Link Building Services - How much $$ per link?

[Nacho]

I've been researching this for a few days now and still come to no conclusion about what is the best fair price or prices to pay for legitimate one way link or even for reciprocral links. I've seen from anywhere of a fixed $25 per link and all the way up to $2500 per month :eek:

From what I understand, it all depends on many factors, such as:


Number of outbound links
Number of internal links
Where links are placed on the site
How much traffic the site receives
How many backlinks the site has
How long has it been passing pagerank (in other words, how stable it is)
Number of pages on site
Is the site considered an authority
How relevant is the site sending the link for the site receiving the link
Size of the page (affecting loading time)
Etc. . .

If you dedicate your services to getting links or you had experience working with a firm that got you links, please share your experience about the pricing structure and if you liked or disliked from theory to the actual in practice of the model.

[seobook]

I try to get people one way inbound links for whatever the link costs me plus $20. I do not make an arm and a leg off them, but I only get decent quality links. some of them cost $5, some of them cost $50. either way I add $20 to the price and go with there.

that is how I do directory submission and other long term one way link stuff. it is fairly profitable and reasonably priced in my opinion. i only buy links that i think will be around for a while and that are one way with a one time fee.

that is how I start and then depending on how competitive the field is I can do all the other link building type of stuff. it is of my opinion (or I have seen significant proof) that most sites are not well connected into the web and just starting off with directory submission can really boost your rankings even for pretty competitive terms.

[Daria_Goetsch]

Directory/business directory links we do are $20, usually provide a list of directories for a flat fee that equals out to the amount listed per each link. I agree with seobook, a basis of directory links is helpful.

[I, Brian]

Pricey. It all gets made to look so pricy when really it isn't. :)

[David Wallace]

I charge $50 per link, $25 of that for research, inquiry to web site owner or submission and tracking and the other $25 for the success of obtaining that link. This does not include any price the web site where I am seeking the link charges.

[Shak]

does linkhunting pricing differ by Industry, would have thought its a lot easier getting a link for an information site than 1 selling impotence pills

Shak

[rustybrick]

I charge $50 per link, $25 of that for research, inquiry to web site owner or submission and tracking and the other $25 for the success of obtaining that link. This does not include any price the web site where I am seeking the link charges.

I guess these are good links?

How do you pitch that?

[Daria_Goetsch]

does linkhunting pricing differ by Industry, would have thought its a lot easier getting a link for an information site than 1 selling impotence pills

Shak

Yes, from my experience, the pricing can differ depending on the industry. Some industries are more difficult to find links for, while others are easier to find, making the cost from the SEO to client differ. Sometimes the industry is so unique, it makes it very difficult to find links. The cost of a link acquired by the SEO from competitive sites, such as topical directory submissions, can be more costly to the client for the same reasons.

[St0n3y]

for what its worth, here is how we price link strategies:

100 Reciprocal links from quality, theme related sites with a Google Page Rank of 4+: $999

60 Reciprocal links from quality, theme related sites with a Google Page Rank of 5+: $999

40 One-way links from quality, theme related sites with a Google Page Rank of 4+: $999

[rustybrick]

Cool stuff any other link people want to share more information?

[David Wallace]

I guess these are good links? How do you pitch that?
Yes good links. Usually links from pages with a PR of 4 or better, links from pages that are relevant or in some cases a link from a site that will generate traffic or referrals for the client. It depends on what their goals are.

Don't really pitch it. In other words we don’t really do link building in and of itself. It is more of an "after SEO" service for us. If traditional SEO is not quite doing the trick, then the focus turns to getting more good quality relevant links. Or if they are in a very competitive industry and do not have good external links, then we can pretty much determine from the start that they will need both.

[Shak]

40 One-way links from quality, theme related sites with a Google Page Rank of 4+: $999

no offence, but last person who I know who participated in something like this, is still recovering from the mess of russian guestbooks and directories ...

suppose a strategy like this perfect for throw away domains, but "could" be dangerous on your main brand site ...

