Hypothetical numbers
What a US small-business link budget looks like
Agency quotes for local work can start in the high hundreds a month. Buying links yourself costs from $1 each, and you decide what to spend.
Hiring a company versus buying links yourself
A local SEO link building company gives you a person to call, reporting, and someone else's judgement. That has value. The price is usually a monthly retainer, and you often cannot see which sites were used.
Doing it yourself with a marketplace costs $1 to about $500 per link and you pick every row. You also do the thinking, which takes a few hours the first month. Neither route is better for everyone.
Two budgets, both invented for illustration
| Starter: $100 in one month | Steady: $1,000 over a quarter | |
|---|---|---|
| Links bought | 4 to 6, around $15 to $25 each | 10 to 14, from $30 to $90 each |
| Where | Niche sites and city guides | Trade sites, regional publishers, two stronger donors |
| Other spend | $0, plus chamber dues if you join | Keep $200 for a content page that earns links |
| Check-in | Search Console after 6 weeks | Monthly, with a dated sheet |
| Honest limit | May show no change at all | Still no promise of page one |
Our pick
Start with $100 and a clear page
Spend the first $100 on four or five relevant links to one good page. Wait six to eight weeks before you add more.
- Link to the page that earns money, not the homepage
- Do not spread $100 across ten pages
- Raise spend only if impressions climbed
The order walkthrough for a $100 start
- 1
Create an account and add balance
Balance is topped up in the dashboard. Invoices and proforma invoices are available if your bookkeeper needs them.
- 2
Filter and shortlist
Pick your niche, set a price ceiling near $25, and sort by traffic.
- 3
Add to the basket
You are not charged at this point. Review the total against your $100.
- 4
Choose the content mode
Automatic needs a target URL and keyword. You can also write your own prompt or upload your own finished article.
- 5
Pay and track
After payment, each placement appears under ordered links with its status. Most go live within about 24 hours.
A before and after sketch (made up)
Picture a fictional dental clinic in a mid-size Ohio city. This is an example. Before: its implants page has two links, both from the clinic's own partners. It ranks on page three for the main term.
After: it buys five links at about $20 each from health and local-interest sites, and earns one from the town paper. Six weeks on, Search Console shows more impressions for the implants page. It might move. It might not.
That is the shape of it. Results depend on competition, reviews and the page, and we cannot promise it. The city page guide and the state page help you aim.
Where $1,000 might go over a quarter (a plan, not a result)
Core links: $450
Five links on stronger donors, around $90 each, aimed at your two best-earning pages.
Support links: $250
Ten cheaper links, near $25 each, on niche and city-guide sites that match your trade.
A page worth linking to: $200
A photo-rich guide or a local resource, since a useful page earns links without any payment.
Reserve: $100
Keep it for month three, when you see what moved and where to push.
Money questions
Is there a monthly fee?
No. You buy single links with no standing plan. Load your balance on the dashboard, and each basket you approve draws from it.
What is the cheapest link I can buy?
Links start from $1. Cheaper rows usually have lower traffic and authority, so read the numbers before you add them.
Can my accountant get an invoice?
Yes, invoices and proforma invoices are available from the dashboard.