10 Best Services to Buy Backlinks From in 2026 (Tested & Rated)

Q: 1) Is Buying Backlinks Illegal?

No, buying backlinks is legal, and it is also legal to sell links. However, buying or selling links for the purpose of manipulating search rankings is against Google’s guidelines. Google devalues paid links rather than penalizing sites with quality placements.

Q: 2) Will Buying Backlinks Get My Site Penalized?

If you buy low-quality or spammy links, you risk penalties. Quality, relevance, and natural link profiles reduce this risk significantly.

Q: 3) Are All High DA/DR Links Good?

No, metrics like DA and DR are just part of the picture. Relevance, traffic quality, anchor text, and link context matter more for SEO impact.

Q: 4) Can I Buy Backlinks Cheaply and Succeed?

Cheap links often come from low-quality sources, increasing risk without lasting benefit. Investing in quality links and alternatives yields better ROI.

We know high-quality links drive rankings. Plenty of studies link growth in organic traffic and better search positions to profiles filled with authoritative referring domains, highlighting what is link building’s role in SEO success.

Metrics like Domain Authority and Domain Rating can flag sites that are worth considering, but chasing those numbers alone won’t get results.

It seems easy just buy a bunch of links from sites with strong DA and DR, then watch your ranking shoot up. The reality is far more complex.

Buying backlinks is packed with sellers who push anyone toward big metrics while skipping deeper quality checks or relevance. Those numbers are just one part of the story. Real gains come when you factor in context, actual audience, and overall quality.

When considering the impact of backlinks, remember that buying the wrong type of backlinks can negatively affect your website traffic and overall SEO performance.

What Buying Backlinks Means in 2026?

Buying backlinks means paying website owners to place links to your site in their content (the site owner may be selling backlinks as a monetization strategy), with costs averaging $150 to $1500 per link in 2026.

Google devalues rather than penalizes most paid links today, making quality evaluation the critical factor for success.

The practice evolved significantly since Google’s 2012 Penguin update when paid links triggered algorithmic penalties.

Google now uses machine learning systems like SpamBrain to identify and neutralize low-quality paid backlinks without issuing manual penalties to the receiving site. This shift means you can buy links safely if you choose high-traffic, topically relevant sources and avoid obvious link schemes.

Paid backlinks work best when they supplement rather than replace earned editorial links. Acquiring backlinks through legitimate means can improve your visibility in Google’s search results.

According to recent link velocity studies a natural backlink profile contains 60-70% organic links from content marketing and 30-40% strategic paid placements.

Benefits of Buying Backlinks?

Investing in high-quality backlinks can provide a range of benefits for your website’s SEO efforts. One of the most immediate advantages is an increase in organic traffic.

When your site is linked from relevant sites with strong authority, you’re more likely to attract visitors who are genuinely interested in your content or services.

These quality backlinks act as endorsements in the eyes of search engines, helping your site rise higher in search engine rankings and increasing your visibility to interested customers. To measure the effectiveness of your backlink investments, regularly check your website’s Google rankings and track position improvements over time.

However, it’s crucial to remember that not all backlinks are created equal. While quality backlinks from authoritative, relevant websites can propel your site forward, buying links from low-quality or unrelated sources can backfire, which could result in a Google penalty that harms your rankings and reputation.

Is It Worth Buying Backlinks?

Buying backlinks provides measurable value when sourced from established sites with verified traffic and relevant topical alignment.

When integrated into a comprehensive SEO strategy, buying backlinks can significantly impact SEO performance by improving rankings and increasing domain authority.

The 2025 State of Link Building report shows that 91.9% of SEO professionals believe their competitors buy backlinks, and 78.1% report achieving ROI from link building investments.

When to Buy and When to Avoid! 🔍

✅ Buy backlinks when organic outreach fails to secure placements in competitive niches, when time constraints prevent manual relationship building, or when you need initial authority signals for new domains (especially relevant for brand new sites).

