It’s no secret that link building is an important part of SEO. In order to rank high in search engine results pages, you need links from credible websites pointing back to your own. This is where free link building comes in – a process of acquiring those valuable links without having to spend any money. Sounds great, right? Well, not so fast. There are a few reasons why free link building might not be as great as it seems and why you may be better off buying affordable backlinks instead. In this blog post, we will discuss six of them!
#1: The Quality of Links Might Not Be as Good
One of the biggest dangers of free link building is that you might not end up with high-quality links. This is because there is no guarantee that the websites you’re getting links from are actually credible and authoritative.
They might have a low PageRank, which means they don’t carry much weight in the eyes of Google. Or, worse, they could be part of a link scheme – a black hat SEO tactic that can actually get you penalized by Google.
These types of links are also often PBNs (private blog networks), which are another no-no in the eyes of Google. In fact, they are deemed a severe violation of Google’s guidelines, according to Semrush. So, while you might be getting links, they might not actually be doing anything for your SEO.
#2: Free Link Building is Time Consuming
If you’re not paying for link-building services, then you’re going to have to do it yourself. And, let’s face it, link building can be a time-consuming process.
You have to research potential link opportunities, reach out to website owners, and then hope that they actually respond to your request. Even if you do get a response, there’s no guarantee that they’ll say yes. And, even if they do say yes, there’s no guarantee that the link will stay up for very long.
All of this takes a lot of time and effort – time that you could be spending on other aspects of your business. That is why many website owners prefer to make a slight investment in proper link-building services – it’s just easier and more efficient in the long run.
#3: You Might Not See Results Right Away
Link building can be a slow process, and it can take weeks or even months to see results. This is especially true with free link-building. This is because Google doesn’t index new links immediately. It can take weeks or even months for them to show up in Google’s link database and start being counted towards your website’s ranking.
So, if you’re looking for quick results, free link building might not be the best option because you might not see any results for a while. This is one of the biggest dangers of free link building – you might not see any results, even after all that time and effort. This can be frustrating, and it can make you want to give up on your SEO efforts altogether. If you’re looking for quick results, it might be better to invest in paid link-building services.
#4: There’s No Guarantee That Your Links Will Stay Up
Another big danger of free link building is that there’s no guarantee that your links will actually stay up. Although this also applies to paid link-building, most paid backlink providers will offer some sort of guarantee. But, when you’re getting links for free, there’s no such guarantee. The website owner might change their mind and decide to remove your link. Or they might redesign their website and your link gets lost in the process. Either way, you could end up losing all the progress you made with that particular link.
As such, if you need long-lasting links (which you should), free link building is not the best option.
#5: You Could Get Penalized by Google
If nothing has steered you away from free link building yet, then this should. One of the biggest dangers of free link building is that you could actually get penalized by Google. If you’re not careful, you could end up with a bunch of low-quality links from spammy websites. And, if Google thinks that you’re participating in a link scheme, they could penalize your website, which would cause your ranking to plummet.
No matter your intentions, cheap or free link building can often do more harm than good. Low-quality links are huge red flags in the eyes of search engines, so they are not worth the risk.
#6: It’s Just Not Worth the Risk
All in all, free link building is just not worth the risk. The dangers far outweigh any potential benefits. If you’re serious about your website and your ranking, it’s best to avoid free link-building altogether.
Instead, focus on other aspects of your SEO or invest in paid backlink services. Paid links may cost you a bit of money upfront, but they will be much more effective in the long run. They are also less likely to cause any problems with search engines.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it – six reasons why free link building is not as great as it seems. Now that you know the risks, you can make a more informed about whether you should pursue free backlinks or buy affordable backlinks from GetBacklinks. Our team of SEO experts can help you build high-quality links that will actually improve your website’s ranking. Contact us today to learn more about our services!
