The most expensive links aren’t really links: What 16,625 publisher price lists tell SEA startups

In September 2026, ESBO Ltd, a link building and digital PR agency, released its State of Link Building and Brand Mentions report, detailing the prices of 16,625 publisher sites across 53 languages. The median sponsored article cost US$570, but the most intriguing aspect was that 39% of top-tier publishers (Domain Rating of 80 and above) and 36% of publishers with over a million monthly visits charged nofollow links, which are ignored by search engines.

This led to a significant price difference between large publishers and smaller ones, with the latter charging as little as US$60 for an undisclosed link. Ahrefs and Muck Rack's research suggested that brand mentions accounted for 84% of AI visibility, while backlinks contributed only 0.3%. This pricing structure highlights that publishers now primarily sell audience access and brand mentions, rather than link equity.

For Southeast Asian startups, the pricing gap between Western and local markets (English sites at US$593 vs. South and Southeast Asian at US$150) presents a potential buying opportunity. However, the trap lies in the cheap end of the market, where disclosure is low, and the links have little value. Founders are advised to focus on buying audience and mentions, rather than relying on metrics, and to invest in earned coverage, such as journalist and reviewer attention, which generates 84% of AI citations.