Insights, Tutorials & Best Practices

Link Building

Directory submission in 2026: what a listing is actually worth

Google's spam policy names low-quality directory links as link spam. We opened six web directories and read the raw HTML: the two that still pass link credit are the general-directory survivors, while every vertical directory worth being listed in withholds it. What the tactic is still good for, and what to check once a listing is live.

Andrei

Aug 13, 2026 • 11 min

Link Building

HARO link building in 2026: what's left after the shutdown

HARO shut down in December 2024, came back under new ownership four months later, and picked up rules on the way — including AI scoring on every pitch. What exists in 2026, what a placement actually gets you, and the four checks worth running once your coverage is live.

Andrei

Aug 07, 2026 • 10 min

Link Building

Niche edits: what you're actually buying when you pay for a link insertion

A niche edit buys you a seat on a page that already ranks. It also buys you the easiest link in the world to remove: the publisher deletes a sentence, the page still returns 200, and nothing alerts you. What insertions cost, what Google's policy says, and the four things worth re-checking after one goes live.

Andrei

Aug 06, 2026 • 11 min

Link Building

Guest posting for backlinks, done right: earn links Google counts

Guest posting still earns real backlinks in 2026, but only the genuine kind. How to find sites worth writing for, qualify them, pitch, write, and keep the link working after it is published, without crossing into the spam Google devalues.

Andrei

Jun 17, 2026 • 10 min

Link Building

Should you buy backlinks? An honest answer for 2026

Buying backlinks is not illegal, but it is mostly a bad trade. What Google actually does when you pay for links, when it is wasted money, when it is a real risk, and what earns links that last instead.

Andrei

Jun 17, 2026 • 10 min

Link Building

Broken-link building, the honest version: find dead links, earn the replacement

Broken-link building works, but not the way most guides sell it. How to find dead links on the right pages, qualify them before they go on your list, and pitch a replacement that actually gets accepted, with realistic numbers, not hype.

Andrei

Jun 16, 2026 • 10 min

Link Building

Is the page your backlinks point to still indexed by Google?

A backlink only counts if the page it points to is in Google's index. When one of your own pages quietly drops out, every link aimed at it is wasted — here's how to catch it before you keep spending.

Andrei

Jun 11, 2026 • 8 min

Link Building

When a publisher changes your anchor text after publishing

The link is still live and still followed, but the anchor you negotiated now reads something else. Why an edited anchor matters, how to spot it, and how to get the words you paid for put back.

Andrei

Jun 05, 2026 • 9 min

Link Building

When a paid backlink gets switched to nofollow (and how to catch it)

A removed link screams; a nofollow swap whispers. How to spot when a publisher quietly switches your paid dofollow link to nofollow, what it really costs you, and how to get it restored or refunded.

Andrei

Jun 05, 2026 • 9 min