Shak

[St0n3y]

No offense taken. We don't submit to russian guestbooks (or any guesbooks, for that matter) and are selective about directories. We seek out "quality, theme related sites", as mentioned above.

I would suggest you know a bit more about what you are commenting on before you actually comment on it.

[Shak]

I would suggest you know a bit more about what you are commenting on before you actually comment on it.

point taken, good luck

Shak

[Daria_Goetsch]

Another quick comment. Sometimes the links a company wants you to find have already been acquired by them and there is not much left to find. Cover yourself and do some research about the industry and the current links of the client before promising specific results.

[steve sardell]

To St0n3y , David, and anyone who cares to answer.

With your link building services, excluding directories, do you give a link life guarantee as well as a right of refusal? Thanx!

[Nacho]

I understand that getting links takes time, specially when they are good ones that will bring a lot of value . . . . . but being realistic here, should links have a time objective (say a month, 3 mos, 6 or a year)? Companies can't expect to pay $1,000 and not touch base again in 12 months, I would imagine. What is the process?

[debraM]

Cool stuff any other link people want to share more information?

I charge differently for the services I offer. Basic Link Building is done by the link and similiar to what's been mentioned here.

In the last year, I've been doing more "custom" work which revolves around implementing marketing and promotional campaigns in order to secure links. What I charge is dependent on the type of campaign, the industry and how long I think it will take to secure an effective number of links.

Sometimes it only takes a well placed handful to produce the results my clients are looking for. Part of my fee includes taking the time to research their site, positioning and competitors to help them define the marketing goal they wish to achieve. So for me this one is more about time and I charge accordingly.

Then there is the link advertising campaigns..... or buying links client. They want quick results and can pay for them. Love those! There again it's more about time than numbers.

do you give a link life guarantee as well as a right of refusal? Thanx!

No guarantees they'll stay in place for any amount of time unless it's a link buy, those I get in writing.

Yes, I do allow my clients to refuse a certain number of links in a basic link campaign and yes it happens occassionaly. Over the years I've learned to be knowledgable about my clients industry before I start so I don't have them refusing links because I didn't understand what they wanted.

[debraM]

should links have a time objective (say a month, 3 mos, 6 or a year)? Companies can't expect to pay $1,000 and not touch base again in 12 months, I would imagine. What is the process?

IMO regardless of what you pay you should touch base with your client every couple of weeks and let them know what's going on. It's a courtesy they appreciate.

Depending on the industry and the type of campaign, I've had them take up to 3 -4 months to finish.... and I have a handful I work on continually.

The time completion issue should be addresssed in the contract AND it works both ways. Not only do I have to complete by a certain time, but the client has to respond and post the links ( if there are some) in a given time as well.

[Nacho]

Depending on the industry and the type of campaign, I've had them take up to 3 -4 months to finish.... and I have a handful I work on continually.
Do have an average # of links achived to this 3 to 4 months (average) completion for the typical campaign?

[debraM]

Hmmmn.... hard to say. Probably 20 - 40. Just depends on the type of campaign, the industry and what the client wants out of it. Not all clients link for rank. Some want links for certain types of traffic, or for public relations issues, or annoucements etc.

And it also depends on the type of link. One wayers typically take longer.

Sorry I'm not being more specific, but it's the nature of the beast when it comes to linking. :)

[steve sardell]

I've learned to be knowledgable about my clients industry before I start
Excellent point Debra. IMHO, this should be the first step in any linking campaign. Knowing their industry, and thus their target, may require a bit more work, but leads to superior results. Currently, prior to implementation, I offer the right of refusal for any link. There have been a few refusals, but only because of agendas not initially revealed. I have been giving a one year link life guarantee, but due to the control factor have been reconsidering it. Thanks for your input.

[debraM]

I have been giving a one year link life guarantee, but due to the control factor have been reconsidering it.

The word "control" in your post prompts me to mention an *arguement* I make when talking about reciprocal linking.

I'm for securing recip links in a campaign because:

I'm in control of the anchor text used and where it points
I'm in control of where the link is placed and
The length of time it stays there!

