Should You Consider Buying Backlinks for SEO?
Buying backlinks can be the right move, but only if you work strategically.
Every year, acquiring backlinks for SEO gets harder. Competition is fiercer, Google is stricter with its requirements, and more and more publishers charge money for the privilege of posting content on their websites.
In this landscape, does it make sense to buy backlinks for SEO purposes?
The Dangers of Buying Backlinks for SEO
First, why do we even need to ask this question? It’s because Google explicitly forbids buying backlinks for SEO purposes. Google has a vested interest in making sure people don’t game or manipulate its ranking system, so it can prioritize trustworthy and credible results. Buying backlinks, broadly speaking, is considered ranking manipulation.
However, there’s a bit of a loophole in place. Oftentimes, when you “buy” backlinks, what you’re actually buying is backlink placement services or the opportunity to post your content on another website. In other words, you’re paying for a service, rather than the backlink itself.
The Need for Backlinks for SEO
At the same time, backlinks are practically essential for any SEO strategy to work. Even if you have great content and a perfectly functioning website, you’re not going to get any momentum unless you have a mechanism for establishing greater authority. Building backlinks manually is the best way to do this.
The Right Strategy for Buying Backlinks for SEO
The right approach, for most businesses, is to buy backlinks for SEO – but do so in a way that doesn’t violate any of Google’s guidelines.
That means you need to:
- Choose the right publishers. Good publishers have high authority, topical relevance, and at least some journalistic standards.
- Develop good content. Building backlinks is much safer and more sustainable when it’s backed by a good off site content development strategy.
- Make the link valuable. Google doesn’t go out of its way to penalize links that provide real value to readers and web users, so make sure all of your links serve a practical purpose.
Buying backlinks is a complicated issue, as with most issues in SEO. If you’re looking for more guidance, or a partner in supporting higher rankings, contact us today!
