A debate has been raging for some time about the value of paid links. Are they worth it, or are they worthless? Here is a quick look at both of the sides in the ongoing debate.
SEO
Probably the #1 reason people buy links is for SEO. More links is good, right? Especially links on a highly ranked and highly trusted website. This can also be really helpful for newer and unranked sites, because it can assist in the initial “boom.”
Then again, SEO isn’t hard at all, and personally I don’t think there is any reason to spend money on it. It is one of those things that is free, and it always should be.
Traffic
Although SEO can result in traffic, paid links can also result in some click-throughs, thus more traffic for your blog. And like other forms of advertising, people who click on your link were probably interested in it, so there is a much better chance that they may stick around.
However, how much traffic do they bring? It has a lot to do with the other site’s layout, in fact that is one of the main factors. If the links are on the bottom of the page you will probably get nothing, but if it is on the top you could get a pretty good click-through rate. Unfortunetly most sites throw them on the bottom.
That Initial “Boom”
And finally, a lot of advertisers love paid-for links because it can help them make a new site go “kaboom” and become popular overnight. Some people like buying a link for a few months, just to reap all the benefits I listed above, then they end their agreement and run away.
Some other people just take the easy (and free) route by using social networks to get that initial boom in traffic. Others argue that doing stuff the go ol’ fashioned way (link exchanges, etc) is still the better way to go.
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