{"id":160,"date":"2021-03-13T07:35:46","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T07:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diib.com\/learn\/?p=160"},"modified":"2026-10-15T04:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T04:08:30","slug":"should-i-buy-backlinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diib.com\/learn\/should-i-buy-backlinks\/","title":{"rendered":"Buy Backlinks? Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s common to hear people complaining about the sudden decrease in the ranking of their website. Sometimes, people might buy backlinks to correct this issue. If you’re someone who understands the importance of ranking on the first Google search engine results page (SERP), getting knocked out of that coveted first page position is just like a knockout punch in boxing as it can just as dramatically impact the traffic and revenue of your website.<\/p>\n

Although there are various causes of such sudden rank loss, one common reason is low-quality or bad backlinks. Many of those low-quality links come from website owners who tried to buy backlinks. Considering the time and effort that people put into building website traffic, the sudden negative impact due to bad quality links is known to disrupt website owners, both mentally and financially.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at what are these bad backlinks, the negative impact of these backlinks, and how you can save yourself from Google penalizing your website.<\/p>\n

What are Backlinks?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Backlinks are links from one website to another website. Google and other search engines consider backlinks as a vote of authenticity. In simple words, a website that links to you is giving you a vote of trust.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of websites linking to your page will increase the worth of the page in the eyes of search engines. The more quality backlinks you can get from other websites, the better it is for the reputation and ranking of your website.<\/p>\n

Since the advent of the search engines and the rise of Google, backlinks have remained instrumental in ranking the website. Despite regular changes in the search engine algorithm, Google still lists link analysis, including PageRank, among its core ranking systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, how did backlinks become so important? Here is a brief history.<\/p>\n

Why do backlinks matter so much to Google?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Backlinks matter because PageRank, one of Google’s core ranking systems since Google launched, judges pages by the links that point to them.<\/p>\n

In the earlier days of the search engines when Yahoo, AOL, AskJeeves, Excite, and Lycos dominated the search landscape, developers of search engines were actively seeking a way to rank websites based on the quality of information presented on that particular website. As a result, the earlier search engines relied heavily on the number of relevant keywords.<\/p>\n

Whenever someone tried to search for something, the top-ranking web pages on the search engine would be the pages that had the most relevant keywords to that particular search query. For instance, a search for “Parkinson Disease” would normally rank a web page based on the number of keywords for Parkinson’s Disease and similar terms on that particular page.<\/p>\n

However, ranking by keyword count led to keyword stuffing, which meant that a lot of people would stuff their webpage with hundreds of keywords just to gain top ranking on the search engine for a particular search term. Keyword stuffing pushed a lot of low-quality websites in front of searchers.<\/p>\n

When Google came into the spotlight in 1998, it planned to change how the information is presented to the user. With the passage of time, Google started putting more emphasis on backlinks instead of the keywords. Since it was not easy to ask others to link to a particular page, the number of backlinks was preferred over keywords and other factors.<\/p>\n

Counting links made sense because webpages such as CNN, Forbes, Apple, Chrysler, Mayo Clinic, United Nations, and other prominent websites had one thing in common: they had thousands of backlinks. For Google, counting links was a good start because people were shown information from authority websites that had the most authentic information.<\/p>\n

Using the improved model, when someone searched for Parkinson’s Disease, they were shown information from authority websites such as Mayo Clinic, World Health Organization, Harvard Medical School, etc. When Google gave importance to backlinks, the previous model used by other search engines took a backstage because it was prone to keyword stuffing where an average or ineffective website could gain the top ranking by stuffing keywords.<\/p>\n

DID YOU KNOW…<\/b>\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The earliest PageRank algorithm of Google was built around the idea of backlinks.<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As time progressed, people also started to find loopholes and shortcuts to gain the top ranking. The result was shadowy and dodgy practices such as buying backlinks from companies that would sell backlinks in bulk. As a result, some websites could climb to the first page of Google for certain keywords very quickly.<\/p>\n

The practice of buying backlinks and similar techniques challenged Google and other search engines to fix the problem. To tackle the issue, Google started blacklisting websites, decreasing their rankings, and banning them outright. All of a sudden, many websites saw a drastic decrease in their rankings.<\/p>\n