So I totally think recip links are worth the time and money spent to secure!

[Terry Plank]

I'm in control of the anchor text used and where it points
I'm in control of where the link is placed and
The length of time it stays there!
Boy, you are right on with this! Appropiate anchor text and targeting pages with the keyword emphasis related to the anchor text is worth gold. I'd pay more if I had to for that. I find I don't have to pay though, because I offer this kind of reciprocity to my link partners. I have a Web page that shows a partner what text I want for the link and always ask them what they want and where they want me to link. Sometimes I need to explain to them why this is important and they usually get the point and are thankful for the tip.

[debraM]

Appropiate anchor text and targeting pages with the keyword emphasis related to the anchor text is worth gold. I'd pay more if I had to for that

A good link monger would do this automatically IMO, it's what seperates the girls from the women :rolleyes:

[St0n3y]

No time guarantees but we definately give the client the right of refusal for any link, but that does not happen often.

To be safe, we generally tell our clients we'll achieve 10 links per month, but our rate is usually 10 per week for any given account. I say usually as we've hit a considerable summer slowdown in the responses we usually receive.

[debraM]

I've not seen a slow down during the summer months, but have noticed a "cyber" wide hesitancy in regards to linking. It's definitely become harder in some industries and I've had to dangle larger carrots or pay for links.

Linking is advertising so why not pay I say. If you wanted to hang your company banner in a ball park, buy a billboard or run an ad in your church bulletin you pay. I've never understood why it's different for online businesses.

[Terry Plank]

I've not seen a slow down during the summer months, but have noticed a "cyber" wide hesitancy in regards to linking. It's definitely become harder in some industries and I've had to dangle larger carrots or pay for links.

The Web is still the least expensive medium there is for advertising and marketing. Paying for links is peanuts related to the return. (keeping with your carrot metaphor) :)

If I don't have to, fine. But, if I do, I'm happy to pay and rejoice that I don't have to pay a newspaper $195 for an ad to get people to my business, one that will reach only a miniscule number of people compared to that fine link on a good site. Not to mention it's help to me in getting more search engine traffic.

[debraM]

And yet, people still seem to think paying for links is a *bad* thing. Silly! :p

In my expereince, a client that pays me to find and purchase quality links is the one getting the most bang for the buckwheat. ( keeping the vegie thing going here ;)

I find the best sites and then leave a link that is keyword rich pointing to an appropriate page. My client gets a great link. I get paid and accumulate more experience. The host site gets a fee. Win-win for all.

There is another little part of that you don't hear a lot about from the link people and that's the maintenance of those links once they've been purchased. My fees are structured to take this into consideration so there is some follow-up work on my end. I make sure my client is taken care of!

[rustybrick]

And yet, people still seem to think paying for links is a *bad* thing. Silly! :p

Yes, this is definitely the sentiment amongst people who are new to the field of SEO that in the "white hat" seo world. How do we fix that?

For some reason, IMO, in the minds of newbies, white hat seo has turned into only "on page optimization" and excluded all link building. I thought black hat had very little to do with link building but more to do with cloaking and behind the scenes seo.

But to stay on the topic, how do we get the SEOs that believe buying links is a no no, to think otherwise?

[seobook]

But to stay on the topic, how do we get the SEOs that believe buying links is a no no, to think otherwise?

we don't. we continue to rank above them until they go out of business.

[massa]

>share your experience about the pricing structure and if you liked or disliked from theory to the actual in practice of the model.<

My experiences in summary:
1. The value of a link is what the next person is willing to pay. You can present as many features and benefits related to the list Nacho provided as you like, but the bottom line is those are features and benefits only and that is not the same thing as value.
2. It is not so much about pricing as it is marketing.
3. It is not so much about value as it is the PERCEPTION of value.
4. There is an incredible amount of confusion in regards to the value of off site optimization. That is both an opportunity and a threat, (see #2)
5. There are three category types of clients interested in the off site optimization industry.
5a. The ones who know what they want and how to get it and simply understand the value of outsourcing to competent services.