❌ Avoid buying links if your budget limits you to cheap bulk packages under $200 for 50+ placements (cheap backlinks from such offers are typically low quality and can harm your site), which universally signal PBN networks that Google devalues within 30-60 days.

This setup keeps your process smooth and gives you clear output without extra steps.

Which Link Building Methods Actually Work in 2026?

In 2026, the most effective ways to buy backlinks are niche edits, guest post placements, sponsored articles, digital PR campaigns, EDU site links, and white-label link packages.

1. Niche Edits (Link Insertions)

Niche edits is the process of acquiring a backlink by placing it into an existing, established article on another website relevant to your topic or industry.

Site owners add your link to existing published content on their established pages. The placement of a backlink within a relevant web page is crucial for maximizing SEO benefit.

Costs range from $50 to $360 per placement depending on site authority, with mid-level niche edits averaging $180 to $300+. Dofollow backlinks from niche edits can pass significant link equity. Verify the target page receives organic traffic using Ahrefs Site Explorer before purchasing.

2. Guest Posting

Guest Posting is a link building strategy where you contribute a unique article to another website in your niche, including your own backlink within the content.

You provide original content (800-1,500 words) that the publisher reviews and posts with your backlink included. Pricing varies significantly by domain authority:

💰 High Domain Rating (DR 50+): $300 to $1,000+ per post

💰 Medium Domain Rating (DR 30-50): $120 to $300 per post

💰 Low Domain Rating (DR < 30): $50 to $150 per post

Many businesses choose to buy high quality backlinks through paid guest posts to ensure value and ranking improvement.

Look for sites accepting 2-4 guest posts monthly rather than 20+, which signals link farms. It is important to find sites that are reputable and relevant for outreach.

3. Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content are the Backlinks obtained by paying another website to publish content (often labeled as “sponsored” or “partner content”) that features your link and brand.

Publishers create and publish branded content featuring your product or service with backlinks to your site.

Costs run $200–$800 for mid-tier blogs (higher for major outlets; variable). Require “sponsored” or “partner content” disclosures to maintain Google compliance.

Follow links in sponsored content can impact your site’s authority, but may be subject to rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow” tags.

4. Digital PR Placements:

Digital PR Placements is the act of earning editorial backlinks through press releases, outreach, or newsworthy campaigns, resulting in coverage and links from media or authority sites.

PR agencies secure links from news sites and media outlets through newsworthy story pitches. These agencies often create content that naturally attracts links.

High-quality backlinks from outreach campaigns average $1,000 to $2,500+ per link, with an average of $1,500 per placement. The recent link building survey shows 48.6% of SEO professionals use digital PR as their primary method.

5. EDU Backlinks

EDU Backlinks are the Backlinks that originate from educational institution domains (.edu), typically secured through scholarships, resource listings, or academic partnerships.

Educational institutions (.edu domains) offer scholarship pages, resource directories, and sponsored research opportunities with backlinks. Avoid .edu link sellers promising bulk packages, which typically exploit compromised university blogs.

6. White-Label Link Building Services

Link building work performed by a third-party provider, who acquires backlinks on your behalf but under your company or client’s branding is known as White-Label Link Building

Agencies build links on your behalf through their established publisher networks. Quality link building services offer a range of backlink packages and ensure placements on authoritative sites. Verify the agency provides transparency reports showing exact placement URLs and metrics.

7. Marketplace Platforms

Marketplace Platforms are self-serve platforms connecting buyers with examined site owners where you can browse, purchase, and manage link placements by niche, price, and other filters.

Sites like Bazoom and Collaborator connect buyers with publishers. You can browse available placements filtered by domain rating, traffic, and niche, then purchase directly.

How Much Backlinks Cost in 2026

Link Type	Average Cost	Best For
Niche Edits (Low DR)	$50 – $200	Budget-conscious buyers needing quick placements
Niche Edits (Mid DR)	$100 – $250	Standard quality backlinks on established sites
Guest Posts (DR 30-50)	$120 – $300	Controlled anchor text and context
Guest Posts (DR 50+)	$300 – $1,000+	High-authority content placements
Digital PR Links	$1,000 – $2,500+	Premium news site and media outlet placements

Three main factors that determine backlink pricing (beyond domain metrics):

💰 Monthly traffic volume: Sites with over 50,000 visitors/month may charge 30–50% more for backlinks.

