It depends on what you buy and how you do it. According to Google's spam policies, buying or selling links for ranking purposes is link spam, but paying for advertising or sponsored content in a real outlet is a normal practice as long as the links are qualified with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". A paid, properly labeled link can give you visibility, referral traffic and brand presence, but it does not guarantee rankings.
What Google says about buying links
Google's spam policy lists among its examples of link spam exchanging money for links or for posts that contain them, and advertorials or native advertising where you pay for articles with links that pass ranking credit or with optimized anchor text.
The same policy acknowledges that buying and selling links is a normal part of the web economy for advertising and sponsorship, and clarifies that having such links is not a violation as long as they are qualified with rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored". Google recommends sponsored for paid placements, and nofollow remains acceptable.
What can happen if it is done wrong
Google combines automated systems and human review. A manual action for unnatural links to your site can affect part of the site or all of it. In addition, when it launched its December 2022 link spam update, Google explained that its SpamBrain system can detect both sites that buy links and sites used to pass outgoing links, and that the credit from those links is lost.
What you can expect from a paid link
- Visibility with the outlet's audience and referral traffic if the article is interesting.
- Brand presence in an outlet with its own editorial line, which is useful for reputation and for readers to find the client.
- A link that, if qualified as sponsored or nofollow, is generally not followed for ranking purposes. Do not count on it as a ranking engine.
Nobody can legitimately promise a position, a traffic volume or an appearance in AI answers. If a provider does, treat it as a reason for caution.
When it makes sense and when it doesn't
It usually makes sense if…
- Your goal is awareness, reputation or reaching a specific audience, and the outlet is relevant.
- You accept that the link will be labeled according to the outlet's and Google's policy.
- The content provides useful information and is not a generic article designed only to insert a link.
Rethink it if…
- The only goal is to raise rankings with links that are neither labeled nor qualified.
- You do not know which outlets it will be published in or under what terms.
- Your site does not yet answer search intent well: first create helpful, reliable content, then amplify.
How to reduce risk when buying
- Ask in writing for the outlet, format, link attribute and how the content will be labeled.
- Avoid forced keyword anchor text; use the brand name or a natural description.
- Choose outlets relevant to the client's country and topic.
- Record every publication and review the link profile periodically.
- If there are already doubtful links, try to have them removed or qualified. Google says the disavow tool is advanced and should only be used when there are many low-quality links and a manual action exists or is likely.
How SEOfy approaches it
SEOfy publishes articles and sponsored content in Latin American media with editors and owners it has a direct relationship with. The link attribute, labeling and timing are agreed per outlet and stated before you order, in line with each outlet's editorial policy. It guarantees publication; it does not guarantee rankings, traffic or AI citations.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google detect purchased links?
Google says it detects spam practices with automated systems and human review, and that SpamBrain can identify sites that buy links. The prudent approach is to qualify paid links following its guidance.
What do I do if I bought low-quality links?
First try to have them removed or qualified with nofollow or sponsored. Disavowing is an advanced tool for cases with many problematic links and a risk of manual action.
Do nofollow links help?
They do not pass ranking credit directly, but they can bring visibility, readers and brand presence. Measure them by those results, not by the attribute.
Related reading
- How to evaluate a backlink before buying: a checklist
- Dofollow, nofollow and sponsored: what they are and which to use
- Penalty for backlinks: how to detect it and what to do
Next step
If you are considering buying publications in Latin American media and want transparent conditions per outlet, talk to the SEOfy team.
Sources consulted
- developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies
- developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links
- support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9044175
- developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/12/december-22-link-spam-update
- support.google.com/webmasters/answer/2648487
- developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content