This segment of the market is where the real money is. Simply do what your service offers and they're happy, the inventory provider is happy and you're happy and you, the client and the inventory partner are all making money month after month after month. The client turns in the order and you fill it and move to the next client.

5b. The ones who THINK they know.

This is the most tiresome with the least return segment. They invariably waste your staff's time trying to get them to teach them what they are doing, it is only a matter of time before they do something stupid to get their own site dropped and they never accept it was their own fault.

5c. The client who knows what they want in terms of sales but has no idea what it takes to generate search engine traffic and are mystified by the black arts known as SEO. They are happy with relying on someone with verifiable experience to handle online promotion.

This segment of the market is basically the backbone of SEO since the mid 90's. Except for the fact that ignorance breeds mistrust and the time you have to pay for to have your staff endlessly educating the client, my experience has been this is a high profit, stable service. The trick to success with this segment is that it doesn't matter whether you guarantee something or not. The bottom line, you either generate profit for the client or they cancel. Period.

With rare exceptions, this is a very up-front and honest business relationship. Clients are often mistaken about how the internet works, but they are usually pretty open about what they expect and as long as the performance is there you can expect a long term relationship.

These clients are very familiar with risk/reward and as long as you spend the time upfront to fully explain the options including possible rewards weighed against possible risks, the client comes to trust you and your service and again, everyone wins.

So, to me, when we're talking about pricing, we're really talking about the perception of value and what the market will bear. What is not relying on percpetion is your cost. Value can very easily be little more than perception but -- COST IS REALITY. Profit too is reality and is highly dependent on cost. Always remember, it is not about how much you make --- it's about how much you keep.

As with all things in business, the price WE set, (not the client), should be based on two simple things. Objectives and strategies. What are we trying to make and how are we going to try to make it.

If you know what type of client you are going to target, you can start defining the service you will offer and that enables you to do a cash flow study giving you some idea of man-hours and labor costs to perform that service. From there you can subtract your projected costs from your proposed price list and determine if your objectives and strategies are realistic or not.

Once you decide you really can offer the service to the market you target at an acceptable profit, you at least have boundaries. There is no doubt in my mind that whatever you estimate your expenses to be, it will always be the market itself coupled with the old supply and demand, that actually determines the price, (which brings us full circle back to the perception thing), but at least with some projections you know how low you can go to satisfy a market before being forced to consider altering your strategies to include additional services which invariably alters cost.

What the off site optimization industry is now facing is the "gold rush" mentality. The only reason questions like this are being asked at this point in time is because far too many people claiming to be providing quality services at fair prices DO NOT have any objectives and strategies, cash flow projections, cost analysis or anything that could even come close to a business model and/or plan. They are simply allowing their own mis-read market signals to determine their prices and this clouds the judgement of the person offering the service AND the judgement of the client, creating an atmosphere of distorted perception, ---- hence the question.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. I believe that off site optimization is the SEO of the foreseeable future and I also believe that the high priced services and the low end services are both perpetuating the perception of value to the entire online marketing community and that breathes new life into the SEO/SEM industry and I beleive that is good. The people who are offering low end services with no clue as to the value of the very service they are offering will make a few bucks and quickly either alter their service or cease to exist. The people who are over-charging for the service they provide will soon see their client base decline while their lower priced competitior's list grow and they too will either alter their pricing strucure or fade away as well. This is as it should be. This is business.

As for the black/white hat thing, I urge you to hold your tongue. We are all not so far apart and the truth will always rise to the top. The sentiments and perceptions of the detractors are changing as we speak. Look how many posts you saw a year ago about how selling PR was spam and now those same people are making posts about selling and buying links is OK as long as it's not for search engines. They are simply coming to the realization that it is Ok to buy or sell anything that is not against the law and that they misunderstood what they were arguing about in the first place. I think they are also starting to realize the revenue they have posted themselves out of.