🎯 Niche competitiveness: Links in saturated markets (finance, legal, health) cost 40–60% more than general topics.

🌍 Geographic targeting: US-only placements typically add 20–30% to costs versus international options.

While some providers advertise affordable prices for backlinks and social signals, it’s important to understand what links cost in relation to quality and long-term SEO value.

Quality backlinks consistently outperform cheap bulk links. Most reputable SEO agencies recommend investing $1,500–$3,000+ per month to secure a handful of high-authority placements, as these deliver far more reliable ranking gains than low-cost, low-quality link packages.

⚡ What Is Link Velocity?

Link velocity measures how quickly you acquire new backlinks over time. Building 50 links in one week looks suspicious to Google, while gaining 5-7 quality links monthly appears natural. Maintain consistent, gradual growth because sudden spikes trigger manual reviews and algorithmic filters.

How to Evaluate Backlink Quality?

The most effective links come from websites and pages dedicated to your industry or topic, not from high-traffic or high-metric sites with no subject overlap. Links from other websites with strong authority are considered good links and can significantly boost your SEO when they are relevant and reputable.

A single backlink from a respected, thematically related site even if its Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA) is modest will usually have more SEO value than a link from an unrelated “authority” platform.

While DR and DA are third-party metrics that can give a general sense of a site’s trust, they don’t guarantee value. Google strongly favors topical alignment, natural placement, and editorial trust over arbitrary numbers.

What are DA and DR?

🔗 DA (Domain Authority): A Moz score (0–100) estimating how well a website can rank on Google, based on links, popularity, and multiple SEO signals.

🌐 DR (Domain Rating):An Ahrefs score (0–100) focused on the strength of a site’s backlink profile the more high-quality referring domains, the higher the DR.

Prioritize links from sites that share your target audience and expertise regardless of scale or external scores.

What Makes a Quality Backlink?

✅ Verify Traffic and Domain Authority

To verify traffic and domain authority, rely on trusted third-party SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or SimilarWeb. Check that a domain shows organic visitors and stable or growing traffic trends over the past six months.

Relevant traffic from the linking site increases the value of the backlink, as it brings targeted visitors who are more likely to engage with your content.

Confirm the site’s domain rating is above 30 for standard links and preferably 50+ for competitive niches. Be cautious with sites that have lost over 30% of their traffic, as this can signal algorithm issues or declining authority.

A significant drop in website traffic may indicate penalties or devaluation due to poor backlink practices.

⚡ What Makes a Backlink “Toxic”?

Toxic backlinks come from spam sites, link farms, adult content, hacked sites, or domains with malware warnings. These harm your rankings instead of helping. Use Google Search Console’s disavow tool to reject toxic links pointing to your site, but only after attempting manual removal first.

✅ Check Topical Relevance

The linking site should publish content in your industry or adjacent topics that share audience overlap. A backlink from a pet care blog to your SaaS product passes minimal value due to topical mismatch.

Use Google search operator “site:targetdomain.com [your keyword]” to verify they publish relevant content. Topically aligned links transfer 2.3x more authority than random placements.

✅ Calculate Outbound Link Density

Review five recent articles on the target site and count external links, then divide by total word count. Quality sites maintain fewer than 10 outbound links per 1,000 words.

Sites exceeding 15 outbound links per 1,000 words operate as link farms. Search “site:targetdomain.com sponsored” to count paid posts more than 20 sponsored articles monthly risks Google devaluation.

✅ Analyze Link Placement Context

Links embedded naturally within relevant paragraphs transfer more authority than footer links, sidebar widgets, or author bio boxes. The surrounding 150 words should relate directly to your linked content topic. Avoid sites placing all external links in dedicated “resources” sections at article ends, which signals paid link insertion.

