifts your site in search results.

Plus, to buy high-quality backlinks means to get more clicks, traffic, and exposure to new audiences, which levels up your rankings even further.

Even though this method DOES count as link-building, it’s categorized as a black hat link-building technique by Google. That’s because the way PageRank is passed to your website feels artificial — and that’s a big no-no.

Is Buying Backlinks a Risky Move?

Yes, buying links is ALWAYS risky.

Google’s made it crystal clear — if you buy SEO backlinks, you’re knowingly breaking its rules against paying (or trading) for links.

Okay, so you get caught — now what? 🤔 Well, bad things happen, like…

❌ Dropped rankings – once Google notices you buy backlinks, it quickly hits you with penalties that drag your search positions down.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER ⚠️ Many think if you buy SEO backlinks, it will ALWAYS lead to a penalty, but that's not true. You only get penalized for paying for low-quality, easy-to-spot links, especially with sudden spikes.

Paying for relevant backlinks — like through guest posting, creating linkable assets, doing digital PR, requesting unlinked mentions, etc. — can fly under Google's radar. Just make sure your links are top-notch and naturally integrated to avoid any issues.

❌ Zero Results – at times, even if you buy backlinks for SEO, you might not see any results. Congrats — you’ve just wasted your money, as Google could have ignored those links without imposing a penalty.

Should You Buy Backlinks: Our Observations

You can buy backlinks at your own risk, of course. But if you're going to take the plunge, at least make sure you’re not buying from sketchy sites like link farms, shady directories, or PBNs — because you’ll probably just be wasting your money. Most of these links won’t give you immediate results, and 99 times out of 100, they won’t even show up in the index within a year post-purchase.

And this isn’t just talk!

What We Noticed

Upon analyzing over 40,000 websites selling links, especially after Google's 2024 March Updates, we’ve seen them steadily crash already in a year.

See for yourselves!

Quick Rundown

As you may tell from the numbers, about 29% of paid sites are dead.

For the 31,388 sites that actually dared to buy backlinks, it's not exactly sunshine and rainbows. A shocking 11,000 of them have less than 100 pages indexed by Google.

Traffic-wise, the picture isn't any rosier. In June 2023, there were 7,560 sites with traffic over 1,000. Fast forward to April 2024, and that number shrinks to 6,361. Only 6.6% of sites saw a positive traffic trend.

👉 BOTTOM LINE: As we said, you CAN buy backlinks, but don't get your hopes up too high. If these are not high-quality, chances of seeing any solid results are pretty slim. At best, you'll just be spending money with no noticeable outcome; at worst, your SEO could take a hit.

Why Do People Still Buy Backlinks?

Even with all the risks, there will always be plenty of SEO folks buying backlinks. So, are they purposely messing up their own rankings, or is there something to be gained? 

Well, let’s play devil’s advocate for a bit and look at some reasons to buy high-quality backlinks — at least they annoy Google less 😈

Speedy gains, precisely when needed

Here’s the thing that really pulls in link-builders: the difference between organic links that can take forever and the quicker results that come with buying the right link. That way, you can push your page in the rankings without waiting around for months.

And yep, the waiting struggle is there. You can't just build high-quality backlinks overnight. According to our 2024 State of Link-Building Report, 54% of surveyed SEO experts say it takes at least a month to build 5-20 quality backlinks. And that's before you even start seeing results!

Moreover, even though some might downplay the importance of backlinks as a ranking factor, the data speaks for itself. According to the abovementioned 2024 State of Link-Building Report, 58.4% of interviewed experts consider backlinks to have a strong impact on rankings.

Ahrefs' fresh 2025 study shows the same thing – backlinks still play a big role in rankings, especially for local searches or content like informational articles.

However, it’s important to note that in the 2025 study, the correlation is a bit lower compared to the 2019 study by Ahrefs. Check out the comparison below.

👉 BOTTOM LINE: To rank high for super competitive keywords, you’ll need to push your limits. For a tough one like "how to set up Instagram ads," you’ll need over 151 links from unique domains to beat the top page. So, if you buy quality backlinks, you'll probably get there way faster, saving yourself a lot of time waiting for results.

Less hassle, more Impact

We’ve already talked about time, so now let’s dive into the EFFORT.

How much work does it really take to secure organic links? Think about all the hassle — creating link-worthy content, endless back-and-forth with those tough, authoritative sites to get a link placement, researching potential linking sources, and so much more!