For some websites, the crackdown meant losing a big share of their revenue overnight. For others, the crackdown meant restarting their journey from ground zero. Even today, Google and other prominent search engines are proactively changing their search algorithms to stop website owners from dodging the system.<\/p>\n

Is buying backlinks against Google’s rules?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Yes, Google’s spam policies<\/a> list buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam, unless the paid link is marked rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow” so it passes no ranking credit.<\/p>\n

Since Google and other major players are putting so much emphasis on backlinks, it’s natural for website owners to feel pressured into buying back links. As status and fear are difficult to overcome, time and time again even rational website owners fall into the trap of buying backlinks.<\/p>\n

Some owners keep buying backlinks because paid links feel faster than earning them. There are also many websites, platforms, and freelancers who prey on new companies by selling them backlinks. Paid links may seem to work for a while, but Google says sites that break its spam policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all.<\/p>\n

Google has clear guidelines regarding link schemes. SEO companies and experts regularly repeat Google’s guidelines to steer people away from buying backlinks; however, website owners disregard their warnings thinking that it’s just a ploy to attract customers into paying the experts to build backlinks.<\/p>\n

What does Google say about buying backlinks or, as they call them, Link schemes?…<\/p>\n

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Google’s link spam guidelines<\/a> list buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. Google’s guidelines also count excessive link exchanges, where sites agree to link to each other, as link spam. When Google catches unnatural links to your site, Google can apply a manual action, and you’ll see the notice in the Manual actions report in Google Search Console.<\/p>\n

If your site gets a manual action for unnatural links, the fix is to remove or disavow the bad links and then file a reconsideration request in Search Console. Google’s Manual actions report help page<\/a> says most reconsideration reviews take several days or weeks, and link-related requests can take longer.<\/p>\n

Start by asking the sites that link to you to remove the bad links. Google warns that disavowing all your backlinks without trying to get them removed can lead to your request being rejected. Sometimes, the culprit is only a few bad backlinks, which result in degrading the entire domain. Even then, getting rid of those bad backlinks is no guarantee that your rankings will return to where they were.<\/p>\n

Google catches link spam through human review as well as automated systems, and Google’s algorithm updates are specifically designed to stop low-quality websites from popping up in the search radar.<\/p>\n

Google’s spam policies make clear that the search engine is actively dealing with low-quality backlinks and spam. Website owners also regularly post screenshots of Google’s manual action notices in online forums. All these warnings have one thing in common: Google takes notice of unnatural links and follows them up with stern action, detailing the penalties of artificial or unnatural links pointing to your website. Check out one such example from a website owner\u2026<\/p>\n

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Notices such as these are hard proof that Google considers backlinks a significant deciding factor in ranking the page; therefore, the quality of backlinks can decide the fate of your webpage. As a result, you should avoid purchasing backlinks because Google will eventually catch up to you, and you won’t like the outcome.
\n<\/p>\n

Does Google still use backlinks to rank pages?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Yes, Google says link analysis, including PageRank, is still part of its core ranking systems, but Google wants links to be earned, not built or bought.<\/p>\n

Google doesn’t tell site owners to go out and build links. If you’re new to search engine optimization (SEO), the mixed message can be confusing, because link building is a term the SEO community uses all the time, and many SEO experts will tell you backlinks are one of the most important parts of ranking.<\/p>\n

The reason for the mixed message is simple: Google wants links to show up as a side effect of useful content, not as something site owners chase or pay for.<\/p>\n

If everyone focused only on links, they would neglect the things that earn links in the first place, like writing great content and using the words your customers search for.<\/p>\n

Large studies line up with that view. An Ahrefs study of about 14 billion pages<\/a> found that 96.55% of pages get no traffic from Google, and Ahrefs saw a clear correlation between the number of websites linking to a page and that page’s search traffic, though a correlation doesn’t prove links cause rankings.<\/p>\n

The takeaway: keep working on all<\/i> parts of your website, and that includes earning high-quality backlinks.<\/p>\n

Quality of Backlinks<\/b><\/h3>\n

Not all backlinks are created equal, by any stretch of the imagination. Some backlinks are high quality and some are low quality. A high-quality backlink is usually a backlink from an authoritative, legitimate website. On the other hand, a low-quality backlink is generally from a very low ranked website, spammy website, or link exchange.<\/p>\n

