Is Paying Hundreds of Dollars to Buy Backlinks Worth It? Here's My Experience

Backlinks are the lifeblood of SEO—that’s a fact! I can attest to this after years of relentless experimentation. For those unfamiliar, backlinks are links from other websites to your own, and I can attest that they are the most important factor when it comes to increasing your website’s rankings on Google. What qualifies me to make these statements? I am the founder of a website with a Domain Rating (DR) of 69 and over 60,000 monthly organic visitors, a number that signals expertise in the most notable SEO experts’ eyes. I won’t deny that content matters, but without backlinks (and traffic), your content might as well not exist!

This article builds on my earlier mission to rank a site in 90 days—a journey I shared in my previous article “I Built a Niche Site and Ranked it On Google in a Short Time — Here's How.” If you’ve followed my previous articles, you’ll know that my insights come directly from personal experience, not speculation. Unlike so-called “SEO experts” who focus on robots.txt files or other secondary aspects, in this article I want to dive straight into the heart of it all (i.e. what actually moves the needle): backlinks.

Now, let’s address the main question: how can you make money selling backlinks while building your own?

Why Backlinks Are Everything

Let’s get one thing straight: Google’s algorithm is all about trust (and authority). You can have Nobel Prize-worthy content, but if no one is linking to it, it’s as good as dead. Backlinks serve as votes or endorsements; they tell Google that your content is valuable and worth ranking! The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more likely you will rank for competitive keywords.

But why are backlinks so valuable and why do people sometimes charge a small fortune for them? Because they’re SUPER hard to get. They require effort, strategy, and sometimes—yes—money! The good news is, there are ways to not only build backlinks but also monetize them while you are trying to rank your own site. It helps especially if you are an entrepreneur starting out and the cost of building your own business starts adding up quickly. Let’s start by discussing paid backlinks before diving into earned ones.

Paid Backlinks: A Quick Boost in Both Ranking and Confidence

Yes, you can buy backlinks, and for beginners, it is not the worst idea! Before you raise your eyebrows, please hear me out: paid backlinks can give you the momentum you need to get noticed by Google. Think of it as a confidence boost: even ranking at position 60 for a keyword shows that Google is paying attention to your site. That’s your signal to keep going!

How to Buy Backlinks

1. Find Relevant Blogs: Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify websites in your niche. Alternatively, search Google for keywords and check out the blogs that rank.
2. Negotiate Sponsored Posts: Reach out to these sites and ask about publishing a sponsored article with a backlink to your site.
3. Set a Budget: Never pay more than $200 per backlink (i.e. a blog post), and ensure the site has at least 10,000–20,000 monthly visitors. Anything less isn’t worth your money!

How to Offset Costs (and Profit!)

Here’s the juicy part that many people may not think about: you can partner with other brands to split the cost of sponsored posts. Many blogs allow multiple links in a single article. Offer to include another brand’s link for a fee, potentially covering your entire cost or even making a profit.

But remember, paid backlinks should only be a small part of your strategy (I mean it). Use them sparingly—think 20–30 max—and focus on the real goldmine: earned backlinks!

Earned Backlinks: The Real MVP

Earned backlinks are the ones you get through genuine effort and value. They’re not only more sustainable but also more impactful for your site’s SEO in the long run (and frankly, Google prefers these).

The PR Strategy

Public relations (PR) is the most powerful way to earn backlinks. Here is how to do it:

1. Leverage SOSMedia and Similar Platforms: Sites like HaB2BW and SOS Media connect journalists with experts. Respond to relevant queries and offer your insights. Trust me when I say, if you persist, you will get really good at it and land considerable mentions in top media! You just have to understand what the journalists are looking for and answer as a founder (not a PR person).
2. Pitch to Journalists if You Want to Achieve What Expert PRs Do: Run a literal PR campaign for your brand using lead-gen tools like Instantly. Create a compelling pitch and reach out only to hundreds of journalists in your niche (that makes the likelihood of you getting published the greatest). I will write a whole article on this in the future because it is that valuable, but to keep it simple, start thinking about a scalable PR campaign.
3. Offer Your Product: If you’re pitching journalists, consider sending them your product to try. You may even land great print coverage as I did with WSJ. While print coverage may not include a backlink, the brand exposure is invaluable and you can use the feature on your site to brag about the product coverage.

How to Monetize Earned Backlinks

Here is where the article was going: you can actually earn backlinks and rank your own website while making money. Partner with brands in your niche and charge them for inclusion in your media pitches or guest posts (trust me, they need it and are willing to pay). For example, if you’re featured in a blog article, offer to include another brand’s link for a fee. Not only are you building your backlink profile, but you’re also generating revenue.

The Snowball Effect - Other Top Media Will Pick Up The Original Article

One of the magical aspects of PR is the snowball effect. Let me explain: if you are featured in a top media outlet, other outlets often pick up the original story resulting in dozens of additional backlinks that you didn’t even strive for. This ripple effect can dramatically boost your DR and rankings.

What to Keep in Mind:

Backlinks are the cornerstone of SEO, and building them requires a mix of strategy, creativity, and persistence. What is rewarded here is consistency – you cannot give up after a single backlink as you need many to see thousands of organic visitors per month from Google. Whether you start with paid backlinks for a quick boost or focus entirely on earning them through PR, you have to trust the process!

And yes, you can make money while building backlinks. By collaborating with other brands, you can offset costs and even generate income, turning your SEO strategy into a win-win.

Happy ranking, and stay tuned and follow along for more tips as I venture on my own journey to rank my new website, bestcolorfulsocks.com and please feel free to keep up with my own backlinking strategy via SEMRush or Ahrefs!