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Why we don't buy links

A client or a vendor proposes buying links, and we decline. Bought links are a link scheme. They risk a manual action, give us no control over the source, and build no lasting equity. We earn links instead, through digital PR, outreach, and content worth linking to.

What This Is

A client or a vendor proposes buying links, and we decline. Bought links are a link scheme. They risk a manual action, give us no control over the source, and build no lasting equity. We earn links instead, through digital PR, outreach, and content worth linking to.

This is the article where we hold a line the client may not like. The rule has no exceptions. We do not buy links, and we do not recommend them.

The cost of a bought link is not money. It is control. A paid link can be removed by the seller, devalued by Google, or flagged as spam, and we cannot defend any of it.

Before you check

  1. The proposal is about buying a link, not earning one. A fee for placement is a buy.

  2. You have Search Console access. Manual actions are checked there.

  3. The site has no existing manual action for unnatural links. Confirm before any link work.

If any of these is false, fix it before running the tree.

Diagnostic tree

Run the checks in order.

Check 1. Is the ask to buy a link?

How: read the proposal. A fee for a link placement, a sponsored post that passes ranking credit, or a link from a paid network is a buy.

Why: Google’s spam policy treats paid links that pass ranking credit as a violation. The penalty is a manual action, which suppresses rankings until it is fixed.

If one or more links are paid for, go to Resolution A. If zero links are paid for, go to Check 2.

Check 2. Is there a manual action on the site?

How: in Search Console, open Security & Manual Actions, then Manual actions.

Why: a manual action for unnatural links suppresses rankings sitewide or per page. It is the concrete cost of bought links, and it must be cleared before any new link work.

If one or more manual actions are listed, go to Resolution B. If zero manual actions are listed, go to Check 3.

Check 3. Does the page need links to rank?

How: in Search Console, Performance, then Search results, then the Queries tab. Filter to the target query and read its position.

Why: if the page already ranks in the top 20, links are the lever. If it does not rank at all, content and technical gaps come first.

If the page ranks 20 or worse, or not at all, go to Resolution C. If the page ranks in the top 20, go to Check 4.

Check 4. Does the page have a linkable asset?

How: review the page against the plan. A linkable asset is original data, a tool, a study, or a distinct point of view.

Why: digital PR and outreach only work when the asset earns the link. Without one, the ask becomes a paid transaction again.

If the page has one or more linkable assets, go to Resolution D. If the page has zero linkable assets, go to Resolution E.

Resolutions

Resolution

Condition

Action

A. We refuse to buy links

One or more links are paid for

Decline. No paid links that pass ranking credit. State the policy once

B. Manual action repair

One or more manual actions are listed

Remove or disavow the bought links, file a reconsideration request, buy nothing more

C. Content and technical first

The page ranks 20 or worse

Fix content and technical gaps. Revisit links after those hold

D. Digital PR and outreach

A linkable asset exists

Run digital PR, outreach, and promotion of the asset

E. Build the asset first

No linkable asset exists

Build content worth linking to before any outreach

When to escalate

Escalate when all are true.

Everything else closes in the table above.

Primary sources

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Owner

Mahesh