Updated On: October 25, 2024
A link-building package is a one-time or monthly service that aims to secure quality backlinks for your website based on SEO best practices.
But let's be honest, many of these packages can drain your budget with minimal results. So should you trust those shady vendors?
In this article, I'll uncover the common tactics that some link-building agencies use to mislead their clients.
Here's what I've seen:
I’m here to help you understand what quality links are, how to acquire them, and what a fair price for these links looks like.
Sadly, because of dishonest link-building companies, many clients view link-building as a scam when they don't see results. This tarnishes the reputation of the entire industry, including ours as a link-building contractor.
That’s why we can’t ignore the popular service among SEO professionals known as backlink packages.
Many agencies offer these packages, allowing you to purchase either single-use packages or a monthly subscription.
The concept is appealing: clients pay a monthly fee for a set number of links from websites with specified metrics, like a package of 4 DR 50+ links for $1,000 per month.
These providers market the service as “guaranteed link delivery on time.”
Here’s how it usually works:
However, beware. According to our survey, the majority of companies (53.9%) spend over $300 per quality link, and it’s crucial to ensure you’re getting genuine value.
According to case studies, high-quality services can lead to significant traffic and ranking improvements. For instance, Capital.com saw a 1,500% increase in traffic using our professional link-building services at Editorial.Link.
By understanding how these packages work and their potential pitfalls, you can make informed decisions that protect your investments and brand reputation.
But the question is, does this guarantee quality?
The quality of the links is the biggest problem.
Many clients hope these packages will boost their search rankings, driving more traffic and leads. But do they really deliver?
Here’s a real example:
We had a client who spent $5,000 monthly on a link package for 11 months. They received 17 to 20 links each month from their agency.
Here’s one of their monthly reports they received from that agency:
It looked good on paper – links matching the DR they requested.
But here's the catch: these links often come from link farms – sites that post articles just for money, with no regard for content quality. These articles are often poorly written or irrelevant, and some are even entirely generated by ChatGPT.
We have designed the Link Type Classifier tool that allows users to input up to 1,000 URLs to identify the types of backlinks these sites represent. It classifies whether links are editorial, sponsored, or other types, helping users detect paid links and analyze backlink quality.
Here are a few examples from the list above:
This is how you can come up with better link-building strategies by distinguishing between natural and paid backlinks.
Let’s take "nerdynaut.com" from the report (second line).
What catches your eye right away?
The site posts promotional articles on various topics, not just the client's car-related business. And it’s also filled with ads and unrelated links.
Right off the bat, it was clear this site was just another link farm. Still, I decided to email them at the address on nerdynaut.com with a straightforward question: "How much for a sponsored post?"
To my surprise, they replied within 10 minutes.
Turned out you could get a sponsored post for just $30. In contrast, the client paid $169 per link in their package.
Our analysis showed that out of 18 sites, many sold links openly. For instance, supanet.com charged $38, yet the client paid $327 for the same link in their package. This markup is common in these packages.
Clients often can't approve each link or choose specific sites, leading to “blind” purchases. Agencies keep site lists secret, fearing clients will bypass them for cheaper deals.
At Editorial.Link, our pricing begins at $350 per link, ensuring each link is sourced from reputable sites that do not engage in link selling. Opting for a larger package reduces the price per link, offering you even greater value.
Our clients can approve every link, ensuring they meet specific needs. We focus on earning links from reputable sites, avoiding shady PBNs and link farms.
We use a specialized tool to spot link farms, backed by a comprehensive database of sites that sell links.
This tool lets us check if a site appears on various linkseller lists and compare link placement prices from different link-building agencies.
Here are the results for nerdynaut.com:
And you already know what our Classifier “thinks” about this site:
Some agencies promise white-hat SEO but deliver the opposite. They charge premium prices for links from questionable sources, risking your site's credibility.
I've always been cautious about link-building packages. My methods of evaluating site quality differ significantly from those of many agencies. Even industry leaders admit their models favor quantity over quality.
That said, I even discussed this with Joe Davies, who runs one of the biggest link-building services (FATJOE), boasting a $10M annual turnover.
He explained that they don't do preapprovals because their focus is on serving agencies with numerous clients, aiming to save these clients time.
Some might appreciate the convenience of a start-to-finish service. Surely, it could be suitable for certain clients. However, as an SEO expert who values my reputation, I can't endorse using links without seeing them first.
Such an approach, however, can be highly profitable for agencies.
Joe Davies even mentioned on LinkedIn that this model works particularly well for agency businesses.
However, while Productized SEO might simplify things for the sales team and streamline operations, it provides less value to you as the client. Thus, paying $10K a month for SEO should mean personalized, high-quality link building, not a bulk purchase of low-quality links.
Imagine spending over $100K a year with no SEO improvement, only to find out it will cost more to fix the damage from bad links. This experience could leave any client feeling scammed and disillusioned.
