Today we are going to tackle a very controversial topic. While some consider selling links on their blogs as a source of income just like any other, others see it as a road to hell. In this post I will present both points of view so you can form your own opinion.
Where does such controversy arise?
Google does not like the fact that webmasters sell links on their websites. Under normal circumstances, each link on a page is considered a vote in favor of the website to which it points.
This means that it is possible to improve the positioning of a website by buying links. But Google wants to show on the first page the highest quality sites, not the ones that have invested most in the purchase of links.
What happens if I sell links on my blog?
If Google finds out, it might penalize your blog. That translates into a significant drop in search results.
Is there any way to sell the links without penalization?
As I explained earlier, the reason Google penalizes this practice is the manipulation with search results. Therefore, if you sell the links in a way that does not influence the positioning of the linked websites, you will be safe.
So how to do it? Years ago, Google introduced the concept of nofollow links. While normal links work as a vote in favor of the sites they point to, the nofollow links are ignored by the search engines. So you will not have a problem with Google if you mark the sold links as nofollow.
If this is the first time you hear about the nofollow attribute, I recommend you take a look at the article in which I explain some very simple ways to create nofollow links.
Is it profitable to sell nofollow links?
Yes, it is, although not as much as those without the nofollow attribute. As advertisers usually pay monthly for each link on your blog, this form of monetization remains an opportunity to earn recurring revenue.
A few years ago, Google did not penalize the link sales. Many people bought them just to improve the position of their websites. If your blog had high pagerank, it was not difficult to sell links in places like at the bottom of the pages. That is, where no one noticed them, except the search engines.
That has changed. Google continues to improve in discovering these unnatural links. As a consequence, both the demand and the supply have dropped considerably. Publishers do not want Google to penalize their blogs and advertisers neither.
So how do you capitalize on the link sales?
As my grandmother used to say, every problem has its solution. If you want to monetize your blog this way, you have two options:
- Ignore the risks and sell the links without the nofollow attribute. I do not recommend it, but the decision is yours.
- Find advertisers who buy the links to get more traffic and not to manipulate the search results.
If you opt for the second option, advertisers will not mind you using the nofollow attribute.
How to sell the nofollow links?
On the one hand, it will be more difficult to sell the links with the nofollow attribute. On the other hand, those who buy the nofollow links take more into account the quality of the website before making the deal. If you have ever seen how many low quality blogs with articles written by robots are on the internet, created especially for the sale of links, you will be clear that this is a great competitive advantage for you.
Your chances of selling a nofollow link will increase if you dedicate an attractive space for it. Forget places like the footer of your blog or pages that no one visits. Rather consider putting them in the sidebar in such a way that they are visible without moving the screen.
Where can you find advertisers?
Basically, you have two options:
- Sell the links directly. That means more work, but you also keep 100% of the sum of each sale.
- Sign up for some backlink marketplace. This way you will find advertisers more easily, but the marketplace will charge you a commission for each sale.
If you prefer to sell the links directly, I recommend looking for advertisers in discussion forums. Especially those related to digital marketing usually have a section where advertisers publish their demands and the webmasters their offers.
If your blog already has a good number of visits, create a page with the offer for advertisers. It is very likely that some your readers are people who need advertising.
In case you choose to use services of the backlink marketplaces, here are some suggestions where to start:
and learn well explained strategies that will help you
make a living with your own blog or website.