✅ Check Historical Backlink Profile

UseAhrefs Backlink Checker to review where the site earns its own backlinks. Quality sites attract links from other authoritative domains rather than reciprocal linking schemes or PBN networks.

Red flags include sudden backlink spikes (100+ new links in one week), links from unrelated foreign-language sites, or excessive exact-match anchor text patterns exceeding 20% of total backlinks.

🎯 Understanding Anchor Text Distribution

Anchor text distribution is the balanced mix of different clickable text types in backlinks that signals natural, relevant link profiles to search

Your total backlink profile should contain diverse anchor text types:

30-40% branded anchors (your company name)
20-30% naked URLs (yoursite.com)
15-25% generic terms (“click here,” “learn more”)
10-15% exact-match keywords
5-10% partial-match keywords

Excessive exact-match anchors (over 20%) signal manipulation to Google.

What Red Flags Should You Avoid When Buying Backlinks?

1) Bulk Package Promises Under $200

Sellers offering 50-100 backlinks for $100-$200 universally operate PBN networks or automated blog comment spam. Blog comments are a common source of low-quality backlinks that can harm your SEO.

These placements originate from expired domains repurposed as link farms or WordPress sites with thin content..

2) Excessive Sponsored Content Markers

Sites publishing 5+ articles tagged “sponsored,” “partner content,” or “paid post” per 1,000 words of content function primarily as link sellers rather than legitimate publishers.

Use Google search operator “site:targetdomain.com sponsored“ to count paid posts. Results exceeding 50 sponsored articles indicate the site prioritizes paid placements over editorial content quality.

3) Traffic Decline Patterns

Sites losing 30%+ organic traffic over six months face algorithm penalties, content freshness issues, or technical SEO problems that diminish authority. Check Ahrefs Site Explorer traffic graphs for the past 12 months consistent decline signals deteriorating quality.

Avoid sites with sudden traffic drops exceeding 50% in single months, which indicate manual penalties.

4) Private Blog Network (PBN) Affiliations

Private blog networks consist of expired domains repurposed solely for link building with thin content and identical design templates. Red flags include:

❌ Sites hosted on the same IP address ranges

❌ Identical Google Analytics codes across domains

❌ Content published on the same dates across multiple sites

Use tools like Who.is to check hosting providers and registration dates.

5) Guaranteed Ranking Promises

No legitimate link building service guarantees specific ranking positions because search algorithms consider 200+ factors beyond backlinks alone.

Sellers promising “first page guaranteed” or “rank #1 in 30 days” rely on manipulative tactics that risk penalties. Reputable agencies provide effort guarantees (number of placements) rather than outcome guarantees.

6) Anonymous Fiverr and Freelancer Sellers

Sellers on gig platforms without verifiable company information, client testimonials, or example placements conceal quality issues and lack accountability.

Legitimate agencies maintain branded websites showing team members, case studies, and transparent pricing. Fiverr sellers offer “high DA backlinks” for $50-$150 source links from PBNs or automated directories with zero authority transfer.

Buying Backlinks vs Building Them

Website owners face a strategic choice when it comes to acquiring quality links: should you buy backlinks or build them organically? Buying backlinks can be an efficient way to quickly secure high authority links, especially for new sites or those operating in highly competitive niches where organic outreach may be slow or challenging.

While buying links can be more expensive and carries the risk of acquiring low-quality links if not done carefully, natural link building is typically more sustainable and cost-effective over time.

The most effective backlink strategy often combines both approaches: supplementing your organic link building with carefully selected paid placements from reputable sources. This balanced method allows you to build links efficiently while maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of your SEO campaign.

What Are Safer Alternatives to Buying Links?

Digital PR campaigns generate backlinks at 48.6% adoption rate versus 16% for traditional guest posting in 2026, with HARO source requests, unlinked brand mention conversion, resource page outreach, and original research creation delivering sustainable results.

