Buying Backlinks: Smart SEO Strategy or Dangerous Gamble?

E777: Are paid backlinks the ultimate SEO shortcut… or a dangerous trap that could tank your rankings? I break down the heated debate from the SEO community about whether buying backlinks is ever worth the risk. We’ll cover: - Why some marketers swear by $500+ “high quality” backlinks - The dangers of cheap link farms and PBNs - What Google actually does when it detects paid links - Real stories of success and penalties - My take on when (if ever) buying backlinks makes sense If you’ve ever wondered whether paying for links can boost your site or destroy it, this episode is for you. ⭐️ Source thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1mrsg03/is_buying_backlinks_every_acceptable/ ⭐️ The Truth About Backlinks: Why You Don’t Need Hundreds to Rank - https://youtu.be/u3sFm0Q53I4 ⭐️ The State of Link Building | 2025 - https://editorial.link/link-building-statistics/ ⭐️ HubSpot Is Losing 80% of Its Blog Traffic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yguQA_vWbM 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 The Controversy of Buying Backlinks 00:27 The SEO Subreddit Discussion 01:31 Opinions on Buying Backlinks 03:21 The Nuances of Link Quality and PBNs 05:00 WebLinkr's Insights on Link Building 10:17 Recommendations The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #linkbuilding #blackhatseo #searchengineoptimization #seotips