This entire debate was never about anyone selling PR. If one would only stop for a single moment and think about that statement, they would realize that no matter what any website says, Google and ONLY Google is in any position to sell PR. All anyone else can do is sell links with a price associated with PR Maybe Google doesn't like that but it is still not selling PR. So all the statements accusing link sellers/buyers/brokers of spamming will soon be ending as we see them morphing into altered descriptions to justify past comments that now hinder the statement maker from profiting from his own inventory. I urge you to consider; the person you are wishing to see go out of business today may very well be a potential inventory partner for you tomorrow.

off topic side-note[That little fact aside, it has always seemed wise to me to speak well of your enemies. At the very least it gives the percpetion of you taking the higher ground. All of that comes in very handy at the time alliances are formed or altered.]

Until Google makes some public announcement that is willing to sell page rank for x amount, the question is going to have to remain based on cost compared to what the market will bear.

In closing, (thunderous applause), my experience in this industry has been that the key to success is to find out what the client is REALLY wanting. Do they want a boost in PR? Do they want increased traffic from relevant sites? Do they want someone to just make them some money? Each of those services require different approaches, different risks and different returns. Each of them require different pricing to make the same amount of profit. The real challenge is in finding out how to get the client to tell you what they are really wanting, but that is a topic for another thread all toghether.

[debraM]

The sentiments and perceptions of the detractors are changing as we speak. Look how many posts you saw a year ago about how selling PR was spam and now those same people are making posts about selling and buying links is OK as long as it's not for search engines.

IMO,selling PageRank is something totally different than buying and selling links, which is what we were talking about.

[seobook]

off topic side-note[That little fact aside, it has always seemed wise to me to speak well of your enemies. At the very least it gives the percpetion of you taking the higher ground. All of that comes in very handy at the time alliances are formed or altered.]

while your posts are top shelf (yes that is a phrase from the 50s I think) I wonder why you would give this tip to a public forum. it would seem to undermine your ability to make future partnerships.

[massa]

Maybe there is something I have been missing. Debra, can you give me an idea of how you see someone selling page rank as opposed to selling links. I can see how someone could advertise that a certain link from a specific site may increase the page rank of the target site. That is true, at least for the time being. That could possibly add to the perception of value to the client, BUT, you would still be selling a link that had the POSSIBILITY of increasing someone else's page rank but again, that is still selling a link and not selling page rank. Only Google controls page rank. If I'm missing something I would truly like to understand.

SEObook
I can see where it might sound that way, but the partnerships I have made over the years have all been born out of honesty and being up front from the beginning. I obviously have a knack for stepping on toes, (I believe that too is a cliche from the 50's), but I really don't mean to offend. Actually, when I post, it is always for a reason and usually, that reason is to build alliances and form partnerships.

Also, keep in mind that I stated more than once, I was only relating my own experiences. Others may have different takes on the same question. I just believe that when it comes to working things out with people for mutual benefit, showing restraint can give an impression of professionalism and the ability to make decisions without emotion. Not saying something negative of someone who has intentionaly slandered you or your business gives the impression of you being capable of taking the high ground and staying focused on the issue at hand. My experience has been that that is a much better negotiating position than the other person having the perception that you would easily loose focus and spend your resources attacking someone who did not directly effect "the deal". I've had the experience of both scenarios and I believe the former is better than the latter.

There are two specific reasons I made that particular comment.
#1. Years ago I saw a TV special with Richard Pryor. It was a classic.

In one of the bits he did he said, "be proud of any ****** doing anything". That always stuck in mind as one of the most concise political statments I had ever heard. With 7 little words he made the entire black race realize they were a group with common goals. It was brilliant.

I feel the exact same way about the net promotion industry. I believe we SEOs, (whatever that is), should be proud of any SEO doing anything. We all, white, black or any other color of hat, face a VERY difficult challenge on a day by day basis. Between trying to satisy an ever-more demanding client, stay within obscure guidelines that change without notice, the endlessly frustrating and ever-more complicated algorithms, the business related problems, the complaints, the misunderstandings, the confusion, the many, many forums, newsletters, etc, etc. I think the single biggert threat to the entire industry is the political power struggles within the industry itself. By us not realizing we are all part of the same group, we erode the flimsy foundation that this industry is built on. There is plenty of money and success for us all if we ever get Madison Avenue and that ain't gonna happen as long as this silly white/black thing continues.