Productized services might work for simple tasks like translations but fall short for SEO and link building. Why? These services often value links based on DA or DR. However, these metrics don’t always reflect a good website.
Take this for example: if I want a link from a site with a DA of 50, a service like FatJoe might charge me $370. But guess what? DA and DR numbers can be faked. Fiverr is full of offers to pump up these scores.
Here’s a real-life scenario: someone boosted their website’s DA from 1 to 53 in no time.
They even posted a screenshot showing the DA jump and DR increase by 54. But their website traffic? Still zero.
See, these metrics – DR (from Ahrefs) and DA (from Moz) – don’t mean much to Google. Google uses its own PageRank system to evaluate websites. So even if Ahrefs says a site’s DR is 66, Google still might think it’s worthless.
To see how easy it is to fake DR, I created a new website, editorLAL.link. I ordered a DR boost on Fiverr, and within two weeks, the DR shot up to 71.
But the twist is the domain doesn't even have a website, and Google hasn’t indexed it.
If you think those 18 sites with high DR are top quality, think again. They’re just junk links, automatically generated with cheap (<$1) TLD .shop domains.
Take a look at one of the referring sites, williamellison.shop.
This site is linked by 10 other sites, all subdomains of a free website maker, weebly.com.
Like jalil4454.weebly.com.
So, anyone can inflate a website's DR, even if it’s non-existent and not indexed by Google.
That’s why buying links based solely on DR or DA isn’t wise. These metrics don’t always indicate a trustworthy site.
Here’s where it gets tricky: a link from a DR 60 site costs way more than one from a DR 30 site, based on these faked metrics.
When I checked my editorLAL.link in Semrush, it scored a low 4.
See what I'm getting at?
Many site owners inflate prices by manipulating SEO scores, but this doesn’t make their sites any better.
Thus, reviewing a site before buying a link from it is crucial.
But are there other ways to secure high-value backlinks without buying a generic link-building package?
Absolutely!
Teaming up with professional link-building agencies can truly revolutionize your approach. Such agencies work with reputable businesses that prioritize their reputation, ensuring they do not sell links.
Top-tier sites like monday.com or hubspot.com are often not included in standard link-building packages. However, custom agencies can help you secure links from these high-authority websites.
In fact, we've assisted our clients in achieving this, showing them the potential of a personalized approach.
Earning a high-quality link might take longer, but the payoff is worth it. For instance, we secured a link for Sitechecker from a highly relevant page with over 10K monthly traffic.
The impact was immediate, resulting in conversions and registrations on the same day.
Links from authoritative sites like HubSpot can significantly enhance your brand's credibility.
As you can see, Google recognized Sitechecker as a top SEO audit tool. Partly due to a high-quality link we obtained from HubSpot.
While link-building packages might offer a quick fix, they often fall short in the long run.
Link farms, commonly used in these packages, can become overloaded with links and eventually deindexed by Google, turning those links toxic and risking penalties for unnatural links.
For example, a $5,000 link package included a site that eventually expired, rendering the $247 link worthless.
The site served its purpose of making money for its creator and the agencies selling its links but offered no lasting value.
In contrast, genuine business sites like HubSpot focus on creating content for real people, attracting natural, high-quality links. The value of these links increases over time, making them a wise long-term investment.
Look for them on platforms like Clutch, which manually verify reviews, or explore discussions on Reddit for diverse opinions.
At Editorial.Link, we have over 60 verified reviews on Clutch and secure links only from genuine business sites. Clients can review and approve each link, paying only for the ones they choose.
Each month, clients share their link-building goals with us. We identify potential sites daily and update the client, who decides whether to pursue each link. There's no advance payment; you only pay for the links we secure by month's end.
Unlike packages from link farms, real business websites may reject links for various reasons – low site authority, restrictions on branded anchors, or direct competition. Hence, we recommend approving more links than planned, such as 15 instead of 10, to allow flexibility.
If a client’s site lacks sufficient authority, or if an editor refuses to place a link due to competition, we can't guarantee a fixed number of links each month.
Here’s a case from our outreach specialist:
If this were a link farm site from a link-building package, the site would have posted the link without any questions.
In the following case, the editor refused to place our client's link due to the competition:
Here's one more example: our specialist got turned down because the site does not place branded anchors:
While we aim for a target, the actual number might vary. Planning your budget can be challenging with this approach, but it offers better value and results.
If we secure more links than planned, you only pay for the agreed number, with extra links counting towards the next month. If we secure fewer, you can either pay for the links obtained or carry over the shortfall to the following month.
Link-building packages might seem attractive initially, but many providers offer links from link farms, which are unreliable and can harm your site in the long run.
For industries where natural links are hard to get, these packages might appear as the only option. However, for most businesses, investing in bespoke link-building services is a smarter choice.
If you're willing to spend time approving each link, bespoke link building is a better option than pre-packaged services. This approach focuses on securing links from legitimate, growing business websites, ensuring long-term benefits and higher value.
