shubhamxseo
Newbie
- Jun 3, 2026
- 16
- 5
A lot of people buying placements are still filtering on DR and price alone, then wondering why half their links do nothing. Putting together a full walkthrough of how to actually vet a site before you pay for a placement, with the reasoning behind each check so it's not just a list to memorize.
Step 1, verify the metrics in a third party tool
Never trust the DR shown on the marketplace. Pull the domain in Ahrefs or Semrush yourself. What you're checking is whether the platform number is close to reality. A gap of 4 to 8 points is normal. A gap of 15 or more means the platform is inflating, and if they inflate DR they probably inflate other things too.
Why it matters: platform DR is a sales number. Third party DR is closer to what Google actually sees.
Step 2, check the organic traffic trend over 12 months
Current traffic tells you almost nothing on its own. The trend tells you everything. Open the traffic graph and look at the last year. Stable or rising is good. A cliff where traffic dropped 50 percent or more usually means the site got hit by an algorithm update and hasn't recovered.
Why it matters: a declining site passes less value than its current numbers suggest, and the decline often continues after you buy.
Step 3, browse the site like a real visitor
Open the homepage. Click 3 to 4 recent posts. Read a few paragraphs. Check the about page.
What you're looking for:
Content that reads like a human who knows the topic wrote it, not generic AI filler.
Real author bios with real profiles, not "admin" or a stock photo with a fake name.
A consistent focus, not 12 unrelated categories crammed onto one domain.
Why it matters: this five minute check catches most of the obvious content farms that pass the metric test but fail the smell test.
Step 4, count outbound links on a recent post
Open one of their recent guest or sponsored posts. Count the ******** outbound links in the body. If there are more than 5 to 7, the link equity gets split across all of them and your link gets a thin slice.
Why it matters: a DR 60 site that puts 20 outbound links on every post passes less than a DR 35 site with 2 outbound links per post.
Step 5, check the site's own backlink profile
Pull the site's backlinks in Ahrefs. Look at where its authority comes from. If a DR 50 site built that DR on PBN links, directories, and spam, the authority is borrowed and unstable.
Why it matters: borrowed DR doesn't pass real equity and often collapses when Google recalculates.
Step 6, run a site: search on Google
Search site:theirdomain.com. Look at roughly how many pages are indexed versus how much content they appear to have. If a site has thousands of posts but only a fraction are indexed, Google has already decided most of it isn't worth showing.
Why it matters: if Google won't index most of their content, there's a decent chance your placement won't get indexed either.
Step 7, check for a flipped or penalized domain
Search the domain name plus terms like "penalty" or "deindexed." Then check the Wayback Machine for the last year. If the site looked completely different 12 months ago, it's likely a flipped domain, new owner riding old authority.
Why it matters: flipped domains carry hidden history that can turn into a liability after you've already paid.
Step 8, cross check the price on another platform
If the placement is over $200, search the same domain on at least one other marketplace. Publishers often list the same site across multiple platforms at different prices. You might find it cheaper elsewhere for an identical placement.
Why it matters: a lot of the price you pay is platform markup, not link value. The same link doesn't get better because you paid more.
Step 9, confirm placement details, not just domain details
Ask where your link will actually live. What category, whether the post gets promoted, whether it sits in the main content flow or gets buried. Domain metrics mean nothing if your link lands on a page that gets zero traffic.
Why it matters: you're buying a specific placement, not the domain's homepage authority.
Step 10, read the refund and replacement policy before paying
Check what happens if the link drops, doesn't index, or the site tanks. Some platforms guarantee indexing for 7 days and then wash their hands. You want written terms on uptime and replacement.
Why it matters: roughly 1 in 5 bought links has issues within 60 days. Knowing the recourse before you pay saves the headache later.
The short version
Metrics from a third party tool, traffic trend, manual site read, outbound link count, the site's own backlink quality, index coverage, domain history, price cross check, placement specifics, and refund terms. Ten checks, about 10 to 15 minutes per site.
