Link building in the United States
The US is the cheapest of the large English-language link markets. A sponsored article on an established US-audience site has a median list price of $452, less than half the UK figure. Supply is large, quality is uneven, and the FTC expects paid content to be labelled as advertising.
In short
- ESBO's September 2026 analysis of 16,625 publishers put the median sponsored article on US-audience English sites at $452, against $1,040 for the UK and $1,330 for Australia.
- Adsy's 2024 list price data put the average US guest post at $583, the lowest of the six English-speaking countries it reported apart from New Zealand.
- A 2025 survey of about 70 digital PR practitioners, reported by Whito, put the cost per earned link at about £260 for US respondents against about £610 in the UK.
- The FTC's native advertising guide, published in December 2015, says everyone who helps create or present a native ad is responsible for making sure it is identifiable as advertising.
- Google's site reputation abuse policy still carries manual actions for US searchers, and the manual actions reported in November 2024 were against sections of three large US publishers.
The United States is the cheapest of the large English-language markets for paid placements. ESBO’s September 2026 analysis of direct quotes from 16,625 publishers put the median sponsored article on English-language sites with a US audience at $452. The same measure was $1,040 for the UK, $1,130 for Canada and $1,330 for Australia.
Cheap does not mean easy. The US has the largest pool of sites that sell placements, and most of that pool is poor. The work in this market is selection, not finding someone willing to sell.
For how prices compare across all countries, see international link building. This page covers what is specific to the US.
What links cost in the US
| What was measured | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sponsored article, US-audience English publishers | $452 | ESBO, September 2026 |
| Median sponsored article, all English-language publishers | $380 | ESBO, September 2026 |
| Average guest post list price, US sites | $583 | Adsy, 2024 data |
| Cost per earned digital PR link, US respondents | about £260 | 2025 survey of about 70 practitioners, reported by Whito |
Two notes on reading these. ESBO only counted publishers with a Domain Rating above 30 and at least 2,000 organic visits a month, so its median describes established sites, not the whole market. And the all-English median of $380 is lower than the US figure because it includes publishers aimed at South Asian and African readers, where ESBO found a median of about $150.
Adsy’s dataset of 37,542 sites, using 2024 data, compared English-speaking countries on average guest post list price:
| Country | Average list price |
|---|---|
| Ireland | $800 |
| Australia | $741 |
| UK | $713 |
| Canada | $605 |
| US | $583 |
| New Zealand | $322 |
Both datasets agree on the order: the US sits below the UK, Canada and Australia.
Why the US is cheaper
Neither study tests the reason. The explanation most practitioners give is supply: there are more US publishers than in any other English-speaking country, so no small group of titles controls the price. Treat that as a rule of thumb.
The size of the pool has a second effect, and this one is measured. BuzzStream’s 2026 analysis of roughly 257,000 sites that sell guest posts, a global dataset, rated 96.2% of them low quality and found that 39.6% had no organic traffic at all. A buyer in the US market is choosing from a very long list in which most entries are not worth buying.
Authority and traffic move the price far more than country does. In ESBO’s data the median rises from $355 at DR 30 to 39 to $1,840 at DR 80 and above, and publishers with over a million monthly visits quote a median of $2,030.
Earned links and digital PR
Earned links are also cheaper in the US than in the UK, in the one comparison we found. In a 2025 survey of about 70 practitioners, reported by Whito, US respondents put the cost per earned link at about £260, roughly $350, against about £610 for UK respondents. More than half the sample was UK-based, so the US figure rests on a small group.
For campaign formats and how they are priced, see digital PR.
Disclosure: what the FTC says
Paid content in the US falls under the Federal Trade Commission. Its guide for businesses on native advertising, published in December 2015 alongside an enforcement policy statement, sets the principle: an advertisement or promotional message should not suggest or imply to consumers that it is anything other than an ad.
Three points from the guide matter for placements:
- Responsibility is shared. The guide says everyone who participates directly or indirectly in creating or presenting native ads should make sure the ads do not mislead. It names ad agencies and affiliate network operators as well as advertisers.
- Some labels are clearer than others. The FTC lists “Ad”, “Advertisement”, “Paid Advertisement” and “Sponsored Advertising Content” as terms consumers are likely to understand. It cautions that “Promoted”, “Presented by”, “Brought to You by” and “Sponsored by” may not make clear that the advertiser created the content.
- Placement counts. A disclosure has to be noticed, processed and understood, so it belongs near the focal point of the ad, in readable type on every device.
This is consumer protection law. It is separate from Google’s policy, which concerns whether a paid link passes ranking credit. The lesson on link attributes covers that side. This section is general information, not legal advice.
Site reputation abuse bites hardest here
One feature of the US market deserves its own warning. In US sports betting, industry sources describe a link economy that runs through media partnerships, where an operator or affiliate powers the betting section of a sports or news brand. Google’s site reputation abuse policy targets that kind of arrangement. In November 2024 Google tightened the policy, and manual actions were reported against third-party commerce sections of Forbes Advisor, CNN Underscored and WSJ Buy Side.
In late August 2026 Google was reported to have stopped applying these manual actions for searchers in the European Economic Area. That change does not cover US searchers. So a placement inside a rented section of a big US title carries a risk that the same deal in the EEA currently may not. The policy lesson has the timeline, and the parasite SEO page explains the tactic.
How to approach the market
A working method:
- Budget from the ESBO median of $452 for established sites, and adjust for authority using the DR bands in what link building costs.
- Check audience country. ESBO found a median of $100 for English-language sites with an Indian audience, so a very low price can mean the readers are not in the US.
- Run every site through the checks in how to vet a publisher. In a pool this size, vetting is most of the job.
- Ask how the placement will be labelled, and whether it sits in the publisher’s own editorial section or a rented one.
If you want to see inventory and prices side by side, the marketplace comparison lists the main platforms.
Where to go next
If you are buying placements for the first time, read how to buy backlinks safely. Any term used here is defined in the glossary.
Common questions
How much does a backlink cost in the US?
ESBO's September 2026 data shows a median of $452 for a sponsored article on an established US-audience site. Adsy's 2024 data shows an average guest post list price of $583. Earned digital PR links cost about £260 each in a 2025 survey.
Why are US links cheaper than UK or Australian links?
The data shows the gap but does not test the cause. The usual explanation is supply. The US has far more English-language publishers than any other country, so buyers have more choice.
Do US publishers have to disclose sponsored posts?
The FTC's 2015 native advertising guide says an advertisement must not suggest it is anything other than an ad. It recommends labels such as "Ad", "Advertisement" or "Sponsored Advertising Content" and warns that "Promoted" or "Sponsored by" may be unclear.
Does a cheap US link mean a good deal?
Not by itself. BuzzStream's 2026 analysis of roughly 257,000 sites that sell guest posts rated 96.2% as low quality, and 39.6% had no organic traffic. A low price on a site with no readers buys nothing.
Do I need US links to rank in the US?
In practice yes, if your competitors have them. For an English-language site the check is audience, not language. A site written in English can draw its readers from India or the UK.
