How Much Does a Backlink Cost?

The final price depends on many factors like: domain authority, niche, and your strategy. Use our backlinks cost calculator to get a real-time estimate of how much you might pay per link!

Looking for Relevant SaaS Backlinks?

What influences the cost of backlinks?

Backlink price depends on multiple factors like:

Backlink quality
Backlink relevance
Backlinking website type
Backlink acquisition method

Below I will break down each factor.

Factor #1: Backlink Quality (DR & Organic Traffic)

The higher the quality of a backlink, the more it will cost. If you’ve been in link building for a while, you’ve probably seen offers like “1,000 backlinks for $5” on Fiverr.

These are almost always the worst backlinks you could buy.

Backlink quality is primarily determined by two key factors:

Domain Rating (DR): Measures the strength of a website’s backlink profile on a scale from 0 to 100.
Organic Traffic: Indicates whether Google trusts and ranks a website.

For example, a DR 80 site with 200 visits per month is far less valuable than a DR 60 site with 50,000 visits per month. Websites with high organic traffic not only pass more link equity but also provide potential referral traffic, making your backlinks more effective.

So, why do high-quality backlinks cost more?

Because securing links from authoritative websites is increasingly harder, requiring more effort, relationships, and resources.

Factor #2: Relevance Score

Relevance plays a crucial role in backlink pricing. Search engines value backlinks from contextually relevant sources, meaning a link from a highly relevant website in your niche is far more valuable than one from a general tech site.

However, securing backlinks from highly relevant websites is difficult and often expensive because your link-building campaigns need to target very specific industries.

Since relevant backlinks must come from industry-related sources, your outreach must be much more selective and precise, making the process more time-consuming and expensive.

For example, if you run a chatbot SaaS business, you can’t just get backlinks from any tech-related website. You need links from:

Customer service websites
AI and automation blogs

The difference is reflected in pricing. A backlink from a general tech blog may cost $100, but a link from a customer service blog (highly relevant to a chatbot business) could cost $300+ due to the extra effort and resources required.

Factor #3: Backlinking website type (Media, Blog or Business service)

The type of website linking to you is a major pricing factor because some websites naturally give out links, while others guard them fiercely. In general, backlinking sites fall into three categories:

Business Websites – $$$ Most Expensive
Media Websites – $$ Moderately Expensive
Niche Blogs – $ Most Affordable

Business websites, especially those selling products or services, tend to be the most expensive because they’re protective of their outbound links and often require more formal partnerships.

Media websites (such as news outlets and industry publications) are generally in the mid-range. They can still be selective but may offer editorial opportunities or sponsored content slots if your story aligns with their audience.

Niche blogs are typically the most affordable. They’re often open to guest posts or collaborations, but remember that not all niche blogs are created equal. You’ll still want to evaluate their quality and relevance to ensure you’re getting worthwhile backlinks.

Factor #4: Backlink Acquisition Method

The way you acquire backlinks directly affects cost. Here’s a breakdown of three common methods:

Niche Edits – $$ Best Value for Quality

Niche edits (link insertions) involve adding your backlink to an existing article on a legitimate business website. This method is highly effective because:

It secures links from real, authoritative sites.
No need for new content, keeping costs lower than guest posts.
Links are naturally placed within relevant and already ranking content.

Since you’re working with established websites, niche edits provide strong link equity without the hassle of full content creation. Pricing varies depending on website authority and editorial policies.

Guest Posting – $$$ Expensive but Controlled

Guest posting requires writing a full article for another website in exchange for a backlink. It’s pricier because:

High-quality sites charge for placements.
Creating valuable content takes time and resources.
Outreach and negotiation can be slow and competitive.

While costly, guest posting allows you to control content and anchor text, making it a solid long-term strategy.

Digital PR – $$$ High Cost, High Reward

Digital PR focuses on securing backlinks from media outlets and industry publications via expert quotes, press releases, and newsworthy stories. It’s expensive because:

Journalists only link to credible, unique insights.
PR agencies and outreach services charge premium fees.

Despite the high cost, these links are some of the most authoritative and can drive significant SEO and brand benefits.

Should You Buy Backlinks?

Shortly, yes, but you need to be careful. Multi-million dollar companies buy backlinks, and they are doing just fine.

Big brands like Forbes, Printify, and ExpressVPN have backlinks from paid placements, sponsorships, and digital PR campaigns. They don’t openly admit to it, but their link profiles tell the story. If industry leaders are doing it, you can be sure your competitors are too.

Why Companies Buy Backlinks?

Google’s ranking algorithm is heavily influenced by backlinks. The more high-quality, relevant links pointing to your site, the better your chances of ranking on the first page. Companies that buy links understand this and use it as a shortcut to:

Outrank competitors. If your rival has a strong backlink profile, buying links helps you level the playing field.
Increase domain authority. More quality links = more trust in Google’s eyes.
Boost organic traffic. Higher rankings drive more clicks, leads, and revenue.

The Right Way to Buy Backlinks

Not all paid links are bad. The key is knowing what works and what gets you penalized.

Do this:
✔️ Work with high-quality publications in your niche
✔️ Invest in digital PR and blogger outreach
✔️ Secure niche edits on relevant authority sites
✔️ Distribute press releases for natural media coverage

Avoid this:
❌ Buying bulk links from Fiverr or Upwork
❌ Using private blog networks (PBNs)
❌ Paying for links on low-quality, spammy sites
❌ Overloading your backlink profile with obvious paid placements

How to Buy Backlinks (Safely)?

If you decide to buy backlinks, you need to do it the right way to avoid penalties and maximize SEO benefits. Here’s how:

Buying Links Directly

This means reaching out to website owners and negotiating a price for link placement. Joining a slack link building community can be invaluable, as these communities allow you to networking opportunities with editors from other websites. While this approach gives you control over where your links appear, it’s also riskier. If you’re inexperienced, you may end up buying low-quality links that harm your SEO. Or worst case scenario spend too much time for little results.

Buying Links from an Agency

If you haven’t done link building before, you’ll be better off working with a reputable saas link building agency. Agencies have established relationships with high-authority sites and understand Google’s guidelines. They ensure you get relevant, high-quality links that actually improve your rankings without triggering penalties.

Final Verdict

Buying backlinks can be a powerful SEO tool when done correctly. High-quality, relevant links can boost rankings, increase traffic, and build domain authority. However, reckless or cheap link buying can lead to penalties and wasted resources.

If industry giants invest in link building, there’s no reason you shouldn’t, just be smart about it. Work with reputable providers and prioritize quality over quantity.