Scoring sheet
Backlink service provider scorecard: ten questions, a score out of 20
Give each question 0, 1 or 2 points. Under 12, walk away. Between 12 and 16, ask more. Above 16, proceed with a small first order.
How to use the sheet
Score the vendor. Not the sales page. Open a tab for each one and answer from what you can see before paying. If an answer needs an email, give it 1 at most. Write the date on the sheet, because vendors change their pages and a score from March 2026 may not hold in October.
A zero on any of the first three questions ends the exercise, whatever the total. Hard stop. Honest vendors show the donor, the price and the link type before taking money. If they cannot, the rest of the sheet barely matters.
The ten questions
| # | Question | Why it matters to a WordPress owner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can you see the donor domain before paying? | Otherwise you cannot judge relevance. |
| 2 | Is the price shown per link? | Bundles hide weak rows inside strong ones. |
| 3 | Is the link dofollow and stated as such? | A nofollow link is a different product. |
| 4 | Are Domain Rating, traffic and niche shown? | Lets you compare rows, not slogans. |
| 5 | Can you choose the anchor and target URL? | You know which post you are promoting. |
| 6 | Can you write or approve the article? | Control over tone and accuracy. |
| 7 | Is there a basket you can review without paying? | Prevents impulse orders. |
| 8 | Can you see order status after payment? | Tells you when it is live. |
| 9 | Are invoices available? | Needed for a business or an agency. |
| 10 | Is there no subscription lock-in? | Pay-as-you-go suits a small blog. |
How our marketplace scores itself, honestly
We filled in the sheet for ourselves, on the facts we can state.
Strong on questions 1 to 4, 7, 8, 10
Donor rows list DR, traffic, referring domains, niche, language and price. The basket does not charge. Orders show status. Pay as you go.
Good on 5 and 6
You supply target URL and keyword, your own instructions or your finished article. Placements carry one clean link to your page.
Invoices on 9
Invoices and proforma invoices are available. Balance is topped up in the dashboard, not by API.
Where we are weaker
We cannot show a rank result, because we cannot control one. Delivery is usually about 24 hours but not instant, and a very niche topic may have few donors. Moz, Ahrefs and Semrush each define their own authority scores, so compare rows using one tool's numbers.
Red flags that cost a point each
- Prices quoted as a package for fifty links.
- Promises that a result is certain or that a link is risk-free.
- Reviews with no names, dates or sources.
- Donor list sent only after payment.
- Anchors pre-set to exact match on every order.
- Contact limited to a chat widget with no email.
Scoring FAQ
- What is a good backlink service provider for a new blog?
- One that shows each donor, price and link type up front, lets you start with a single link, and does not tie you to a plan. Anything beyond that is a bonus rather than a requirement.
- Does a high DR guarantee a good link?
- No. DR is a metric from Ahrefs, not a Google score. Pair it with real organic traffic and a topic close to yours. A smaller, relevant site often beats a big off-topic one.
- Where does the 20-point scale come from?
- It is our own simple tool, not an industry standard. Change the weights if refunds or speed matter more to you, but keep the first three questions as hard stops.