It feels like a lot until you've bought a few dead links. Then it feels cheap.
Curious what other people have in their process. Anything on this list you'd drop, or anything major I'm missing?
Step 1, verify the metrics in a third party tool
Never trust the DR shown on the marketplace. Pull the domain in Ahrefs or Semrush yourself. What you're checking is whether the platform number is close to reality. A gap of 4 to 8 points is normal. A gap of 15 or more means the platform is inflating, and if they inflate DR they probably inflate other things too.
Why it matters: platform DR is a sales number. Third party DR is closer to what Google actually sees.
Step 2, check the organic traffic trend over 12 months
Current traffic tells you almost nothing on its own. The trend tells you everything. Open the traffic graph and look at the last year. Stable or rising is good. A cliff where traffic dropped 50 percent or more usually means the site got hit by an algorithm update and hasn't recovered.
Why it matters: a declining site passes less value than its current numbers suggest, and the decline often continues after you buy.
Step 3, browse the site like a real visitor
Open the homepage. Click 3 to 4 recent posts. Read a few paragraphs. Check the about page.
What you're looking for:
Content that reads like a human who knows the topic wrote it, not generic AI filler.
Real author bios with real profiles, not "admin" or a stock photo with a fake name.
A consistent focus, not 12 unrelated categories crammed onto one domain.
Why it matters: this five minute check catches most of the obvious content farms that pass the metric test but fail the smell test.
Step 4, count outbound links on a recent post
Open one of their recent guest or sponsored posts. Count the ******** outbound links in the body. If there are more than 5 to 7, the link equity gets split across all of them and your link gets a thin slice.
Why it matters: a DR 60 site that puts 20 outbound links on every post passes less than a DR 35 site with 2 outbound links per post.
Step 5, check the site's own backlink profile
Pull the site's backlinks in Ahrefs. Look at where its authority comes from. If a DR 50 site built that DR on PBN links, directories, and spam, the authority is borrowed and unstable.
Why it matters: borrowed DR doesn't pass real equity and often collapses when Google recalculates.
Step 6, run a site: search on Google
Search site:theirdomain.com. Look at roughly how many pages are indexed versus how much content they appear to have. If a site has thousands of posts but only a fraction are indexed, Google has already decided most of it isn't worth showing.
Why it matters: if Google won't index most of their content, there's a decent chance your placement won't get indexed either.
Step 7, check for a flipped or penalized domain
Search the domain name plus terms like "penalty" or "deindexed." Then check the Wayback Machine for the last year. If the site looked completely different 12 months ago, it's likely a flipped domain, new owner riding old authority.
Why it matters: flipped domains carry hidden history that can turn into a liability after you've already paid.
Step 8, cross check the price on another platform
If the placement is over $200, search the same domain on at least one other marketplace. Publishers often list the same site across multiple platforms at different prices. You might find it cheaper elsewhere for an identical placement.
Why it matters: a lot of the price you pay is platform markup, not link value. The same link doesn't get better because you paid more.
Step 9, confirm placement details, not just domain details
Ask where your link will actually live. What category, whether the post gets promoted, whether it sits in the main content flow or gets buried. Domain metrics mean nothing if your link lands on a page that gets zero traffic.
Why it matters: you're buying a specific placement, not the domain's homepage authority.
Step 10, read the refund and replacement policy before paying
Check what happens if the link drops, doesn't index, or the site tanks. Some platforms guarantee indexing for 7 days and then wash their hands. You want written terms on uptime and replacement.
Why it matters: roughly 1 in 5 bought links has issues within 60 days. Knowing the recourse before you pay saves the headache later.
The short version
Metrics from a third party tool, traffic trend, manual site read, outbound link count, the site's own backlink quality, index coverage, domain history, price cross check, placement specifics, and refund terms. Ten checks, about 10 to 15 minutes per site.
It feels like a lot until you've bought a few dead links. Then it feels cheap.
Curious what other people have in their process. Anything on this list you'd drop, or anything major I'm missing?