I believe we should all listen to Ammon Johns and realize that this is not about spam or any color of hat. It's about risk vs reward. It's about return on investment and it's about a real plan with a real objective. I believe once anyone is able to get that concept across to the majority of people in the marketing community the money will flow like a river.

#2. SEObook, I've read several of your posts. You are articulate, passionate and entertaining. I have a mental picture of you as someone who is sharp and ambitous. In other words, I like you.

In part, those comments were directed towards you,(maybe indirectly would be a more accurate term). In my own weird way, I was trying to help because I would like to see you continue. This industry needs leaders.

If I offended, I apologize.

[Nacho]

Massa, I really enjoy reading your posts. Your thoughts are very good and objective. Thank you! :)

However, we need to stick with the topic of this thread before it moves to a new direction, so we need everyone's help determine what is the best fair price or prices to pay for legitimate one way link or even for reciprocral links.

Thanks everyone!

[massa]

Good point. I agree.

>what is the best fair price or prices to pay for legitimate one way link or even for reciprocral links.<

Again, no more than what it is worth to you. It's kind of like asking what a #1 position is worth. It is different for every person and every keyword.

[donut]

In other words we don’t really do link building in and of itself. It is more of an "after SEO" service for us. If traditional SEO is not quite doing the trick, then the focus turns to getting more good quality relevant links.

Doesn't traditional SEO include link building? How can you do a good job without it?

Yes, this is definitely the sentiment in the "white hat" seo world. How do we fix that?

For some reason, white hat seo has turned into only "on page optimization" and excluded all link building. I thought black hat had very little to do with link building but more to do with cloaking and behind the scenes seo.

Since when is "white hat seo" only "on page optimization"? I'm confused now! Links are part of the puzzle- you can't separate them.

Buying links is like buying advertising- they are worth what you are willing to pay for them. ;)

I believe we SEOs, (whatever that is), should be proud of any SEO doing anything. We all, white, black or any other color of hat, face a VERY difficult challenge on a day by day basis.

I think the single biggert threat to the entire industry is the political power struggles within the industry itself. By us not realizing we are all part of the same group, we erode the flimsy foundation that this industry is built on.

No way, Jose! There are too many people out there burning through clients right and left for me to want to be associated with them as part of "my" industry. Do you really want to be associated with $29.99 "submit to 1000 search engine" scammers? Or people who get once-legitimate sites banned from the engines? Do you want to embrace Traffic Power and their current predicament as a member of "your industry"?

I bet all the accountants of the world are thrilled to count Enron as a member of their ranks all the stock traders embrace Ivan Boesky, Martha Stewart and the other "insider traders" that give their industry a bad name. Ya think?

No thanks! I'm more than happy to separate myself into a group that is very much separate from the people who cheat their way into the ranks and then get caught.

There is plenty of money and success for us all if we ever get Madison Avenue and that ain't gonna happen as long as this silly white/black thing continues.

There will always be people who try to "game the system", there will always be people who don't know what they are doing but promise the moon, there will always be people looking for the "next trick" and other people willing to pay them.

That doesn't mean I'm ever gonna be "proud" of them!

[Nacho]

I suggest anyone interested in the discussion of "white hat seo has turned into only 'on page optimization' and excluded all link building" to please visit and participate in the White Hats don't build links? (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/forum/showthread.php?t=518) thread. I highly recommend it!

However, if you would like to discuss how you charge your link building prices into your SEO projects, or if you're the client and have been involved with a campaign where the firm/consultant has charged you their link building services into your SEO project, please let us know more about it.

Thanks everyone!

