Don’t Buy Backlinks In 2024!, It’ll Destroy Your Website!

Is it legal to buy backlinks? are paid backlinks legal? are paid backlinks worth it?

If you need answers to these questions,

Sit back, relax, and grab a cup of coffee because we will dive deep into the world of paid backlinks for bloggers in 2024.

It’s no new news that having a good number of high-quality backlinks from high-authority websites or blogs can ultimately change your blogging game and set you up for success,

help increase your search rankings, and even get you that boost to increase organic traffic and conversions.

But is it safe?, what does Google say about buying backlinks? and how has this activity changed over the last few years?

According to Stat Counter,

Google controls 91.43% of all searches performed online by users,

be it voice search, video, image, or otherwise,

hence the reason why publishers spend most of their time trying to rank on Google alone.

This has resulted in publishers using various methods including buying backlinks to manipulate search engines into believing that they are websites deserving of higher search rankings in the Google SERPs.

What Is A Backlink And What Is An Example of A Backlink?

A backlink is an incoming link from an external website to yours,

This typically happens when the publisher of an external website links out to a page on your website in their blog posts or other existing pages,

For example,

If I were writing a blog post about “the best fast food to buy fried chicken online” on my blog 6figureblogger.com,

and I linked out to KFC’s website, KFC.com now has a backlink from me.

Ranking higher in the SERPs should be a result of quality content and great SEO,

Therefore,

Gaining backlinks to your content should happen naturally when other websites willingly link out to your content because you are a good source,

skipping this process and going ahead to buy backlinks is known as black hat SEO, something that Google frowns upon.

It can get your website penalized and ultimately banned from appearing in search results.

What Are The Types Of Backlinks?

Nevertheless, there are different types of backlinks,

and each of these determines how affected your blog or website will be by incoming backlinks and the impact that backlink will have in improving your search traffic and your SERP rankings on Google.

There are two major types of backlinks, they are;

1. No-follow Backlinks;

These are backlinks that have a “link=no rel” attribute attached to them,

for example, if I gave KFC.com a no-follow backlink, it would look like this.

<a rel="nofollow" href="http://kfc.com">This is an example of a no-follow link</a>

Adding a no-follow attribute to a link tells Google not to pass any SEO juice from the linking website to the one being linked,

In other words, even if the website linking to you had a high domain authority and search traffic,

Google won’t trust your website just because a high DR website is linked out to it with a no-follow link.

No-follow links are typically used in situations whereby you might link out to blog posts on other external websites because you like their content but don’t want to pass any link juice,

You can also use it in cases where you are linking out to an affiliate website,

This tells Google not to let that link affect the ranking of that website because it is being linked solely for the purpose of affiliate marketing.

2. Do-Follow Backlinks

Do-follow links on the other hand are the opposite of No-follow links,

They pass link juice to the receiving website and give the Google algorithm a signal that that website is trustworthy.

Think of do-follow links as a vote of confidence from the linking website to the receiving website in the eyes of Google,

By receiving a do-follow link from an external website,

Google knows to trust your website more and rank it higher in the SERPs.

<a href="http://kfc.com">This is an example of a do-follow link</a>

All external links in WordPress are do-follow by default,

If you would like to mark a link as no-follow,

Then you just have to highlight that link and enable the no-follow option right inside your WordPress dashboard as shown in the image above.

Are backlinks safe?

For the most part, backlinks are safe and can be an incredible tool when it comes to increasing your website traffic,

improving your search rankings and growing your blog, if done the right way.

When you buy backlinks from high spam, low authority, or PBN websites can affect your blog negatively and lead to a decrease in search rankings and even a penalty from Google since your website will be seen as untrusted or Spammy as well.

How do backlinks help SEO?

Backlinks are like a vote of confidence from a high authority website to yours,

When an external website links to your website, it simply tells Google that your website has valuable content on that particular topic or niche,

An increase in backlinks from other external websites lets Google know that your content is of high quality and people find it very helpful.

This will result in Google increasing your page rankings to show your content to other people who are searching for the same thing because they know your content is valuable and has authority and expertise in that topic or niche.

Is buying backlinks legal?

There is no governing rule that makes buying backlinks illegal,

However, Google as a company is completely against the purchase of backlinks

This is because it helps give false authority to websites that provide no genuine help or unique value,

They have the right to remove any website that goes against their webmaster rules from being indexed or displayed on the search results.

Do paid backlinks work?

Regardless of whether or not you buy backlinks or if you acquired them organically through marketing and high-quality content creation,

The result or impact of the backlink to the receiving website solely depends on the quality of the linking website,

Backlinks from websites with a high spam rate,

Low-quality or thin content and websites that are not secure can have a very bad impact on your website

They can ultimately reduce your search rankings instead of helping to increase them.

How much does a backlink cost?

According to Thrive My Way,

Acquiring or buying high authority backlinks can cost as high as $1000 each,

Low-quality backlinks cost anywhere from $150 to $300 per link,

Since getting high-quality backlinks is one of the biggest challenges in SEO today,

A survey shows that 46% of marketers spend up to $10,000 or more in their quest to build good-quality backlinks from high-authority websites.

Do backlinks Still Matter in SEO?

