How we research and rank link building services
The same six criteria for every provider, a clear record of what we verified, and a price dataset large enough to say what the market actually charges.
What we cover
We currently track 82 providers across 19 ranked lists: agencies, digital PR firms, productized services, marketplaces and citation services. The research team builds links for a living, so we know what a good placement looks like and where vendors cut corners.
What we look at
- Pricing pages, packages, minimums and contract terms
- Service pages describing how sites are found, vetted and approved
- Replacement, refund and guarantee terms
- Sample reports, case studies and named clients
- Third-party profiles such as Clutch and DesignRush, and published industry roundups, for company facts and recurring themes
- For marketplaces, their listings in our price dataset of 253,527 priced placements
Every fact on a review page links to a source. When sources disagree, for example on a founding year, the page says so.
The six criteria
| Criterion | Weight | The question | Signals we check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link quality and relevance | 30% | Do the placements sit on real sites, in relevant content, where a reader might click? |
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| Transparency and reporting | 20% | Can you see what you're buying before and after you pay? |
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| Safety and guideline alignment | 15% | How exposed does the method leave you to Google's link spam policies? |
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| Pricing and value | 15% | Is the price fair for what arrives, at the budget the service is built for? |
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| Turnaround and reliability | 10% | Do links arrive when promised, and do they stay live? |
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| Support and communication | 10% | Is there a human who understands your campaign? |
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Each criterion is scored from 1 to 10. The overall score is the weighted average, shown to one decimal. The overall ranking follows that score; ties are broken by link quality, then name.
Evidence levels
Every listing carries a label that tells you how much weight to give it:
- Platform data checked. We reviewed live platform data such as catalog size, prices and delivery terms.
- Client reviews checked. We reviewed the company's own materials alongside verified client reviews.
- Test order placed. We paid for a real placement and recorded what arrived: the domain, its traffic, the turnaround and whether the link stayed live.
- Facts checked. We verified pricing, terms, services and company facts against the provider's own pages, independent profiles and our price data. Every claim links to its source.
Category lists
Category lists are ordered by fit for that job first, then by score. A great enterprise PR agency can rank lower in a list for small budgets, and citation services appear only in local lists because they do a different job from editorial link building.
Price data
Our cost study covers 253,527 priced guest post and link insertion offers across 97,930 websites and 15 marketplaces, snapshotted in September 2026. Read the study and its method.
Community reviews
Reader reviews are kept separate from our score. Reviewers confirm they aren't connected to the provider or a competitor. We publish critical reviews on the same terms as positive ones, never pay for reviews, and don't remove them because a provider asks.
How we use AI
We use AI tools to help with research and first drafts. A named member of the team checks every fact against its source before a page is published.
Updates and corrections
We re-check prices and terms at least every quarter, and whenever a provider tells us something has changed. Found a mistake? Send a correction with a source. Providers can ask for a review or a right of reply through the provider page. More detail is in our editorial policy.
Methodology FAQ
How do you score link building services?
Every provider gets a score from 1 to 10 on six criteria, weighted as follows: link quality and relevance (30%), transparency and reporting (20%), safety and guideline alignment (15%), pricing and value (15%), turnaround and reliability (10%) and support and communication (10%). The overall score is the weighted average of those six numbers, shown to one decimal. The overall ranking is sorted by that score, and when two providers tie, the one with the higher link quality score goes first, then alphabetical order decides.
Can a provider pay to be listed or to rank higher?
No. Being listed costs nothing, and money can't buy a place on any list, a better score or the removal of a critical review. A provider that disagrees with something we've published raises it through the provider page with a source, and we check it exactly as we would a reader's correction.
How often do you re-check prices and terms?
At least once a quarter, and sooner when a provider tells us a price has changed or a reader sends a correction with a source. Our latest full pass, completed on October 15, 2026, re-checked prices, minimums, contract terms and ratings across the directory against each provider's own site.
Why does a provider rank differently on a category list than overall?
The overall list compares everyone on the same six criteria. A category list answers a narrower brief, so how well a provider fits that job comes first and its score second, which is why a specialist can lead a niche list while sitting lower overall. Citation services appear only on the local list.
What do the evidence labels on each listing mean?
They tell you what kind of evidence stands behind a listing. "Facts checked" covers pricing, terms and company details matched to sources, "Client reviews checked" adds verified client feedback, "Platform data checked" means we looked at a marketplace's live catalog and prices, and "Test order placed" means we paid for a placement ourselves and logged the result.
Where does your price data come from?
From our link building cost study: 253,527 priced offers across 97,930 websites and 15 marketplaces, snapshotted in September 2026. Those are listing prices, so negotiated discounts and agency markups don't show up in them. The full breakdown is on the link building costs page.