What is a Paid Link?
A paid link (or paid backlink) refers to a hyperlink to your website that has been paid for, not earned.
Types of Paid Links
While there is no denying the importance of backlinks, its important to consider where they come from. Paid links are considered one of the most common black hat SEO techniques (link scheme) and violates Google’s search engine policies, as they are used to manipulate search results.
However, not all paid links are manipulative, given that they are clearly labelled. For example, paid links that have the “sponsored” attribute do not violate Google’s policies, but they do not pass “link juice” either. This means that they will have no affect on website rankings.
The most common types of paid links include:
- Advertising: A website that is paid to display an ad that links to your site
- Sponsored Articles: You pay a website to publish or write an article that mentions and links to your site.
- Paid Product and Link Placements: A website or private blog network (PBN) is paid to feature a product or service that links to your site
Note: If Google Flags your website has engaging in link schemes, it could result in a manual action in Google Search console or the or the demotion of your site’s rankings. This can severely impact your visibility in search results.
