Sep 30 2008
Permanent Link Proposition
A few weeks ago I met up with Matt from Nomadic Matt and Shawn (Sean? Shaun?) from Wandering Why for lunch. Of course chatter turned to my favourite topic, nerdy internet stuff, and eventually we started talking about another favourite of mine, link sales.
I mentioned that I often get contactedout of the blue by people looking to buy links. Often they’re good offers, but every now and then they stink. I mentioned that I had been contacted in the past by people looking to buy permanent links in older blog posts. The links would be in posts well buried by now so, by the buyer’s logic, it shouldn’t really effect my site at all.
Matt said that he’d been contacted recently by a chick offering $90 to buy links on six old posts of his. I had actually been contacted by her at a similar time, it turns out. We both knocked her back. I replied that I don’t sell permanent links (but I love to buy them!) and that I probably wouldn’t sell them for $90 each, let alone $90 for six.
So I’m guessing this chick got in touch with quite a few travel blogger types. Often they’re working for an SEO company on behalf of someone else’s site. I wonder how many people took her up on the offer? My logic is that $90 isn’t that much but a permanent link is forever. I would need a lot more money thrown my way befor eI’d consider sticking a permanent link to any part of any of my websites.
What do you think, is $90 for six links on old, buried posts a good deal?
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I've been travelling since January 2008 living off earnings from the web. Follow me as I bum around Asia and beyond, getting up to mischief and working online as I go. 
Hi Kirsty,
I wouldn’t do it. If you sell a permanent link you close a contract for eternity, if you ever consider taking your site offline or selling it you would first have to sort this out. It’s a bit like selling your soul to the devil if you ask me.
Besides, $90 for 6 links (I assume direct links, no “rel=’nofollow’”?) is a reasonable price for one month, particularly if the goal is to get a better search engine ranking. It’s not a reasonable price for a permanent link. Anyone telling you that links in “buried” posts should be discounted is trying to rip you off. No post is buried, the SE’s have them all (actually it’s more likely for an older post to be indexed). And most posts are just one click away from the start page (think ‘Categories’).
In a word, no.
It’s not worth it. $90 per month is decent. Though usually these link buyers whack up the price they’re offering.
I used to be contacted quite a bit by folks looking to purchase permanent links. Now, not so much. I know it’s a bit tempting when you’re first starting out.
I never sell permanent ad space, period. You just never know what the future will bring.
Plus: $90 for 6 links is chump change. If your site’s content is solid, valuable, and regularly updated, wait it out a bit and you’ll have plenty of advertisers/SEOers knocking down your door looking for monthly ad space.