Yes, backlinks still matter in SEO,

According to a study by Brian Dean,

Founder of Backlinko.com,

An analysis of 1.8 million websites on Google showed that the overall backlink profile of a website was directly associated with higher rankings in the SERPs.

This also led to backlinks being added as a major Google website ranking factor and a critical aspect of SEO altogether.

Are backlinks worth it in 2023?

Yes, backlinks are still very important in 2023, and will be for a really long time,

with the introduction of Google’s recent helpful content update in August 2022,

Websites with very helpful and unique content should naturally acquire backlinks that help boost the overall page rankings of a website.

This will in turn increase website traffic by increasing the position of individual pages in the search results?

How do I check backlinks to my site?

You can check the backlink profile of your website by entering your website’s domain name or URL into any backlink checker tool online,

Some free backlink checker tools you can use include the free backlink checker tool by Ahrefs, Neil Patel’s free backlink checker, or Moz’s link explorer tool.

Should I buy backlinks for SEO?

I would strongly against buying cheap low-quality or spammy backlinks for SEO,

The risk is just so high especially when most of the websites selling links are usually very low quality and very Spammy PBN websites,

obtaining links from these kinds of websites can also cause your website to look Spammy.

When you buy backlinks from these low-quality websites,

They appear unnatural to Google’s algorithm as they are acquired very quickly in a very short period

This can lead to a penalty or a ban from being appeared in the search results.

How can I get free backlinks?

You can get free backlinks to your websites by;

1. Creating high-quality content that begs to be linked out to.
2. Publishing shareable content link infographics
3. Leaving constructive comments on other blogs or websites
4. Writing guest posts on high-authority blogs
5. Collaborating with other bloggers in your niche
6. Marketing and promoting your content on social media.

What kind of links are most valuable for SEO?

The best links for SEO on any website typically have a lot to do with the niche of that website,

but for the most part, you should look out for links that;

• From websites that are relevant to the topic being discussed
• Are from websites that publish high-quality content in that niche.
• From websites that have a good EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) score.
• Uses the right anchor texts for links
• Whose backlinks correlate with the location of the website
• The age of the website is relative to the number of backlinks acquired

What does Google say about backlinks?

Google sees incoming links from other external websites to another website as a sign that the receiving website has good quality content that is unique and helpful to people,

It then uses this logic to ultimately increase the search rankings of the receiving website

This way, users searching for those questions can see answers that are helpful and unique.

Why You Should Not Buy Spammy Backlinks!

Buying cheap backlinks for your blog might seem like a tempting shortcut to improve your website’s search engine rankings, but it’s a risky strategy that can have serious consequences.

Here are eight scary reasons why you should avoid buying cheap backlinks:

1. Google Penalties: Search engines like Google have strict guidelines on link quality. If they detect that you’ve purchased low-quality or spammy backlinks, your website can be penalized, leading to a drop in rankings or even deindexing from search results.
2. Reputation Damage: Associating your blog with low-quality or spammy websites can harm your online reputation. Visitors may perceive your content as untrustworthy if they see your site linked to questionable sources.
3. Ineffective SEO: Cheap backlinks often come from irrelevant or low-authority websites, making them ineffective for improving your SEO. They won’t provide the quality signals search engines look for in determining your site’s relevance and authority.
4. Temporary Gains: Even if you see a temporary boost in rankings, it’s likely to be short-lived. Search engines continuously update their algorithms, and when they catch on to the manipulative tactics, your rankings can plummet.
5. Wasted Investment: Buying cheap backlinks is essentially throwing money away. You’ll spend money on links that don’t provide any real value to your website and could even harm it in the long run.
6. Risk of Black Hat SEO: Purchasing backlinks is considered a black hat SEO technique. Engaging in such practices can result in severe penalties, including your site being removed from search engine indexes.
7. Legal Issues: Some backlink sellers engage in unethical or illegal practices. If you associate with them, you could find yourself involved in legal troubles or copyright issues.
8. Loss of Control: When you buy backlinks, you relinquish control over the quality and relevance of the links. This lack of control can lead to a disorganized and potentially harmful link profile.

Instead of resorting to cheap backlinks, focus on building a strong, natural backlink profile through legitimate means:

1. Create high-quality, valuable content that attracts organic backlinks from reputable websites.
2. Write guest posts on authoritative sites within your niche to earn genuine backlinks.
3. Engage in outreach to build relationships with other bloggers and website owners, increasing your chances of earning backlinks.
4. Invest in on-page SEO and technical SEO improvements to enhance your website’s overall performance.

In the long run, these strategies will not only improve your search engine rankings but also establish your blog as a trustworthy and authoritative source in your niche.

Should You Buy Backlinks? – Conclusion

Obtaining backlinks for SEO can be such a pain in the ass,

Especially when you are just a beginner blogger and Google doesn’t trust your website enough yet.

It is quite normal to be tempted to buy backlinks as a way to boost your search rankings very quickly,

So that you rank higher in the SERPs in a short period without actually putting in the work required.

There are so many low-quality websites that sell low-quality and Spammy links online and when you buy backlinks from them,

You end up with low-quality links that can do your website more harm than good

Your website may even end up getting your website penalized by Google and banned from indexing.

The best links to focus on are links that are obtained genuinely or earned through the creation of high-quality content that is helpful to people.