Website owners should not focus on the total number of backlinks. Instead, focus should be given to the overall quality and relevant nature of backlinks. A few good backlinks from respected, relevant websites are usually worth more than hundreds of links from low-quality websites, and links that break Google’s spam policies can hurt your rankings on SERPs.<\/p>\n

What does SERP stand for? SERP stands for search engine results page, the page you see after you type a search into Google.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow links?<\/b><\/h2>\n

A dofollow link is a normal link that can pass ranking credit to the page it points to, while a link marked rel=”nofollow” asks Google not to pass that credit.<\/p>\n

Do follow link<\/b>: A do follow Link is a hyperlink that is able to tell all search engines to pass along its page rank influence to an outbound link.<\/p>\n

Nofollow Link<\/b>: A no follow link is the opposite of a do follow link: a hyperlink that asks search engines not to pass its PageRank on to the site it links to.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Before setting up a link building campaign, it’s important to understand the two types of main links: do follow and no follow.<\/p>\n

A history of back links suggests that a “do follow” link is perhaps the most important type of link because it will count as a vote of authority. Accordingly, the search engine will only give link power to “do follow” links. There is no actual “do follow” attribute: any link without a nofollow, sponsored or ugc value is a normal link that search engines can count.<\/p>\n

In contrast, a “no follow” attribute means the external website linking to your page has asked search engines not to count the link. Google’s guide to qualifying outbound links<\/a> says links marked this way generally won’t be followed.<\/p>\n

The “no follow” attribute was introduced to fight spam, because lots of people were deliberately leaving links on Wikipedia pages and important Forums that often pointed to spammy and low-quality websites. Such links did not help authority websites because anyone could just build a link.<\/p>\n

The no follow attribute was the fix. These days, large websites such as Wikipedia and big forums mark user-added links as “no follow” so the links don’t count as votes, which makes spamming those sites pointless.<\/p>\n

If these “no follow” links don’t count towards the ranking of a website, then what’s the point in building such links?<\/i><\/p>\n

While no follow links may not count as a vote, a no follow link on a popular, relevant website can still send you visitors. Over time, a set of no follow links can become a steady source of referral traffic (visitors who click through to your site from another site).<\/p>\n

In the end, it always helps to build a mix of no follow and do follow links. Even when you’re using a SEO professional to rank your website, ask them if they know about the proportion of do follow vs. no follow links.<\/p>\n

How much do backlinks cost, and are they worth buying?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Link sellers charge anywhere from under $100 to several hundred dollars per link, but a paid link that passes ranking credit breaks Google’s rules, so buying one isn’t worth the risk to your site.<\/p>\n

In an Ahrefs pricing study<\/a>, 450 sites were asked about adding a link to an existing article, and the average price quoted was $361.44. The same study pitched paid guest posts to 180 sites and found an average price of $77.80.<\/p>\n

Despite Google guidelines on selling links, you will still see a number of reputable bloggers selling backlinks. Instead of promoting their link-building services, most of these bloggers will entice you to contact them so you can negotiate a price. A few bloggers and reputable websites may bluntly advertise that a link from their website will cost you a particular amount.<\/p>\n

Sites that sell links are playing with fire, and so are the sites that buy from them. If you do pay for a placement, such as a sponsored article, Google’s guidelines say to mark the link rel=”sponsored” so it passes no ranking credit.<\/p>\n

If you want help earning quality links, an SEO professional can run outreach for you, such as pitching your content to relevant websites. Make sure whoever you hire earns links instead of paying for them.<\/p>\n

The real cost of backlinks is the time you spend earning natural links. Natural links are the most valuable links you can build, and natural links don’t put your site at risk of a link spam penalty.<\/p>\n

diib offers tips, tools, and tutorials at your fingertips, with a library of articles and guides on do-it-yourself SEO (including backlinking). Be the best DIY marketer around with diib!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How can diib help you earn backlinks?<\/b><\/h2>\n

diib helps you track and earn backlinks with backlink monitoring, a competitor backlink checker, and Domain Authority tracking.<\/p>\n

diib’s backlink tools include:<\/p>\n