Determining how much backlinks costs can be a tricky endeavor. There are many factors to consider. There are also many backlink providers, from many countries, so prices vary across the globe.
I have been a backlink builder for 7 years and am based in the United States. I have seen U.S. link providers charge anywhere from $150 to $1000 per link, and many websites will charge between $50 and $800 just to review and edit the submitted article.
Many factors determine the price of a backlink.
Industry
The industry that the client is in can affect the price of the backlinks. For example, niches such as medical, gambling,mental health and adult categories can carry a higher price because it’s harder to find qualified sites that are willing to publish articles on those topics and link to for-profit websites.
Preferred link types
The preferred link type plays a major role in determining backlink costs. If guest posting is allowed, there will be more options to get backlinks. This will lower the overall cost of the backlink effort. If links can only come from existing resource pages, this will increase the price of the links because there will be fewer websites willing to add another resource to their page (unless it’s really good!)
Minimum number of organic traffic/users to the site
One of the metrics I have always set with clients, when kicking off a new backlink campaign, is the minimum number of organic search users that come to the site from search results pages. The minimum I have always set is 1,000, but clients are allowed to choose their own minimum requirements. They may want links from sites that have 10,000 or even 100,000 organic monthly users. This will increase the price of the backlinks.
Minimum authority scores
The minimum authority score (with Ahrefs it’s “DR”, with Moz it’s “DA”, etc) of the sites that you are trying to obtain links from will affect prices. This is because most sites with higher authority scores charge a premium to review and edit articles. Often there is also correlation between authority scores and overall organic traffic.
Keyword rankings
This metric can be useful when determining whether or not a website has preference from Google. Sites that Google likes will rank for hundreds or thousands of keyword phrases. This can be a determining factor in overall SEO strength.
Moz spam score
Moz indicates a spam score for overall risk of getting a link from a certain website. The maximum Moz spam score can also determine the price for backlinks, because there will be more sites available if the client allows up to a 10% Moz spam score, compared to allowing only 3%. By default, I have always offered my clients a 10% or less Moz spam score.
Common backlink pricing
In my experience, a good backlink provider should charge at least $300 per backlink. Building links is very time intensive. First, you must compile a list of websites that meet the minimum metrics above and are industry-related to the client website.
Next you must do outreach and convince a certain number of those websites to publish content on a given topic. A writer will need to produce an article of 1,000+ words that is unique and adds value to the website. Once the article is submitted, it will be reviewed and often edited, and then published with a link back to the client website.
SEO tools are very expensive. Mine cost over $1,000/month and have taken years to master. And of course Uncle Sam wants his tax dollars on every link built, so once you consider the writers’ fees, the SEO tools, the payment to the websites to review and edit, taxes, and labor costs, an average maximum cost of $300 for a good link from a site with a DR of 30+ and over 1,000 organic users becomes a bargain.
Utilizing our backlink costs calculator and entering your minimum required metrics will give an example of the type of costs that can be expected for your backlink effort when hiring a professional link building company.
