How Much Do Backlinks Cost in 2024?

In 2024, the average cost of a backlink has surpassed $300, and it’s anticipated to rise further due to inflationary pressures.

There isn’t a fixed price you “should” pay for a backlink, but typically, a moderate-quality link from a site with a Domain Rating (DR) between 50 and 70 will cost about $300.

However, the actual costs are quite variable. Link prices can range from $50 to over $1000, with many commanding even higher fees.

As operational costs increase, webmasters, agencies, and freelancers are compelled to raise their prices, and SEO professionals bear the brunt of these hikes.

What Determines the Cost of a Backlink?

Be cautious of fraudsters and low-quality sites…

Link prices are generally set based on metrics like Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR), which sellers or link building services use to gauge a link’s value.

This discussion will center on the DR metric by Ahrefs, which I prefer for its quick assessment in link-building scenarios. Remember, no metric is flawless. It’s wise to consistently use one metric to compare the value across different sites.

Factors Influencing Link Value:

• DR / DA: Ahrefs’ DR is a gauge of a domain’s backlink strength, whereas Moz’s DA predicts a domain’s potential to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s beneficial to understand each metric by reading detailed descriptions of their formulations.
• Content Quality: Content that is expertly written and thoroughly researched stands out. This qualitative assessment depends on your judgment to recognize useful, well-crafted articles or websites. Avoid sites that rely heavily on AI-generated content or those that offer minimal content.
• Domain / Page Quality: Evaluate both the domain and individual pages for their design, ratings, traffic, and overall structure, including what the site promotes. Steer clear of links from dubious sites.
• Topic Relevance: For example, a parenting blog would benefit more from a link on a related blog rather than one focusing on insurance. Relevance enhances link value and aids in ranking, influencing link pricing as more sought-after topics may cost more.
• Organic Traffic: Prioritize pages that already receive traffic, as they confer more authority than inactive pages. While a webmaster might price links from different pages similarly, traffic-rich pages are inherently more valuable.
• Links to Page: It’s not just traffic that matters; the number of links pointing to a page can also enhance its value.
• Country / Language / Market: The target country, the language of the website, and the market’s purchasing power all affect link pricing. For instance, acquiring backlinks for a US-based, English-speaking audience typically costs more than for markets like Greece or Argentina with different economic scales.

Highlighting SEMrush’s New Authority Score

This new tool offers a clearer, more direct measure of a site’s authority from Google’s perspective. Below is an example from the Marketing Experts Hub. As illustrated, my site needs more backlinks, evident from the low traffic and minimal existing links.

By contrast, consider the profile of Search Engine Journal: it boasts a robust backlink profile with numerous domains linking back and significant traffic volumes.

If using SEMrush, always verify the site’s authority and watch out for any potential issues.

Industry Variances in Pricing

Costs can vary significantly across different industries, influenced by each niche’s economic status and typical industry rates. For instance, niches like gambling or finance are among the priciest for acquiring backlinks, often because site owners are wary of potential Google penalties.

This overview should help digital marketers and SEO specialists better understand the dynamic and often fluctuating costs of acquiring quality backlinks in 2024. If you find this guide helpful, consider linking back to us!

Impact of Niche on Backlink Costs

Niches with lower potential for revenue generation typically offer links at reduced prices. The profitability of your niche is a crucial factor to consider when estimating the costs for acquiring backlinks.

Types of Links and Their Cost Variations

Backlinks such as do-follow, no-follow, and sponsored links may vary in cost. Some SEO experts hold the view that .edu links carry more value, leading freelancers or agencies to charge a premium for these links.

Links obtained from traditional press sources are not typically “purchased” directly but can be acquired as sponsored content or through PR activities. These links, especially from leading publications, are notably expensive.

For instance, acquiring a Wikipedia link, which is highly valued, might cost more than $1000, depending on the niche.

Conversely, directory or citation links are generally inexpensive. However, to effectively boost rankings, a significant number of such links are necessary, and they must be sourced from reputable directories to avoid the multitude of spammy or low-quality directories.

Where to Buy Backlinks for Your Website?

There are multiple strategies to secure paid backlinks. You can directly approach webmasters or bloggers, or engage a contractor to manage the process for you.

The most cost-effective approach is to establish an internal link-building team. The efficiencies gained by an in-house team can significantly reduce the cost of link acquisition, sometimes to one-third of the external purchase price.

So, how should you go about purchasing links? If resources allow and you possess the expertise, forming an in-house team is the optimal choice. Alternatively, outsourcing link-building activities to any of the following can be effective:

• Link-Building Agencies
• Freelancers / Virtual Assistants
• Direct engagements with Webmasters
• Marketplaces

Paid appearances and services vary in cost: agencies are usually more expensive than freelancers but provide more dependable services. Direct payments to webmasters can be less costly than using marketplaces, but they require you to handle the sourcing and negotiation process.

