Comparisons
Two options, one table, one verdict. Each guide compares cost, speed, risk, and durability, then says which choice fits which situation — no fence-sitting.
Guest posting vs link insertions
Guest posting wins when you want durable authority, brand exposure, and control over the surrounding content. Link insertions win when you need speed and are adding a link to a page that already ranks and already receives traffic.
Read the comparisonWhite hat vs grey hat link building
White hat is the correct default for any site that represents a real business with revenue at risk. Grey hat can accelerate results in low-stakes or short-horizon projects, but you are renting rankings rather than owning them.
Read the comparisonSEO agency vs freelancer vs in-house
Freelancers are the best value when you know exactly what you need and can manage it. Agencies make sense when you need several specialisms at once and cannot manage them yourself. In-house wins only when SEO is a permanent, core growth channel.
Read the comparisonGuest posting vs digital PR
Guest posting gives you predictable, relevant coverage you can plan around. Digital PR gives you fewer but far stronger links when a campaign lands. Programmes that use both grow fastest.
Read the comparisonSEO vs AEO vs GEO
They are layers, not alternatives. SEO gets you retrieved, AEO gets you extracted as the answer, GEO gets you cited by generative systems. The same page can and should do all three.
Read the comparisonFree vs paid guest posting
Free placements on genuinely editorial sites are the best links available, and the only ones with no disclosure obligation. Paid placements are defensible for reach and referral traffic, but they should be marked sponsored and never form the backbone of a link profile.
Read the comparison
Frequently asked questions
How to use these decision guides.
- What are these comparison guides?
- Each guide puts two common approaches side by side on cost, speed, risk, and long-term value, then states plainly which one to pick in which situation.
- Are the numbers in these comparisons real market rates?
- The cost and timeline ranges reflect what we see across placements brokered and reviewed on this site, plus published industry benchmarks. Treat them as directional ranges, not quotes.
- Which comparison should I read first?
- If you are choosing a tactic, start with guest posting vs link insertions. If you are choosing who does the work, start with agency vs freelancer vs in-house.
- Do you recommend one option in every guide?
- Yes. Every guide opens with a verdict rather than sitting on the fence, then lists the specific conditions under which the other option is the better call.
- How often are these guides reviewed?
- They are revisited when pricing, guidelines, or search behaviour shift materially — most recently to account for AI answer engines changing what a link is worth.