Link building services all promise the same thing: more authority and better rankings. What you actually receive varies enormously, from a real article in a respected publication to a link on a site that nobody reads. After 15 years in SEO, I have found that the difference rarely lies in the sales pitch. It lies in what you can verify before you pay.
This guide explains what these services sell, what they cost, and how to judge a provider. The price data comes from our own catalog, so it reflects real listings, and we explain the limits of that data.
What a link building service actually does
A link building service gets other websites to link to yours. Those links help search engines discover your pages and understand how the rest of the web regards them, which is why links still matter, even though they are far from the only ranking factor.
The service may include finding sites, contacting editors, writing the article, publishing it and reporting the result. Which of those steps you pay for is the first thing to establish, because two offers with the same headline price can involve very different amounts of work.
The four main types of service
| Model | How it works | Best for | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest post catalog | You choose the outlet at a listed price and the provider handles publication | Teams that want control and a known cost | You need to choose well |
| Open marketplace | You deal with many independent publishers, usually with detailed filters | Experienced buyers working in volume | Takes time to filter out weak sites |
| Managed outreach | You choose an authority level and a team finds the placement | Agencies that resell by metric | You often can't approve the site first |
| Full-service agency | Strategy, outreach and content under a monthly contract | Large budgets and competitive sectors | Highest cost and less visibility per link |
None of these is right for everyone. For a company buying a few links a quarter, a monthly retainer is usually excessive. For a site in a very competitive sector, a handful of one-off placements may not be enough.
What link building services cost
Prices depend mainly on the site's authority, its traffic and its market. This is what our catalog shows for active outlets. All prices include the writing of the article.
| Outlet level | Outlets | Median price | Outlets at €100 or less |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR 10+ | 47,022 | €285 | 10,396 |
| DR 30+, 100+ monthly visits | 20,627 | €515 | 2,242 |
| DR 50+, 1,000+ monthly visits | 8,839 | €795 | 884 |
| DR 60+, 1,000+ monthly visits | 4,819 | €1,135 | 340 |
Two things stand out. The median rises with authority, as you would expect, but there is a wide range at each level: you can find good low-cost options if you are willing to look. These figures come from one catalog and include premium news titles, so they indicate the market rather than define it. We go into more detail in our guide to affordable link building.
Be careful with low monthly packages that promise a large number of links. If a link costs less than the time needed to write a decent article, ask what you are really buying.
How to evaluate a provider
Before paying, I would ask any provider these questions:
- Can I see the site before I pay? You need to know where your link will appear, or at least receive clear criteria and examples.
- Does the site have real traffic, and is it stable? Authority scores can be inflated. Look at the traffic trend over the last year, not only today's figure.
- Does it fit my market and language? A relevant outlet in your target country is usually worth more than a higher-scoring site with no connection to your business.
- Who writes the article, and can I review it? Ask whether the content is included and whether you can comment before publication.
- What happens if the link disappears? A provider should tell you how long the guarantee lasts and what it covers.
- What will I receive at the end? At a minimum, the live URL and the date of publication.
Warning signs
- Guaranteed rankings. Nobody controls Google's results.
- Hidden site lists. If nobody will tell you where the links go, you can't assess the risk.
- Sites that publish anything. Check the last 20 articles. If they cover loans, casinos and gardening with no editorial logic, avoid them.
- Metrics without traffic. A high DR with almost no visits is a common sign of a site built to sell links.
- Exact-match anchors on every link. Natural link profiles use varied wording. We cover the wider risk in how Google treats toxic links.
You should also understand the rules. Google asks for paid links to be marked, for example with rel="sponsored", and buying links to manipulate rankings breaches its spam policies. A sensible buyer weighs that risk and chooses placements that are worth having for their readers and brand exposure, not only for the link.
How Linkingpress works
Linkingpress is a guest post catalog. You choose from 63,214 active outlets in 141 countries, filtering by country, language, topic, traffic and price. Every guest post includes the writing, or you can send your own article.
- No subscription or minimum order, so you can begin with a single article.
- One round of comments on each draft we write, before publication.
- Publication in 7 to 10 business days from payment and content approval.
- A published guarantee: if the outlet removes the article within 30 days, we republish it or refund you.
It isn't the right fit if you need a full monthly strategy or insertions into existing articles. It works well for companies and brands, SEO agencies and online stores that want to choose where they appear. You can see the catalog after a free registration, with no card required.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I pay for a link building service?
It depends on the market and on the quality of the site. In our catalog, the median goes from €285 at DR 10+ to €1,135 at DR 60+ with real traffic, and there are cheaper options at every level. Judge each placement by its traffic and relevance, not only by the price.
Are link building services worth it?
They can be, if your pages deserve to rank and the placements are real. They won't fix weak content or a poor website. Start small, measure after 90 days and scale what works.
How long do link building services take to work?
Publication may take days or weeks, but any effect on rankings usually takes a few months. It depends on the competition, your site and the quality of the links, so be wary of fixed promises.
Are link building services safe?
No paid link is free of risk, because Google's policies limit link buying. You can reduce that risk by avoiding link networks, using real sites, keeping anchors natural and marking links correctly. See more in our FAQ.