Exploring Different Strategies for Buying Links

Let’s delve into the various methods of purchasing links and analyze how these approaches influence the overall cost of link building.

Link-Building Agencies

Diverse agencies are available to assist in building a robust backlink profile through high-quality links, performing various tasks based on their expertise, such as:

• Guest posting
• ABC exchanges
• Public Relations campaigns
• Link-building campaigns (e.g., outreach)
• Citations

It is vital to choose agencies that adhere to white-hat practices and produce quality content, especially if they engage in guest posting. Avoid agencies that offer low-quality links or black-hat services, as these could lead to penalties from Google over time.

I recommend steering clear of agencies that utilize directories or PBNs, unless they are highly reputed in local SEO. Always shun spammy, low-quality links, regardless of cost.

Additionally, be aware that PR strategies often result in no-follow links, which still hold value. Do not dismiss these links if they originate from reputable publications with significant traffic.

Here are several trusted agencies for link-building services:

• Digital Olympus
• Dofollow
• uSerp

Freelancers / VAs

Hiring a freelancer or a Virtual Assistant (VA) through platforms like Fiverr can be an economical alternative for outsourcing link-building, particularly suitable for those with tighter budgets and substantial link-building expertise.

Reaching Out To Webmasters

Webmasters might list their prices or negotiate upon contact for a guest post. This direct approach can be less expensive and effective for acquiring a large volume of links but requires considerable effort and time.

Prices requested by websites may range from $50 to $500 for a link. However, larger publications might charge significantly more, typically under the guise of sponsored posts or PR activities, with such links often being marked as “sponsored” or “no-follow”.

Marketplace Websites

Marketplaces allow site owners to list their sites for posting guest articles or for mere link insertions. An example of such a platform is Whitepress, which we recently reviewed. However, my experience with Motherlink was unfavorable, and I would not recommend it.

A comprehensive list of guest post marketplaces is available for further exploration.

Paid Appearances

Paying to appear on podcasts, webinars, and other online events can also yield backlinks. Don’t overlook these media as viable sources of do-follow links that can enhance search engine rankings.

Discuss with the host how your appearance will be promoted and negotiate specifics such as the landing page and anchor text for the links.

Such appearances can be costly, depending on the audience size of the platform, with higher visibility translating to higher costs.

Citations For Local SEO

For those focusing on local SEO, incorporating citations into your strategy is crucial. Tools like Brightlocal can assist in managing and acquiring local citations effectively.

Is Buying Links Right for You?

Building backlinks is crucial for improving page rank and achieving higher search engine placements. Despite the rising costs, paid backlinks should be considered an integral part of your SEO strategy.

Relying solely on one strategy can lead to an unnatural backlink profile, making your site vulnerable to penalties during algorithm updates. Always prioritize high-quality backlinks, stellar content, and sites that are on an upward trajectory, even if they don’t yet have high authority scores.

One of my preferred link-building methods is ABC link exchanges. The most cost-effective strategy, however, involves forming a team dedicated to guest posting, link exchanges, and occasional paid link acquisitions.

P.S.: Download my link-building exchange template to boost your link-building efforts dramatically!

Evaluating Link Quality: What to Look For

Understanding the quality of a backlink is crucial for effective SEO strategy. Not all links are created equal, and the value they add to your site can significantly vary. Here are the key factors you should consider when evaluating the quality of a potential backlink:

Relevance

The relevance of the linking domain and the specific page content to your website is paramount. Search engines prioritize links from sites within the same niche or industry because they are more likely to be contextually relevant to the content they link to.

Authority

Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) are metrics developed by Moz, while Domain Rating (DR) is a metric from Ahrefs. These indicators help gauge the strength and credibility of a website and its potential to rank well. A higher score generally signifies a more valuable backlink.

Traffic

Links from high-traffic websites are more beneficial, as they not only improve SEO but also have the potential to drive significant direct traffic to your site. Utilizing tools like Google Analytics or Ahrefs can provide insights into the traffic levels of potential link sources.

Anchor Text

The anchor text used in linking can affect both the relevance and effectiveness of a link. Ideal anchor texts are those that naturally integrate with your site’s keywords without appearing forced or over-optimized, which could be penalized by search engines.

Link Placement

Where your link appears on a page matters. Ideally, links embedded within the main content of the page are more powerful than those in the footer or sidebar. The more prominently a link is featured within content, the better it is for SEO.

No-Follow vs. Do-Follow

While do-follow links pass on link equity and are more valuable for SEO, no-follow links can still offer value in terms of traffic and credibility. It’s important to have a natural mix of both in your link profile to simulate organic linking behavior.