are backlinks worth paying

In general, paying directly for backlinks is not recommended. Here's why:

* **High Risk:** