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What is going rate? I was contacted to purchase links on my site

by GGMichelle
10 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I was contacted recently by someone wanting to pay me to post text links on one of my websites. My website is a directory site and ranks #1 on Google for it's keywords. I have been incorporating adsense and some affiliates (making some money) with the site. They have offered $300 for 12 months. Is this a good rate for something like this? Any opinions are much appreciated.
Michelle
#contacted #links #purchase #rate #site
  • Profile picture of the author RadiantDarkness
    Originally Posted by GGMichelle View Post

    I was contacted recently by someone wanting to pay me to post text links on one of my websites. My website is a directory site and ranks #1 on Google for it's keywords. I have been incorporating adsense and some affiliates (making some money) with the site. They have offered $300 for 12 months. Is this a good rate for something like this? Any opinions are much appreciated.
    Michelle
    This is completely based off a few factors...

    How niche relevant is the site that wants a link from you?
    $300 for 12 months is a solid price if your site is lower than PR5....

    If your site is PR1-3 accept it..

    If it's PR4-5+ then bump it up a bit.
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  • Profile picture of the author Icematikx
    Most probably an enterprise company with no budget whatsoever. They'll be looking to drive up their competitive keywords, and have probably contacted 100's of webmasters and threw $300 as a ball park figure.

    There's two possibilities here:

    a) They will renegotiate based on your site's stats/PR/authority - which could also lower their initial offer.
    b) Their offer will remain the same.

    Without knowing what your website is, or how authoritative it is, it's difficult to give advice. Just remember that Google frowns upon buying links - and it's usually the link seller (you) who gets penalized first.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
      Originally Posted by Icematikx View Post

      Just remember that Google frowns upon buying links - and it's usually the link seller (you) who gets penalized first.
      That is not entirely true, but either way, Google has no way of determining when a link is bought.

      To the OP, the niche involved is probably a bigger determining factor on the price than the authority of your site (although that is important too). I would pay a lot more for a link in the reverse mortgage niche than I would for a link in the local dog walking niche..
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    • Profile picture of the author RadiantDarkness
      Originally Posted by Icematikx View Post

      Most probably an enterprise company with no budget whatsoever. They'll be looking to drive up their competitive keywords, and have probably contacted 100's of webmasters and threw $300 as a ball park figure.

      There's two possibilities here:

      a) They will renegotiate based on your site's stats/PR/authority - which could also lower their initial offer.
      b) Their offer will remain the same.

      Without knowing what your website is, or how authoritative it is, it's difficult to give advice. Just remember that Google frowns upon buying links - and it's usually the link seller (you) who gets penalized first.
      I'll agree with everything you said except the last one...

      If you're not selling PUBLICALLY there is a 99.99999% chance you will be absolutely fine.
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  • Profile picture of the author SEOWizard417
    Pricing will depend a lot on the niche, PR and authority of your site. You can always contact them and try negotiating.
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  • Profile picture of the author GGMichelle
    Great info thanks so much...
    Here are some more details -
    - He is asking for the text links on the front page with 3-4 sentences
    - He says that he doesn't usually contact sites like mine because I only have 4 referring domains. (it ranked #1 so I honestly didn't pay any more attention to my site and just let it set there).
    - The site is in the gaming industry
    - The site averages about 10,000 hits per month.

    I've actually kind of thought of just selling the site off too (kinda need the cash anyway), but haven't persued what the best avenue is.
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    • Profile picture of the author Icematikx
      Originally Posted by GGMichelle View Post

      Great info thanks so much...
      Here are some more details -
      - He is asking for the text links on the front page with 3-4 sentences
      - He says that he doesn't usually contact sites like mine because I only have 4 referring domains. (it ranked #1 so I honestly didn't pay any more attention to my site and just let it set there).
      - The site is in the gaming industry
      - The site averages about 10,000 hits per month.