Digital PR and Journalist Outreach

Pitch newsworthy stories to journalists using platforms like HARO (Help A Reporter Out), Qwoted, and Featured. Journalists seek expert sources daily for articles in major publications. You provide quotes and insights in exchange for backlinks from high-authority news sites. This method generates DR 70-90 links from legitimate editorial mentions.

📌 Dedicate 2-3 hours daily to monitoring journalist queries across 5-10 relevant topics

📌 Respond within 30 minutes of query posting with 150-200 word expert insights citing specific data or case examples

📌 Successful responses convert to placements at 8-12% rate, requiring 30-40 pitches monthly to earn 3-5 quality backlinks

Unlinked Brand Mention Conversion

Monitor the web for brand name mentions without hyperlinks using Google Alerts, Ahrefs Content Explorer, or Mention.com. Contact site owners requesting they convert existing mentions into clickable backlinks. This method builds on established brand awareness and typically achieves 35-45% conversion rates through simple outreach.

📌 Set up monitoring for your brand name, product names, and executive names across news sites, blogs, and industry publications

📌 When unlinked mentions appear, send personalized emails thanking the author and requesting a hyperlink to improve reader navigation

📌 Response within 24 hours of publication increases conversion likelihood by 60%

Resource Page Link Building

Identify resource pages and curated lists in your industry using search operators like “[topic] + helpful resources,” “[topic] + useful tools,” or “[topic] + recommended reading“. Pitch your content for inclusion on these pages with brief explanations of unique value provided. Resource pages actively seek quality additions and convert at 20-30% rates.

📌 Use Google search operator: “intitle:resources + [your topic]” or “inurl:links + [your topic]” to find 50-100 relevant resource pages

📌 Email site owners with subject line “Addition suggestion for your [topic] resources page” and two-sentence pitch explaining why your content deserves inclusion

Original Research and Data Studies

Create original surveys, industry reports, or data analysis studies that attract natural backlinks from journalists and bloggers citing your findings. Research content generates 3-5x more backlinks per piece than standard blog posts.

📌 Survey 200-500 industry professionals using Typeform or SurveyMonkey on trending topics like “2025 [Industry] Benchmarks” or “[Topic] Usage Statistics“

📌 Publish comprehensive reports with charts, infographics, and downloadable PDFs

📌 Promote findings to industry publications, relevant bloggers, and journalists

Useful Link Building Tools and Resources

🔧 Ahrefs Site Explorer – Comprehensive backlink analysis tool showing referring domains, domain rating, organic traffic estimates, and backlink quality metrics for any URL. Best for agencies and serious SEO professionals conducting deep competitor analysis and quality verification before purchasing links.

🔧 SEMrush Backlink Analytics – Complete backlink profile analysis including toxic link detection, referring domain analysis, and anchor text distribution reports. The platform identifies potentially harmful links and provides disavow file generation for Google Search Console.

🔧 Moz Link Explorer – User-friendly backlink checker with proprietary Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) metrics widely used in the link building industry. Provides spam score calculation helping identify risky link sources before purchase.

🔧 BuzzStream – Outreach and relationship management platform designed for link building campaigns, combining contact discovery, email templates, follow-up automation, and placement tracking in one tool. Best for agencies managing dozens of simultaneous outreach campaigns.

🔧Monitor Backlinks – Automated link monitoring service tracking all your backlinks daily and alerting you when links are removed, changed to nofollow, or redirected. Provides competitor backlink monitoring showing new links gained by competitors in real-time.

You can also review helpful link building tools that support research and planning before deciding which links to purchase.

Get Professional Backlinks 🚀

Ultimately, the key to sustainable SEO growth lies in creating high quality content that attracts links naturally, while using paid backlinks to supplement and accelerate your progress.

Ready to build high-authority backlinks without manual outreach ?

If you’re looking for a professional link-building agency with experience in paying for links, as well as many other white hat backlink-building tactics, check out BuildingBacklinks.io.

Choose from niche edit packages, guest post packages, or custom campaigns mixing methods based on your niche and goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Is Buying Backlinks Illegal?