No matter how drastically Google changes its ranking standards, link building remains one of the most powerful visibility tactics. If you want your website to attract more and more traffic, you have to make it seen, and that’s possible only if you build your domain authority and get enough attention from other platforms.

Some business owners decide to go for in-house link building, while others choose to look for the best link-building services. Which of these approaches works best? What is cheaper, and is the outcome worth the cost you’ll invest in it? If you’re here, then it’s high time you discovered the answers to these questions.

The True Costs of Doing Link Building In-House  

How hard is it to do the link building by yourself, really? You go search the web, contact the platforms you like, make a deal with them, and that’s it, the cheapest road to success is open. At least this is what many people think in-house link building is like — in reality, the situation is a bit trickier. 

Time, Talent, and Tools

If you want your in-house link building to succeed, you need to have a very specific variety of resources at your disposal. They include:

• Time. Training your employees, contacting various website owners, entering communication with them, creating content and anchors, and following it all up can take as much as 40 hours per week. 
• Talent. Your in-house staff must be well-versed in SEO, marketing, and communication; the more experience they have with link building, the better. 
• Tools. You need a whole bunch of tools for finding solid partners, evaluating their authority, writing and editing your messages, tracking replies to them, and comparing prices.   

As you can probably guess, each of these points is going to cost you a small fortune — that is, if you’re interested in quality and effective outcomes. 

Opportunity Cost and Scale Limitations

Most businesses looking into link building are still new or underdeveloped. When they throw everything they have into planning and creating backlinks, they miss numerous other opportunities that could expand their success and lead them to new heights. What is more valuable, crafting a strategy for creating and promoting new products, or spending time doing a methodical search for the countless hosts of your links?  

There are scale limitations, too. Unless you have a team of hardened link builders, all of you will struggle with finding high-level platforms and striking beneficial deals. 

What Link Building Services Actually Provide

The best link-building services can provide you with more than a few backlinks on the first semi-relevant websites they have found. 

Not Just Links — Strategy, Outreach, and Delivery

An experienced link-building company will deliver a comprehensive, all-encompassing approach to boost your traffic and rankings. Here’s what it usually includes:

• Link acquisition based on your unique niche, the size of your company, and your short-term and long-term goals
• Lists with relevant website partners, the cooperation with which will serve you for years to come     
• Anchor plans that correspond to your business and Google’s preferred SEO strategies 
• Detailed reports on how many links went live and how they are performing

Only SEO-focused companies can deliver stellar link-building services that cover all these aspects.  

Transparency and Pre-Approval: Modern Standards

Inexperienced and greedy businesses have almost ruined the reputation of link building. Black tactics like creating fake websites just to boost their own, link overstuffing, and blatant manipulation of the audience have made many people believe that whatever they do, Google will penalize them for their link-building efforts.

In reality, quality link building can help, and professional services know it best. They offer complete transparency, showing you what platforms they intend to target, getting your approval, and sticking to strict editorial standards. By working with them, you can rest assured that your links will be placed on relevant, reputable websites only.

Cost Comparison: In-House vs. Outsourced Link Building

Comparing the costs directly is the best way to understand the difference between in-house and outsourced link building. 

Sample Budget Scenarios

First, let’s consider the scenario where you get your own employees to do your link building. Your team will have to feature an SEO specialist, whose month of work will cost you at least $2000. Next, you’ll need to pay about $1500 to a content writer who’ll follow the guidelines set by your partners and create compelling articles for your links. 

In addition, you cannot do any link building without an outreach specialist. Their work will cost you another $2000, and don’t forget the tools each of your employees will have to use. Their prices can range from $500 to $2000.

Negotiating quality placements can be worth $2000. As a result, we have the cost of $8000 at a minimum, and that’s just for one month of work, which equals around 5 quality backlinks. Now, let’s look at the prices of reputable SEO agencies.

Professional link-building services charge approximately $4000 for 5 links situated on relevant platforms with high domain authority. This is 50% cheaper than any in-house work — and that’s not mentioning the level of effectiveness.     

Cost per Link, per Outcome, and per Result

Let’s calculate the approximate cost of in-house vs link-building company effort. 

• Links. You’ll pay $1600 per link in-house and $800 when hiring a company; this price includes the placement of a link plus the work of every person involved. 
• Outcomes. The outcomes of this price will pay off by at least 150% when dealing with an agency; when you do the work yourself, you cannot count on guaranteed success. 
• Results. Your SEO ranking and traffic should improve by at least 50% when you work with the best link-building services; when you’re on your own, you cannot expect anything. 

Professional link-building companies refund clients if they fail to achieve positive results. If your own team fails, the only option you have is to refund yourself, which, as you’ll probably agree, isn’t sustainable.

Who Should Use a Link Building Service — And Who Shouldn’t

Is professional link building something you should consider? Let’s find out. 

Ideal Profiles for Outsourcing

Start looking for the best link building services if you understand you lack a strong SEO in-house team. If you want quick, efficient results, it’s better to place your trust in professionals. Businesses that lack time for consistent link building should also consider employing experts. 

When DIY Still Makes Sense

You can try building your own links if you have a strong SEO team with enough time on their hands. In addition, it might be a good idea if you appreciate holding complete control over your business or want to do some experimenting. Who knows, maybe being a link builder will become your true passion!

Final Thoughts: It’s Not Just About Cost — It’s About ROI

Return on investment is the key factor you should think of when deciding whether to hire a link-building service or work on your projects by yourself. Investing $4000 per month by paying an agency can bring you a return worth $10000 and more. It’s the end result that you should focus on.

Consider your needs, your budget, and your capabilities. Establish contact with verified link-building professionals, weigh all pros and cons, and decide which direction will be ideal for your business.