The Problem With DA and DR-Based Link Sellers
Many SEO agencies sell backlinks based purely on Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR), and offer neat lists of prices and metrics that sound appealing at first glance. But this pricing model often hides serious SEO risks.
Agencies that sell links based on DA or DR often control or heavily influence the sites they sell from. These sites are frequently part of private blog networks (PBNs) or are built on repurposed expired domains with artificially boosted scores. While the DA/DR figures may look good in Moz or Ahrefs, most of these sites get little to no genuine traffic, and that’s a major red flag.
Low-traffic websites are often penalised or devalued by Google, meaning content published on them may never get indexed. If your guest post isn’t indexed, it cannot pass SEO value, and your backlink won’t help your rankings at all. You’re effectively paying for an invisible link that Google ignores.
How SEMRush Reveals Manipulated Metrics
This is where SEMRush’s Authority Score gives you a clearer picture.
Unlike DA and DR, SEMRush factors in organic traffic and real-world visibility. Sites that have inflated DA/\DR scores but barely any visitors usually have much lower SEMRush Authority Scores.
That’s often the clearest sign that you’re dealing with a manipulated, low-quality site, and also why buying links purely based on DA or DR is risky, and often, a waste of money.
How Real Publishers Operate
Legitimate publishers like news outlets, niche blogs, and established industry sites don’t price backlinks based on DA or DR.
Their pricing is based on:
- Genuine audience size and engagement.
- How exclusive and credible the publication is.
- The amount of editorial oversight they apply.
- Their site’s organic visibility and trustworthiness.
However, this does mean that their prices vary widely.
For example, a site with a DA of 40 but strong organic rankings and high traffic could cost far more than a DA 70 site that gets almost no visitors.
That’s why relying solely on DA or DR as a pricing indicator can lead you to buy links that look impressive but deliver no ranking benefit.
Why Premium Links Offers Better Value
At Premium Links, we take a publisher-first approach and avoid the traps of manipulated metrics. Our flat pricing model is based on the publisher’s actual cost, not on inflated DA or DR numbers.
Here’s what that means for you:
- Access to high DA/DR and high-traffic sites at different price points.
- Real SEO value, since we work with publishers whose content actually indexes in Google.
- Better long-term results, because our placements are on genuine, trusted sites.
- Transparent pricing — you pay exactly what the publisher charges, with no hidden markups.
Because we build direct relationships with reputable publishers, we secure links that pass real authority and help your rankings grow sustainably.
The Premium Links Advantage
Our approach prioritises quality over quantity, helping you build a backlink profile that Google values:
- No PBNs or expired domains, only genuine, active publishers.
- Indexed, traffic-driven content that actually impacts rankings.
- SEMRush-backed authority, ensuring strong organic visibility.
- Exclusive access to niche-relevant, high-value publications.
- Flexible pricing options, letting you invest across different site tiers.
With Premium Links, you don’t waste money on backlinks that Google ignores. Every placement is on a site with real traffic, real visibility, and real authority.
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Buying backlinks based purely on DA or DR is risky when agencies use manipulated metrics and low-traffic websites. These sites often don’t get indexed by Google, meaning your guest posts provide no SEO benefit and your budget gets wasted.
Premium Links solves this by working directly with real publishers and using a flat pricing model focused on genuine SEO value and long-term rankings.
If you want backlinks that index in Google, improve visibility, and actually grow your rankings, Premium Links is the smarter choice.