[donut]

Sorry. :( There were some comments made here that need more explanation. I'll check the other thread. :o

[Nacho]

It's kind of like asking what a #1 position is worth. It is different for every person and every keyword.
So, do you think that Link Building Services could charge their links based on some type of formula that would come up with a price based on factors like:

Number of outbound links
Number of internal links
Where links are placed on the site
How much traffic the site receives
How many backlinks the site has
How long has it been passing pagerank (in other words, how stable it is)
Number of pages on site
Is the site considered an authority
How relevant is the site sending the link for the site receiving the link (same keyword in title tag, high KW density, etc.)
Size of the page (affecting loading time)
Others . . .

And if so, in your opinion how would you assign importance weights to come up with the right price?

[massa]

> Link Building Services could charge their links based on some type of formula <

Of course they could. Any service can charge whatever they like for whatever reason they like. My personal opinion though is that basing your prices on things listed below is kind of putting the cart before the horse.

>Number of outbound links<
How do you price this when the number can change instantly. If I charge you an extra $10 because this page only has 2 outbound links and the next day the page adds another, do I refund your $10 or refund 1/3 of it?


>Number of internal links<
Same answer as above. Is this site never going to add, subtract or alter content again? If it does alter, how does that effect the price and what you told the customer?

>Where links are placed on the site<
I can't imagine what this would be worth to a customer or the page owner. If a customer wanted HIS link at the top of MY page and I agreed to place it there, I wouldn't think the page would be worth much to either party.

>How much traffic the site receives<
If my page gets 1 million hits a minute, that doesn't mean your link will ever generate a single hit. So how much is never getting a single hit worth?

>How many backlinks the site has<
In my experience, this number changes with every update. If it doesn't change, then that is more a statement of value than any specific number of backlinks. If it doesn't change, then the site is not being maintained and very likely is going to start losing it's value quickly.

If the backlinks change, do you give partial refunds or increase your rate?

>How long has it been passing pagerank (in other words, how stable it is)<
My approach is that I do NOT control page rank and Google may decide to change this at any moment. If the price is going to be determined by how long the site has been passing PR, then what is the number of links you can put there before it ceases to pass? My point is that I accept that is not up to me so how do I charge extra for it and what recourse do I offer the client?

>Number of pages on site<
Again, is this site dead? If not then do we reduce or increase the rate as the number changes?

>Is the site considered an authority<
Who does the judging? If it is the seller, then it is likely that a great many links recommended would be from sites considered authorities. At least considered such by the selller. If you increase your rate because you consider a site an authority but the client disagrees, do you reduce your rate. If you do, then what was the point in the first place?

>How relevant is the site sending the link for the site receiving the link (same keyword in title tag, high KW density, etc.)<
This kind of involves the themed link theory I see being offered on various forums. I'm sure there are many among us who will disagree, but I believe this is silly.

If my page has SHOES for a title because I sell shoes, but I'm willing to put a link on my page to your shoe page, then as a buyer, I would seriously question the value of a link from a shoe site that obviously didn't care much about his own business.

>Size of the page (affecting loading time)<
Is a slow 9 better than a fast 8?

>in your opinion how would you assign importance weights to come up with the right price?<
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First let me give you a little of my philosophy:

There is hardly anything in the world that can not be made a little worse and sold a little cheaper -- and the people who consider price alone are this man's lawful prey.
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I mention that 19th century quote from John Ruskin, to point out that if you did use any or all of those points above, it will be no time before someone offers a cheaper price. When that happens, do you lower your prices to compete?

If what you are trying to do is find a fair pricing system, then define fair.

What I'm suggesting is that to look for a pricing model using anything but your own objectives is a mistake. I'm suggesting that the price has little to do with all of those things above. The price should have to do with what you are offering. What you are offering again, boils down to
1. Objective
What do I want in what time frame?
(possible example -- a million dollars in a year)
2. Strategy
How am I going to get that in that timeframe?
(possible example --- selling links)
3. Cost
How much will I have to invest to accomplish this?
(possible example--- how much will I have to spend to MAKE a million dollars?)

NOW, you can come up with a price.