When you buy backlinks for SEO, you free yourself from all those tedious tasks. All you have to worry about is the link quality — the rest can be sorted with a shiny coin.

Link placements control

Control over link placements is something every SEO dreams of when it comes to organic link-building. No one wants their link to vanish or end up in some random, irrelevant section of a blog after years of emailing websites just to get a “yes” for a link.

When you buy permanent backlinks, you regain your power. You know exactly where your link will be placed on the website, you can choose the perfect anchor text, and make sure the surrounding content is relevant. This level of control lets you fine-tune your link profile and boost rankings way faster.

👉 BOTTOM LINE: Organic or active link-building outreach doesn’t offer much freedom. The fate of your link placement or anchor text is totally up to the editor, website owner, or content creator.

Buying links can open up more opportunities for link placements, especially on exclusive spots offered by high-authority websites — places you might never get into without a dollar sign. But the perks will definitely outweigh the cost, so think long-term.

Best Place To Buy Backlinks

Say you’re all set to invest — now it’s time to start looking into where to buy backlinks. Luckily, we’ve gathered the best options here, no need for tedious research!

Premium link-building services

Alright, if you're going to buy, at least buy from the experts! Professional link-building services come with a solid reputation, years of experience, certified teams, and databases of trusted link sources — so you can rest easy.

But even reputable link-building agencies aren’t all the same. Many, unfortunately, just resell links, which can impact their overall quality.

If you're looking where to buy backlinks and actually see results post-purchase, go with Editorial.Link.

What sets us apart from other agencies is that we don’t resell backlinks — we source them directly from hard-to-get businesses through real, long-established relationships.

Here are 5 reasons why you can trust us:

🔒 Custom Approach

We pay close attention to each client's unique needs before offering solutions — because every business is different, and one-size-fits-all plans just don’t work.

🔒 Account Manager

To make sure every customer gets the attention they need, we assign a personal account manager who connects them with our team for smooth project delivery.

🔒 Pre-Approvals

Every link we build is made to fit the client’s needs and gets sent for approval to make sure we’re aligned. No link goes live without the client’s thumbs-up!

👉 No Shady Tactics

We care deeply about our reputation as quality link providers and the safety of our customers, which is why we only use white-hat link-building techniques. So, rest assured — your link report will never include link farms, low-quality directories, or other garbage alike.

👉 Post Payment

Truly, this is our clients’ favorite part! You can work with us on a post-payment basis — we deliver, you see the results, and then you pay.

Link-building platforms

This is an excellent option if you’ve been wondering where to buy backlinks on a smaller budget, compared to dealing with link-building agencies.

Link-building platforms are not only affordable but also quite effective. Not only do they offer standard SEO services, but also you can buy quality backlinks from them — whether it's guest posts, content collaborations, link insertions, or anything else you might need.

Speaking of link insertions, it’s a perfect example of how to buy backlinks safely as you are literally adding your link to already existing, high-performing articles, blog posts, editorials, etc.

The goodies are all there — you save time by skipping content creation, plus you get link authority transfer, a more diverse link profile, referral traffic, and access to the host post’s audience.

💡Pro-tip! Platforms like Insert Link are a solid go-to for safely buying link insertions in high-performing content across the web.

It's pretty simple to work with these platforms — just pick a target keyword for your link placement, choose websites that match your niche, and lock in your links. The biggest perk here is that you buy a permanent link, ready to index, and you have full control over where it goes, the anchor text, and the surrounding content.

Red Flags When Buying Backlinks

When you're all set, it's key to understand how to buy backlinks without running into any issues. 

Keep an eye out for these red flags:

Cheap backlinks

Who hasn't been hit with those emails or LinkedIn messages (currently the MVP of sketchy backlink deals) offering “high-quality” backlinks — sometimes hundreds — for the price of a peanut?

Yep, it’s just another day in the inbox!

And that’s not even counting the oh-so-generous backlink vendors who magically appear in ads the moment you start searching for link opportunities. Some of their offers are downright absurd!

Check out this can’t-miss offer — if you dare!

For just $25, you can snag 10,000 backlinks — including “premium” ones, wiki links, press releases, blog comment links, and a whole bunch more for the naive clientele 🤡

👉 BOTTOM LINE: Quality comes at a price. Those "too-good-to-be-true" cheap links are more trouble than they’re worth — often from low-quality sources that harm your SEO and wreck your site’s reputation.

