At AgilePR, we have lengthy discussions on the correct value of a backlink. As SEO experts, we’ve analyzed a dozen websites and other agencies to rank the true monetary value of backlinks.
Here we crunch through the numbers based on multiple factors.
What is Link Building?
First of all, if you’re unfamiliar with the term a backlink is a link from one website to another. In the context of search engine optimization (SEO), backlinks are significant because they are considered votes of confidence for the content of the receiving site.
Search engines like Google use backlinks as one of many factors to rank websites in search results. Essentially, when a site links to another, it’s saying that the content is valuable or credible.
How much should you Pay per Link?
This question is not as easy as looking at a site’s domain authority and deciding on a price.
There are many SEO scammers out there, sending a dozen emails that have high authority backlinks at your disposal.
How do you know they are valuable for your business?
Think of it this way. These websites are all open to link building. And a dozen emails like these are floating around daily, resulting in hundreds, if not thousands of backlinks being placed on these sites each month.
What will that result in?
These sites will either get penalized or lose their SEO way. Which will result in you losing SEO juice. So you’ll pay for a backlink that might eventually harm your site.
Before giving you an exact number, let’s look at how you can measure a backlink’s quality and therefore its true value.
Measuring Link Quality
High-authority websites (like major news outlets, industry-leading blogs, or academic journals) often charge more for backlinks due to their credibility and impact on SEO.
High-quality backlinks from reputable sites can range from $100 to $5,000 or more per dofollow backlink.
Tools like Ahrefs and Moz can help evaluate these metrics.
Be aware that the relevance of the linking site to your content is important; backlinks from sites within the same industry or niche carry more weight.
Content quality and uniqueness surrounding the backlink will most definitely add value, as well-written and informative content is more likely to be trusted.
Let’s look at other factors that will impact the price.
Site Authority
Measuring the value of a backlink involves assessing several key factors.
First, the Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA) of the linking site is crucial, as links from high-authority sites are considered more credible and trusted by search engines.
Nofollow vs Dofollow Backlink Value
“Dofollow” and “Nofollow” are attributes used in HTML to specify how search engines should treat links. This is extremely important since according to popular belief, Nofollow backlinks hold little to no value. But that cannot bu further from the truth.
Here’s a detailed explanation of the differences between them.
Dofollow Links
Pass Link Equity: Dofollow links allow search engines to follow the link and pass on “link equity” or “link juice” to the linked website. This helps the linked site improve its search engine ranking.
Default Behavior: By default, all hyperlinks are dofollow unless specified otherwise. You don’t need to add any special attributes to make a link dofollow.
SEO Benefit: Because dofollow links contribute to the linked site’s authority and ranking, they are highly valued in SEO strategies.
Anchor Text Influence: The anchor text (the clickable text of the link) in dofollow links influences the keywords for which the linked page might rank.
Nofollow Links
No Link Equity Passed: Nofollow links tell search engines not to follow the link or pass any link equity to the linked site. This means the link does not help improve the linked site’s search engine ranking.
Attribute Addition: To create a nofollow link, you add the rel="nofollow" attribute to the HTML of the link. For example:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example</a>
Purpose: Nofollow links are used to:
Prevent spammy links from affecting rankings (e.g., in blog comments or user-generated content).
Comply with Google’s guidelines on paid links, as these should not influence search rankings.
Indicate that the link is not endorsed, such as in certain types of content (e.g., advertisements, sponsored content).
Clearly, we can say that dofollow backlinks hold far greater value and therefore should have double the price. But this is not that simple.
According to our research, we have estimated little correlation between no follow link prices and their actual value.
Its price comes down to human bias. We estimate that they are usually 50 to 80% cheaper than dofollow.
The price of Nofollow backlinks is heavily biased and disputed to this day.
SEO Impact of Backlinks
While nofollow links do not directly contribute to the linked site’s ranking, they can still drive traffic and may have indirect SEO benefits (such as increased visibility and potential for earning natural dofollow links).
Practical Uses
- Dofollow Links: Use these when you want to endorse the content you’re linking to and are confident it adds value to your readers. Examples include internal links, editorial links, and organic backlinks from reputable sites.
- Nofollow Links: Use these when linking to untrusted or user-generated content, paid links, or when you don’t want to pass link equity. Examples include blog comments, paid advertisements, or links to sites that don’t align with your content strategy.
Impact on SEO
- Dofollow: Helps improve the linked site’s authority and ranking.
- Nofollow: Does not directly influence the linked site’s authority and ranking but can still drive traffic and provide other indirect benefits.
Understanding and properly utilizing dofollow and nofollow links is crucial for maintaining a healthy and effective SEO strategy.
How much should a link building cost you?
Let’s break down the numbers.
According to our estimates in the past 3 years, since 2021, the prices have slightly elevated, but have remained firm at these costs per dofollow backlink.
- High-Authority Sites: $100 to $5,000+ per link
- Niche-Specific Sites: $50 to $500 per link on sites above DR20 and a slight growth in organic traffic with relevant keywords. (Anything below is not worth the time.)
- Guest Posting: Free to several hundred dollars per post
- Link Buying: Varies widely, often $20 to $500+ per link
- Outreach and Content Marketing: $500 to $5,000+ per month
- SEO Agencies: $500 to $5,000+ per month
- Freelancers: $50 to $500 per link
These are generalized numbers, we will delve deeper into them, in the next chapter.
How much should someone charge for a backlink?
