I would be honest with him and tell him that real DR 70+ links don't sell for $50, and if they do they're not real (ie. the DR is boosted artificially).
And then tell him that topical authority and niche + content relevancy are more important than DR... although, if your client is in a tough, BH niche like casino / gambling then he does need that high authority, so I kind of understand why he'd want that
But for $50 he can't find it anywhere, tell him that upfront and let him go if he's stubborn and doesn't want to (or maybe he can't) increase the budget.
Exactly bro, you nailed it. I've learned that being upfront saves so much time. Real DR 70+ just doesn't exist at that price point – anyone claiming otherwise is either selling fake metrics or PBN links.
Your point about topical authority is gold though. I've had DR 45 niche sites crush DR 70+ generic authority sites. Context matters way more than the number. But yeah, BH niches are different – they need that authority shield.
The hard part is knowing when to educate vs when to just walk away. If they're not willing to budge on budget after explaining value, they're not worth the headache. Better clients come from realistic expectations anyway.
ask him these:
1) how he can tell that what he's paying $30 for is premium placement. Ask him (politely, of course) to tell you what he considers premium, and authority. And then dismantle the myth that is almost guaranteed to be wrong since REAL authority sites don't sell links for $30
2) how can be sure that the Fiverr seller won't remove his link after 1 month. Or that the link is d0follow and the only OBL that exists on that page (which is a big deal actually). Or that the page is / will be indexed by google, thus making the link worthwhile.
Ask him these 2 questions and I bet that he has no idea what to answer
... Or, if he answers them properly (which I doubt that he will because this will imply that he knows SEO, in which case he'd know that quality links don't cost only $30), it's possible that he's being lied to by the Fiverr seller.
Love this approach man. Those two questions are absolute game-changers for shutting down the Fiverr argument without being defensive.
I'm definitely stealing this. Next time someone mentions the $30 Fiverr link, I'm asking: "What does premium actually mean to you? DR? Traffic? Relevance?" – because 9 times out of 10, they have zero idea. They just saw a low price and thought "deal."
And yeah, the dof0llow + indexation + link permanence thing? Most people don't even think about that. They assume a $30 link stays forever. Reality: it's gone in 30 days or it was nofollow the whole time.
This is the kind of education that actually converts clients from "cheap hunters" to "quality seekers." Thanks for sharing this – definitely using it.
I would chose educating them, especially if you don't have a lot of clients. If your clients are few and you do need this money explain to them how SEO works, maybe they'll change their mind and stick with you when they see that you know your stuff, and that you also took the time to educate them.
Besides, this is just a matter of writing a few lines of text, you can pretty much copy-paste what I just said and hit "send", so it's not like you're wasting time writing entire novels.
You're absolutely right, man. That's a solid perspective. Early on, every client matters, and taking 5 minutes to educate someone can turn a "no thanks" into a "let's work together" – especially when they see you actually know your stuff.
And honestly, a quick copy-paste explanation showing the difference between real links and Fiverr garbage isn't wasting time at all. It positions you as someone who cares about results, not just making a quick sale. That builds trust.
I'm definitely shifting my mindset on this. Instead of getting frustrated with budget questions, I'll see it as a chance to prove my value. The ones who get it will stick around. The ones who don't? At least I tried.
Thanks for the reality check. This changes how I approach prospects moving forward.
what do you mean?? Aren't you 2 already having an open discussion (via email I assume) yet? Because if you do, you just hit "reply" and give them the answer, you don't have to create any subject lines...
If you mean something else please clarify, as I'm not sure what you mean...
Oh my bad, I worded that poorly lol. I meant – when I'm creating new threads based on this topic, what subject line would actually grab attention? Like if I wanted to make a standalone post about the whole "Fiverr vs real links" debate.
Not for a direct reply, but for a new thread that other BHW members would actually click on and engage with. Trying to figure out what hooks people in this community.
My bad for the confusion bro!