Fiverr link-builders

Don’t be swayed by Fiverr’s charm, promising thousands of pros who can make your life easier at a lower cost. While the platform does have some real talent, when it comes to link-building, you’ll more often than not run into scammers or folks selling low-quality backlinks.

I mean, what kind of quality blog backlinks can you really expect for $5? Seriously… preposterous!

👉 BOTTOM LINE: Hiring a Fiverr freelancer can be a solid move when you're falling behind on link-building, but surprisingly, many SEOs actually don’t recommend it.

But if you’re going for it anyway, at least make sure you choose wisely and check out feedback from their previous clients.

Link farm websites

You might be thinking, "Who’s still using those in 2025?" Ha-ha, never underestimate human error! From what I’ve seen, about 90% of link-building agencies are still offering links from link farms, so always stay alert!

To spot link farm sites, just hop into Ahrefs’ Referring Domains tool and keep an eye out for these red flags:

• ❌ Similar number of referring domains
• ❌ Similar Domain Ratings (DR)
• ❌ High traffic, zero value
• ❌ Sell backlinks for every niches

Here’s a not-so-great example of our client accidentally picking up links from a link farm they didn’t even know about:

Another quick trick to tell if you’re dealing with a link farm is by checking out the website’s “Outgoing Anchors.”

We’ll take a look at the somewhat sketchy website startup.info — it looks great on the surface but has surprisingly low traffic for its Domain Rating (DR).

Now, let's jump into the "Outgoing Anchors" report in Ahrefs and take a peek at the anchor texts. Spot anything like “slot machine”? 👀

Click on the anchor, busted a link redirecting to an online casino!

💡Pro-tip! Want to play it safe when buying links? Instantly check their origins with our FREE Link Type Classifier Tool! Quickly assess backlink quality, seller tactics, and more — no guesswork needed!

Just drop in the websites you want to analyze — that’s it!

In just seconds, the system will deliver your results! Easy, right?

PBN backlinks

Private Blog Networks (PBNs) are a bunch of sites owned by one “parent” site, all linking to each other to fake trust signals and trick both users and search engines.

PBNs and link farms are basically the same game with a different layout. You can spot them by the same red flags: high DA/DR, low traffic, barely any top-ranking keywords, and minimal page visits.

And if you happen to buy backlinks that stem from PBNs? Kiss your SEO performance goodbye!

Alternatives To Buying Backlinks: FREE Options!

Sure, paid links can work now and then, but let’s be real — budgets aren’t endless. So, you need smart alternatives. Here are a few tips!

👍 Create Value-Driven Content

👍 Build Free Tools & Other Linkable Assets

Free tools, helpful resources, and linkable assets are a big win because they offer instant value. Whether it’s a backlink checker, content generator, or infographics, the key is to create something that solves a problem or boosts productivity. When people find your tool useful, they’ll want to share it, mention it, or link to it naturally.

👍 Claim Broken Links

Find broken links on sites in your niche, contact the owner, and suggest your content as the perfect replacement. Broken links hurt the user experience, so they’ll appreciate the fix. This way, you are not simply asking for a backlink — you’re making their site better!

👍 Try HARO Link-Building

Since the platform is no longer active, HARO link-building now refers to getting links through specialized platforms where SEOs can connect with website owners, publishers, and editors to create valuable content.

Check out these awesome HARO alternatives — all great for getting links without spending a dime!

👍 Team Up With Influencers

Co-branded content is a great way to build connections with influencers and earn backlinks naturally. Team up to create blog posts, videos, podcasts, or even e-books, with both of your brands or websites linked.

How to do it

✔️ Find influencers who align with your industry and target audience — bloggers, YouTubers, or social media stars with a strong following in your niche. Make sure their audience will find your content, products, or tools valuable.

✔️ Offer something in exchange for a backlink — influencers will only promote or link to your content if it brings value to their audience. You can start with things like free access to your product or tool, discounts, or affiliate opportunities.

Build Links Risk-Free With a Reliable Partner

Dared to buy backlinks but still feeling shaky? Totally understandable — while results aren’t guaranteed, the benefits of buying backlinks are within reach if you partner with a reliable link-building expert.

At Editorial.Link, we get it — you're looking for real results for your hard-earned money. That's why we don’t just offer high-quality niche edits. Instead, we provide you access to our long-established relationships with trusted website owners.

Reach out, share your unique needs, and get backlinks from only vetted sources!