Assuming you’re not hiring an agency, freelancer or link builder, here are the numbers you should watch out for. Let’s also assume that you just want a link inserted, or have an article with your backlink.
Here’s how much should be charged.
- DR 10: $20 – $50 per link
- DR 20: $50 – $100 per link
- DR 30: $100 – $200 per link
- DR 40: $200 – $400 per link
- DR 50: $400 – $700 per link
- DR 60: $700 – $1,000 per link
- DR 70: $1,000 – $1,500 per link
- DR 80: $1,500 – $2,500 per link
- DR 90: $2,500 – $5,000+ per link
Once again, make sure you follow our article on SEO and link building scammers, to find out the dirty tricks they play to scam their victims.
Are backlinks worth 5000 dollars or more?
Yes, there are examples of high authority and popular sites like Forbes, Inc, Venturebeat, Newsweekly, Coinbase, Entrepreneur, New York Times and many more with millions of monthly readers.
Do they charge this much for Dofollow backlinks?
NO!
No they don’t! But agencies and freelancers do! And this is because they have to build a strong PR strategy to get companies on board with journalists.
If you need help with this, feel free to contact us.
Some agencies provide link building campaigns in bulk. From our experience, they normally charge around 3000 dollars per month in exchange for 8 to 12 backlinks.
How do we maximize link building value?
If you want to maximize the impact of backlinks for your SEO and grow your organic traffic there are a few points you MUST consider before hiring an SEO or link-building agency, freelancer, or outreach specialist.
They must know the following.
1. SEO Hygiene
To maximize backlink value, maintaining good SEO hygiene is paramount. This involves optimizing various elements of your website to ensure it is both search-engine-friendly and user-friendly.
High-quality, relevant, and valuable content forms the foundation of effective SEO hygiene, attracting natural backlinks and enhancing credibility.
Technical aspects such as fast loading times, mobile optimization, secure HTTPS protocols, and a clear site structure are also essential.
On-page SEO practices, including optimized meta tags, headers, and content with relevant keywords, help improve search engine visibility. A robust internal linking structure ensures efficient distribution of link equity across your site.
Regular SEO audits help identify and rectify issues like broken links, keeping your website in top shape and capable of maximizing the value of the backlinks it receives.
2. Link Camouflage
To maximize backlink value, the practice of link camouflage is essential. This involves seamlessly integrating backlinks within your content to avoid appearing manipulative or overly promotional.
Contextual linking, where backlinks are embedded within the main body of the text, is an effective strategy. This not only enhances the reader’s experience by providing additional valuable information but also increases the likelihood of the links being clicked and valued by search engines.
Avoiding obvious link placements in footers or sidebars is crucial, as these can be easily identified as attempts to manipulate rankings. By ensuring that links flow naturally within the content and add real value to the discussion, you can maximize the value of your backlinks.
3. Domain Ranking Value
Maximizing backlink value involves obtaining links from high Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR) sites. These metrics indicate the overall strength and credibility of a website, and backlinks from such sites pass on more authority, significantly boosting your own site’s ranking potential.
To achieve this, focus on securing backlinks from reputable and influential websites. Strategies include guest posting on high-authority industry blogs, earning mentions from leading sites, and being featured in respected publications.
By prioritizing backlinks from high DA/DR sites, you effectively maximize the value of each backlink, enhancing your website’s credibility and search engine ranking.
4. Anchor Text
Using optimized anchor text is a key strategy to maximize backlink value. Anchor text is the clickable part of a hyperlink and provides context to search engines about the content of the linked page.
To optimize anchor text, ensure it is relevant, descriptive, and contains targeted keywords that align with your SEO goals. Avoid generic terms like “click here” or “read more,” as they provide little context.
As we’ve mentioned in our white-hat link building article once, there are three things to look out for when selecting an acnhor for your backlink with examples.
- Brand: “Amazon” “Google” “Meta” “AgilePR
- Brand and phrase: “According to Meta” “Google’s article on” “a quote by AgilePR”
- Exact match: “best products” “generic details” “this article”
Try using use specific and varied anchor texts that accurately describe the linked content or the keyword you’re trying to rank for.
This helps search engines understand the relevance of the linked page, enhancing its ranking potential and maximizing the value of the backlink.
5. Link Placement
Where are you supposed to place your backlinks in a page or a post?
To maximize backlink value, the placement of links within your content plays a significant role. Links embedded within the main body of content are generally more valuable than those placed in less prominent areas like footers, sidebars, or comments.
This is because contextual links are more likely to be clicked by users and are given more weight by search engines. Furthermore, links at the top of an article generate more visibility, higher click-through rate, and authority.
By strategically placing backlinks within the main content, you ensure they are more impactful, thus maximizing their value for SEO and user engagement.
Conclusion
In conclusion, determining how much you should pay for a backlink depends on various factors including the authority and relevance of the linking site, the method of acquisition, and the specific SEO goals of your business.
High-authority sites, particularly those with a Domain Rating (DR) of 80 or above, can command premium prices ranging from $1,500 to $5,000+ per link, reflecting their significant impact on search engine rankings.
Niche-specific sites, while generally less expensive, offer valuable contextual relevance that can enhance the effectiveness of the backlinks. Methods such as guest posting, direct link buying, and comprehensive outreach campaigns vary in cost, often influenced by the quality of content and the placement of the link within the site.
If you feel like you’re ready, give our services a try here.
