How I test and rank backlink platforms
Every score on this site comes from documented first-hand use of the platform interface, not from reading its sales page. This page lays out exactly how a backlink platform is tested, scored on four weighted criteria, and ranked, so any figure you see can be traced back to how it was produced.
What "tested" means for a backlink platform
A platform is marked tested only when there is a dated evidence trail: account or interface access, marketplace screenshots, counted catalogue figures, stated vendor figures labelled separately, and scoring notes in both languages. If an order, delivered link or J+30/J+90 follow-up is documented, it is stated explicitly. Otherwise the page does not imply it happened.
Where a platform is untested, the page still states what it sells, what it charges and what it claims, each figure attributed to its source. What it never does is invent an opinion or a rating to fill the gap: an unearned score on a comparison table is exactly where it would do the most damage.
The four criteria and their weight
Fixed weights, published here, so the ranking cannot be quietly tuned to favour one platform.
The four criteria used to score a backlink platform
Each tested platform is scored from 0 to 10 on four criteria, each weighted by how much it actually affects the outcome of buying links. The weights are fixed and published here so the ranking cannot be quietly tuned to favour one platform.
- Usability 40%
How quickly you can find suitable sites, read their real metrics and place an order without fighting the interface. Weighted highest because it is where most of the day-to-day work happens.
- Reliability 25%
Whether the links are actually placed as ordered, stay live, and land on sites that are what they claim to be. A cheap link that disappears or sits on a dead site is worth nothing.
- Value for money 20%
The price paid against the quality obtained, not the headline price alone. A low entry price on poor sites scores worse than a fair price on genuinely useful ones.
- Transparency 15%
How honestly the catalogue, metrics and pricing are presented, and whether the platform hides anything behind a funded balance before you can judge it.
How a backlink platform score is calculated
The overall score is the weighted average of the four criteria, on a 0-to-10 scale, rounded to two decimals. There is no hidden adjustment: multiply each criterion by its weight, add them up, and you get the number on the page.
A platform must carry a rating on all four criteria to be scored at all. A platform rated on three out of four is not a platform with a slightly lower score, it is a platform that has not been fully tested, so it stays out of the ranking rather than being averaged over the gap.
This site's real ratings, criterion by criterion
Computed across the 10 platforms tested today. Recalculated every time a new platform is tested.
| Criterion | Lowest rating | Average | Highest rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usability | 6.0 | 7.3 | 10.0 |
| Reliability | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 |
| Value for money | 6.0 | 6.9 | 8.0 |
| Transparency | 5.0 | 7.2 | 9.0 |
Real example: MeUp's score
The current top rating in the ranking, calculated exactly per the weights above: (10.0 × 0.40) + (8.0 × 0.25) + (7.0 × 0.20) + (9.0 × 0.15) = 8.75.
Counted versus stated: how a platform's figures are sourced
Every figure on a review is labelled by where it comes from. "Counted" means I read it inside the platform myself, with a date and how I measured it (for example, the catalogue size read off the marketplace counter with every filter cleared). "Stated" means the platform announces it and I have not independently confirmed it.
A counted figure is worth more than a stated one, and keeping the two visibly apart is what stops "the platform says" from quietly becoming "I verified".
Independence: why affiliate commissions never move a score
Some outbound links on this site are affiliate links, disclosed on every page. The commission is the same whether a platform ranks first or last, and it is set before any testing begins, so it has nothing to gain from a score and cannot influence one. The ranking is driven by the four criteria above and nothing else.