Link Building Services You'd Be Happy to Show Google

Before you buy link building services from anyone, try a small test. Picture printing the full list of links they built for you and handing it to someone at Google. Would you be comfortable? Would they?

That's the standard I work to. Every link I get for you is one I'd happily show a Google reviewer: a real page, on a real site people read, placed because the content earned it. No PBNs (private blog networks, which are sites built only to sell links), no link farms, no bulk directories.

And you don't have to take my word for it. Every placement goes into a log with its live URL, so you can click each one yourself. If that's the kind of link building you're after, tell me about your site in a short questionnaire. I reply with a plan and a fixed quote within one business day.

Starting at $300 per link, $1,500 a month for an ongoing package, or digital PR from $4,000 a month. Every option includes relevant editorial links (placed by a site's editor, not bought off a menu), a live-URL log, and no PBNs.

What you get

• A target list. Sites that cover your trade, your region or your customers, checked by hand for real readers and real editorial standards.
• Outreach. Personal emails to editors and site owners, pitching something worth linking to: a useful page on your site, a data point, an expert quote, or a guide.
• Linkable content, when needed. If your site has nothing worth linking to yet, I'll tell you, and suggest what to build first.
• The live-URL log. Every placement, with the date, the page, the anchor text and the link type.
• Monthly re-checks. Links get removed sometimes. I re-check the log and flag anything that has gone missing.
• Digital PR (higher tier). Stories and data pitched to journalists and publications, for links from news and industry sites.

How it works

1. You fill in the questionnaire. Your site, your market, and any links you've bought or built before.
2. I reply with a plan and a fixed quote within one business day. If your site isn't ready for links yet, I'll say so.
3. Backlink review and target list. I look at the links you already have, spot anything risky, and build the list of sites worth approaching. Typically about a week.
4. Outreach. Editorial links take time because real editors take time. Expect the first placements typically within three to six weeks. Niche trades with few relevant sites take longer.
5. Log and report. Each live link goes into the log the week it appears, and the monthly report shows what landed, what's pending and what was declined.

Why every link goes in a log with its live URL

What Google calls link spam

Google's spam policies are specific. They list buying or selling links for ranking purposes, "excessive link exchanges", "using automated programs or services to create links", "low-quality directory or bookmark site links", and links with optimized anchor text in guest posts or press releases spread across other sites.

That last one catches a lot of cheap "guest post" packages. A guest article that exists only to carry the anchor "best plumber Denver" back to your site is exactly the pattern Google describes.

Paid placements aren't illegal or forbidden, by the way. They just have to be labelled. Google asks sites to mark ads and paid placements with rel="sponsored", which tells Google not to count them as votes. So when a site asks for money to publish a link, it's an ad, and I treat it as one.

Why the log matters

Link building is the easiest SEO service to fake. A report that says "12 high-authority links built" is unverifiable without the URLs. A log isn't. Here's what a few rows look like (a sample, not a real client):

Notice the anchor text. Mostly brand names and natural phrases, the way real editors link. That's on purpose.

Links and AI answers

Google's guide to AI search warns that "seeking inauthentic 'mentions' across the web isn't as helpful as it might seem". Real coverage on real sites is the same thing that gets you mentioned by AI assistants. Fake mentions don't fool either one for long.

Who this is for (and who it isn't)

This fits businesses whose pages are solid but lose to competitors with more authority: contractors in busy metros, clinics, law firms, local retailers and SaaS startups across the US and Canada.

It isn't for you if your site has technical problems or thin pages. Links pointed at a broken or weak page are wasted money, so a site-wide technical review or tightening up the pages you want to rank should come first. It also isn't the best lever for a purely local business chasing the map pack. There, your Business Profile and reviews usually matter more, and local SEO for your Google listing is the better spend.

Link building services pricing

Market prices vary a lot. BuzzStream's analysis of a large vendor database found guest posts average $295 bought directly from a site, or about $461 through a vendor. Those are paid placements, which is a different product. Editorial.link, a link-building vendor, surveyed 518 SEOs in March 2026 and put the average acceptable price of a quality link at $508.95. In the same survey, 91.9% said they believe their competitors buy backlinks.

My prices, as of October 2026:

The fee pays for research, outreach and the log. I don't pay publishers for followed links. Prices are in USD, and Canadian clients can pay in CAD at the day's exchange rate. Every other service is on my published price list.

Why hand it to me

I've worked in search for 20+ years, since the mid-2000s, and took Semrush Academy's backlink management course along the way (the certificates are on my about page). Long enough to watch link schemes rise, get punished, and come back under new names. I've also trained junior SEO specialists, which means I've had to explain, many times, why a cheap link today can cost a lot more later.

And because I do technical SEO and content too, I can tell you honestly when links aren't your problem. Sometimes the best link building advice is "not yet."

Link building FAQ

Is link building still worth it?

For many sites, yes. Links still matter for rankings, which is why Google keeps a whole spam policy about faking them. Real coverage also helps AI assistants find and mention you. But links only help pages that are already good. If your pages are thin, slow or not indexed, fix that first. Then a handful of relevant editorial links often does more than a pile of cheap ones.

What is a PBN, and why don't you use them?

A PBN, or private blog network, is a group of sites built only to link to other sites, often on expired domains with leftover authority. They can work for a while, which is why people sell them. But they fit Google's description of link spam, and Google says sites that break its spam policies can rank lower or drop out of results entirely. I'm not willing to put your business on that bet.

How much do link building services cost?

At BigRed, links start at $300 each, ongoing packages at $1,500 a month, and digital PR at $4,000 a month. In one recent survey, SEOs put the acceptable price of a quality link at around $500. Be careful with offers far below that. They often mean paid placements, directories or networks, and you rarely get a list of live URLs to check.

How do I check the links an agency built for me?

Ask for the list of live URLs, then open each one. Look at whether the site has real articles and readers, whether the link sits inside relevant content, and what the anchor text says. If every anchor is an exact keyword, or the sites all look alike, that's a warning sign. If you want a second set of eyes, an hourly review of your agency's links usually takes a few hours.

Next step

If you want links you can check one by one, send me your site through the link building questionnaire. I'll look at what you have, tell you honestly whether links are your next step, and come back with a fixed quote.