Backlink prices have risen, but less than quotes suggest. Using the same method, Ahrefs found the average bought link went from $352.92 in 2016 to $361.44 in 2018, a 2.4% rise. Newer 2026 data puts the average guest post at $295 direct and $461 through a vendor, so much of the jump comes from middlemen.
The situation behind the question is familiar: a few years ago a blog in your niche took a guest post for something like $100, and this month a vendor quoted you $450 for a similar site. It feels like the whole market has tripled. The data says something narrower.
What do the price studies actually show?
The studies that measured prices directly show modest rises when the method stays the same, and big differences when it doesn't. Here are the published numbers, with what each one counted.
| Study | Date | What it measured | Average price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs | 2016 | Bought links, 250+ sites in 5 niches | $352.92 |
| Ahrefs | 2018 | Bought links, 450 sites in 9 niches | $361.44 |
| Ahrefs | 2018 | Guest post fees, 180 blogs (24 charged) | $77.80 |
| Authority Hacker survey, cited by Ahrefs | Undated in Ahrefs' guide | What 755 link builders say they pay per link | $83 |
| BuzzStream | 2026 | Guest posts, 257,267 sites, buying direct | $295 |
| BuzzStream | 2026 | Guest posts, same sites, through a vendor | $461 |
The Ahrefs figures come from its study on buying backlinks (German edition, published January 4, 2020, which gives the study years); the English guide (updated July 18, 2024) repeats the 2018 results and the Authority Hacker figures. The 2026 figures come from BuzzStream's cost of guest posts analysis, last updated June 15, 2026.
The only like-for-like comparison: 2.4% in two years
Ahrefs ran the same exercise twice, emailing site owners and asking what a link would cost. The average went from $352.92 to $361.44, which Ahrefs reports as a 2.4% increase. In 2018, 54 of the 450 sites quoted a price, 38 refused and 338 didn't reply, and quotes ranged from $50 to $3,312.
Why 2018 and 2026 can't be compared directly
Ahrefs' 2018 guest post figure ($77.80) is what 24 blogs charged when asked. BuzzStream's 2026 figure ($295) comes from a dataset roughly ten times larger than its previous study, built differently. Putting the two side by side and calling it a 279% rise would be wrong: the samples, the sites and the method all changed. BuzzStream itself says part of the change in its top-tier prices comes from the bigger dataset rather than prices rising.
Why do backlink quotes keep going up?
The clearest driver in the data is who you buy from, not the year. A few factors explain most of the gap between what a site charges and what you're quoted.
Vendor markup
In BuzzStream's 2026 data, the same guest posts averaged $295 bought directly and $461 through a vendor, about 56% more. If your quotes come from agencies or marketplaces, you're paying for their margin and their outreach time.
Price ranges are enormous
Ahrefs' 2018 quotes ran from $50 to $3,312 for links on different sites. A higher quote often reflects a bigger or more selective site, not inflation. Comparing a quote today with a cheaper site years ago mixes up the two.
Sites that sell links know their worth to buyers
Sites that get daily "how much for a link?" emails set price lists, and the price tracks demand from buyers, not value to readers. That's also why such sites tend to be the riskiest to buy from: Google's spam policies list buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam unless the link is marked rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".
What no study shows
No study we found measures why site owners raised prices, so any single explanation (AI content, Google updates, inflation) is opinion. Treat confident claims about causes with suspicion unless they come with data.
What to do if backlink prices are too high for you
If quotes are out of reach, change where the links come from rather than haggling over price. The options:
- Buy direct, not through a vendor. Per BuzzStream's averages, that alone is the difference between $295 and $461.
- Earn links instead of buying them. Unlinked mentions, broken links and resource pages cost time, not money; see how to find link building opportunities.
- Set a budget first. How to set a link building budget and link building on a budget show what a small spend can do.
- Trade instead of paying. We make Backlinkster, where site owners swap 1-for-1 article links, whoever starts a swap publishes the partner's article first, and each swap is verified by API. The free plan covers 5 swaps a month.
For a breakdown of current prices by link type, see the average cost of a backlink and how much guest posting costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much has the price of backlinks increased?
The only same-method comparison, from Ahrefs, found a 2.4% rise in the average bought link between 2016 ($352.92) and 2018 ($361.44). Later studies report higher prices, such as BuzzStream's 2026 averages of $295 direct and $461 through vendors for guest posts, but they used different methods, so a precise increase can't be calculated.
Why are backlinks so expensive now?
Much of what buyers pay is vendor markup: BuzzStream's 2026 data shows the same guest posts costing about 56% more through a vendor than direct. Prices also vary hugely by site, from $50 to over $3,000 in Ahrefs' 2018 quotes, so a high quote often means a bigger site rather than a pricier market.
What is a normal price for a backlink in 2026?
BuzzStream's June 2026 analysis puts the average guest post at $295 bought directly and $461 through a vendor. Survey figures quoted by Ahrefs put the average paid link around $83. The range is wide, so judge each quote against the site's real traffic and relevance.
Are cheaper backlinks a better deal?
Rarely. Very cheap links usually come from sites that sell to anyone, which carry the most risk under Google's link spam policy and the least value to readers. A link earned for free from a relevant site is worth more than a cheap bought one.
Related: Average cost of a backlink · Is it worth paying for backlinks? · How to outsource link building · Link exchange vs buying backlinks