      I've actually kind of thought of just selling the site off too (kinda need the cash anyway), but haven't persued what the best avenue is.
      If you only have 4 referring domains, then chances are, your domain is pretty weak. Again, I'm generalizing as you could have four links from BBC, Mashable, Forbes and gov.uk.

      I'd write 3-4 sentences and make it sound absolutely natural. While I said link sellers get penalized first, it's important to know what may happen if the site you link to gets targeted. Google will most likely trawl through their backlink profile - so it's important to make yours seem as natural as possible.

      A short blurb is best, something such as, "For more information on playing Roulette, I've found that Site XX often publishes great guides and how-to's for beginners. I'd strongly recommend their guide on betting on red & black".
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by GGMichelle View Post

        I was contacted recently by someone wanting to pay me to post text links on one of my websites. My website is a directory site and ranks #1 on Google for it's keywords. I have been incorporating adsense and some affiliates (making some money) with the site. They have offered $300 for 12 months. Is this a good rate for something like this? Any opinions are much appreciated.
        Michelle
        Originally Posted by GGMichelle View Post

        Great info thanks so much...
        Here are some more details -
        - He is asking for the text links on the front page with 3-4 sentences
        - He says that he doesn't usually contact sites like mine because I only have 4 referring domains. (it ranked #1 so I honestly didn't pay any more attention to my site and just let it set there).
        - The site is in the gaming industry
        - The site averages about 10,000 hits per month.

        I've actually kind of thought of just selling the site off too (kinda need the cash anyway), but haven't persued what the best avenue is.
        Originally Posted by Icematikx View Post

        If you only have 4 referring domains, then chances are, your domain is pretty weak. Again, I'm generalizing as you could have four links from BBC, Mashable, Forbes and gov.uk.

        I'd write 3-4 sentences and make it sound absolutely natural. While I said link sellers get penalized first, it's important to know what may happen if the site you link to gets targeted. Google will most likely trawl through their backlink profile - so it's important to make yours seem as natural as possible.

        A short blurb is best, something such as, "For more information on playing Roulette, I've found that Site XX often publishes great guides and how-to's for beginners. I'd strongly recommend their guide on betting on red & black".
        If OP means gaming as in gambling that's an easy way to get an Adsense account banned.

        Personally I would remove Adsense If a ban is in the works & just use the site for selling links. Upfront money. Or, chat with the link buyer about buying the domain. Aim high on the first estimate, I did that once expecting a counter offer & got my first asking price. I guess some people don't understand how to haggle on price.
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        • Profile picture of the author nik0
          Banned
          What a "fluff" talk about risk of penalty/deindexation cause you sell a single link.

          It takes a lot more then one competitor reporting you to Google. If it was that easy my whole network would be toast already cause I've served 1000's of clients in the last few years and thus its very likely that more then a few clients have been reported already, now or in the past.

          Instead I've only lost batches of sites and that was always related to SEO hosting, call it collaterol damage when Google targets some big ass network, with just a handful sites on shared hosting as an exception.

          All Google is doing is targeting large networks now and then to bring fear to the SEO community and that campaign is doing pretty well for them.

          All other deindexations of small networks has all to do with automatic detected footprints, nothing else, especially fixed sets of OBL's and hosting, sure people come up with stuff like: "Then why aren't all my sites deindexed" but Google probably just does that to keep webmasters guessing, same like plenty of other randomizations in the algorithm.

          I do understand it's not very doable to dedicate a seperate network to each domain but as said before, it's pretty easy to disguise it by linking out to several authority sites as well as selling some links on the side, after all it's money we're all after and we have a free market place section where links can be sold. Buy/Sell/Trade link section. Partnerships with other affiliate marketers are also fairly easy to setup. Plenty of ways that lead to Rome.
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  • Profile picture of the author GGMichelle
    Very good comments from everyone, I thank you for all the informative details. I highly value your opinions and appreciate the time you took to write an answer. Much thanks again ~ Michelle
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