How Much Does Link Building Cost?

Link building is a critical aspect of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), allowing website owners to procure links, increase their site authority, and generate more traffic.

But the process of manually acquiring links can be time-consuming and unreliable. This is what leads many website owners to purchase links or work with an agency.

You have many options when it comes to earning or purchasing links, and they vary in process and cost. Below we share the average costs associated with the most common link building methods.

Building Links: Costs vs Rewards

When it comes to link building, website owners must weigh the costs of the backlinks against the quality and the benefits they may bring for their site.

“Expensive” links aren’t always better; “cheap” links can come at the cost of more spam traffic or lower domain authority.

There are a few factors to consider when deciding your link building budget and the types of links you need for your site. These factors include:

• Volume: Do you need a high volume of links directed across several pages of your website? A high volume of links to one page of your website? Or just a few links to give one or a few pages a boost?
• Domain Rating (DR): As reported by SEO tools, DR assesses the quality of a linking domain. Do you need links with a high DR (50+), or would a lower DR suffice?
• Type: Do you need a simple link insertion or do you want your link within a guest post article? Do you have specific requirements regarding the type and anchor text, or do you have no preference?
• Traffic: Do you need links that will drive traffic to your site? Or are you content with a link’s DR and don’t necessarily need traffic?
• Source: Do you want to be specific about the category (e.g. Fashion, News, Lifestyle Blog, etc.) of the website the link is coming from? Do you want the link placed on a good-looking, relevant website for optics sake, or do you have no preference?

The truth is, there are many types of links, from various sources, of varying quality and traffic. And every business has different needs when it comes to link building. When determining your link budget, consider your business goals and preferences. This will help you assess whether the type and quality of links you acquire are worth the costs.

Average Backlink Costs by Source

As stated, backlink costs vary by type, quality, and source. The most common methods for procuring backlinks include manual outreach, guest posting, link insertion, working with an SEO agency, or purchasing links from a vendor.

Below, we explore each method and its average costs:

Manual Outreach

Manual backlink outreach involves identifying potential link opportunities and directly contacting website owners in hopes of doing a link swap, inserting a link into existing content, or writing an article in exchange for a link. While this approach has lower monetary costs, it can require substantial time and effort.

Average cost: $100–$300 per link (factoring in time and resources)

Guest Posting

Guest posting involves writing an article to publish on another website in exchange for a backlink. Costs depend on the website’s domain authority (DA), niche relevance, and what they decide to charge for the guest posting opportunity.

Average cost: $50–$500 per post

Link Insertion

A link insertion involves adding a backlink to existing content on a website. This method is usually less time-consuming than guest posting but may still come with fees based on what the website owner decides to charge or if you choose to work with a link insertion service.

Average cost: $50–$250 per link

SEO Agency

SEO agencies usually offer a comprehensive SEO service that includes on-page SEO, content creation, local SEO, etc. in addition to link building. They may purchase links on your behalf or conduct manual outreach. The costs are typically higher since they are bundled with other services, but the results tend to be better in terms of rankings and traffic.

Average cost: $500–$1,500+ per link, depending on the package

Link Vendor

Purchasing links from vendors can be a quick way to build backlinks. However, there is a higher risk of getting links from low-quality or spammy sites. Make sure to look for high DA backlinks from legitimate sources/websites.

Average cost: $30–$300 per link, varying by DA and source

What About Link Building Services Costs?

SEO services agencies typically include link building as part of a more comprehensive service offering. This is an ideal solution for businesses, as it ensures the complete optimization of their website, content, and off-site SEO. Link building, when combined with these strategies, can result in better rankings, more traffic, and more revenue.

The cost to work with a SEO services agency can vary widely. Typically, monthly SEO packages start at $500 and can go up to $100,000+ depending on the business size and goals. In these cases, you are not paying directly for the backlinks but for the results the SEO agency is generating for your business.