If you want to buy competitor backlinks, you are starting from a smart place: the sites already linking to your rivals have shown they will link to businesses like yours. Many of those links were paid for, and the same sites will often sell you a placement too.
The catch is price. The same site can cost very different amounts depending on where you buy it. This guide walks you through finding your competitors’ backlinks, working out which ones are for sale, and checking what they cost before you spend anything.
Step 1: Export your competitors’ backlinks
Pick three to five sites that rank for the keywords you want. A blog that outranks you for your main keyword is a competitor for link purposes, even if it sells nothing.
Open the backlink report for each one in an SEO tool such as Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz, and export the referring domains rather than every individual link. You want one row per site. A few filters make the export far more useful:
- Keep dofollow links only for the first pass.
- Remove obvious junk: scraper sites, directories, forum profiles and spammy domains with no traffic.
- Keep the linking page URL so you can see the context later.
Combine the exports into one sheet and remove duplicates. Domains that link to two or more competitors go to the top, since they likely sell placements or cover your niche regularly.
Step 2: Separate sponsored links from editorial ones
Not every competitor link can be bought. Some were earned through PR, original data, tools or real relationships. Before you try to buy competitor backlinks, sort them into rough groups by opening the linking pages.
Signs a link was probably paid for:
- The post is labeled “sponsored”, “partner content”, “guest post” or “contributed”.
- The link carries rel=”sponsored” or nofollow.
- The author is a generic byline or a company representative, not a staff writer.
- The site has a “write for us” or “advertise” page with a price list or contact form.
- The article looks like it exists mainly to hold one or two outbound links.
Editorial links usually sit in staff-written news, roundups or resource pages that cite the competitor’s data or tool. You may earn similar ones with outreach, but for buying, focus on the sponsored and guest post group. Our guide on how to find guest post sites covers more signals that a site accepts paid content.
Step 3: Build a clean domain list
Strip your sheet down to bare domains, one per line, without “https://” or page paths. Next to each, note how many competitors it links to, its topical relevance (high, medium, low), estimated traffic, and whether it looks sponsored or editorial. A list of 50 to 200 domains is plenty for one round. If you need a tidy way to manage it, see organizing your guest posting lists.
Step 4: Bulk check prices before you buy competitor backlinks
This is where most buyers lose money. They find a site, check one marketplace and pay whatever is listed. The same site is often listed on several marketplaces at different prices.
Paste your domain list into the free LinkAcquire price checker. It shows live placement prices from partner marketplaces side by side for each domain, cheapest first, plus links to compare on other marketplaces where the price is shown on their site. Partners are added or removed over time, so check again before each campaign. It is free, and there is a small open-source CLI on GitHub if you prefer working from the terminal.
When you review the results, you will usually see three groups:
| Result | What it means | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Listed on several marketplaces | The site sells placements and prices differ | Buy where the total cost is lowest |
| Listed on one marketplace | Available, but you have no comparison | Sanity-check the price against similar sites |
| Not listed anywhere | May sell directly, or may not sell at all | Move to outreach (Step 6) |
For more on handling large lists, read our guide to bulk backlink price checks.
Step 5: Prioritize by relevance and price
A cheap link on an unrelated site is rarely a good buy. Score each domain on relevance and price, then buy in this order:
- High relevance, fair price. Sites in your niche that link to multiple competitors and price within the typical range for their size. Small niche blogs commonly run about $20 to $100, mid-tier sites $100 to $500.
- High relevance, high price. Strong news or high-traffic sites can range from $500 to several thousand dollars. Pick one or two that matter most.
- Medium relevance, low price. Useful fillers, but check that the site has real traffic and does not publish anything for anyone.
Also compare formats. A link insertion into an existing article is often cheaper than a new guest post on the same site. If your niche is sensitive, such as casino, crypto, CBD or loans, expect a surcharge, often 1.5x to 3x, and many sites will refuse outright. Our post on what influences the cost of a backlink explains the rest.
Step 6: Reach out to sites not on marketplaces
Some competitor links come from sites that sell placements directly but are not listed anywhere. For these, email the site owner or editor.
- Find the right contact from the “contact”, “advertise” or “write for us” page, or the author bio on the competitor’s post.
- Keep the email short: who you are, the topic you can cover, and a question about their terms for contributed or sponsored content.
- Ask about price, link attributes, whether the post is permanent and whether they offer a replacement if the link is removed.
- Compare the quote with what similar sites cost on marketplaces. Here is how to spot an inflated guest post price.
Direct deals can come in cheaper because there is no middleman margin.
Know the risk before you pay
Google’s spam policies say paid links should be qualified with rel=”sponsored” or nofollow. Buying links that pass ranking signals to manipulate search results breaks those policies and carries a risk of the links being ignored or of a manual action. Copying a competitor’s links does not make them safe, and no link guarantees rankings. Decide your own risk tolerance, favor relevant sites with real readers, and avoid sites that clearly exist only to sell links.
FAQ
Can I buy every link my competitor has?
No. Many competitor backlinks are editorial and cannot be bought. Focus on sites that show signs of sponsored or guest content, and try outreach or PR for the editorial ones.
Is it worth paying for a site that already links to several competitors?
Often yes, because it shows the site covers your niche. Check that it still has real traffic, since sites that sell to anyone tend to lose value.
Why does the same competitor link site cost different amounts?
Marketplaces add their own margins, some listings come from resellers, and some prices include writing. Compare the total cost across every place the site is listed.
Once you have your list, sign up for LinkAcquire for free, paste the domains, and buy each placement where it is cheapest.