After I developed an objective and strategy, we did some cash flow studies using about 6 possible scenarios. We used them to come up with a projected P&L and THAT is what determined our basic pricing.

For example, part of our strategy was to build a huge inventory database quickly, (it was a little more detailed than that but this is for illustration purposes only), so in our cost analysis, we figured a high pay out. Naturally that affected our pricing. To me, that makes a lot more sense than trying to base price on something we did not control. I can tell you this, time and labor are going to be two of the largest determining factors in whether you make a profit or not.

Once we established a basic price list, that enabled us to form policies enabling us to perform as brokers. In other words, I don't try to determine the perception of value for a client. I only try to satisy a desire. If a client tells us they want something specific, like a fast loading page for example, we simply calculate what we feel will cover our cost in locating, securing and providing that additional service. The more difficult the request, the more time it takes to deliver and the more it costs.

To me, if you believe high traffic is important enough to justify paying my people to find the page, the PR AND the traffic levels, fine. We don't question your perception of value, we accept that our job is to meet our own objectives by satisfying the client within the guidelines and general policies as established in our strategic planning.

With one of our initial objectives and strategies being to grow a large database by paying inventory partners more, we put ourselves into a postion of being able to satisfy those special desires quickly and cost effectively. That means that as the new link gold rush gets into full swing and we all start seeing every kind of cheap link scam imagineable, I'm not put into a position of having to continually lower my prices trying to chase the next cheapest competitor. Our business plan for this particular service never involved being the cheapest.

I'm trying to answer your question as honestly as I can. I truly believe that trying to find some criteria to price links that does not take a defintion of the service you intend to offer and a viable business plan into consideration is a mistake. Selling links is not that different than selling any other type of promotional service. There are a lot of people wanting a lot of links for a lot of reasons. Trying to find out what a link is worth is the wrong approach. Trying to find out what YOUR service is worth makes a lot more sense to me.

I'll give you one more little tip from the voice of experience. The trick to success is in getting your client to tell you what it is they REALLY want. Most of our clients say they want a link from a PR 7,8 or whatever. Think about it. Is a link what you REALLY want or is what you REALLY want to be on top of Google results?

Some people really want the traffic. Some really want the increased page rank. Some really want to be on top of Google and some just want to get rich quick. I can provide links for any of those desires, but I have to know what it is you are really wanting to buy to be able to satisfy you and be able to provide true value for my services.

Most of the problems with this industry, (much like most of the problems with the entire SEO industry), comes from providing the right service for the wrong objective. Find out what your client really wants, make sure they understand the risks, rewards and costs of what they are buying and then deliver that.

This is another reason that I'm suggesting you establish your objective and strategy first. I believe there will soon be services that specialize in links on high traffic sites. Those prices will be based on the cost of THAT service. There will be services that specalize in links from authorities. Those prices would be based on the cost of THAT service. You see what I mean. The pricing is going to be driven by the market and the market is going to be driven by perception of value and no matter which criteria you would use, that would not work for anyone other than the person who that would work for.

Set an objective. Define a target market. Develop a strategy and do some income projections. Develop a business plan, set your numbers and then do it. If you don't hit your numbers, re-examine your strategy, adjust your number and do it again.

[mjr]

...that is still selling a link and not selling page rank. Oh contrar massa, people are not paying $800.00 a month to get a link on some obscure page somewhere, they are paying those excessive fees in hopes of increasing their PageRank...and many times those links ARE placed on sites that are at the very best *loosely* relevant, however their Page Rank is high. Does linking to a site with a higher PR work? Sure in some cases it does, as long as you believe :)

Keeping the "perception" in perspective

[Buddha]

This is an old post but I will add my 2 cents.

I do link-seeking in-house, outsource to a 3rd party, and also buy links. (I don't sell links or sell a linking service)

These are the prices that I pay:
Reciprocal Linking
$3-5 per link

1 Way Links
PR8: $100 / month
PR7: $60 / month

Keep in mind that these are for competitive offers, sometimes pre-paid or in volume. (which means i buy many links at a time to get a discount)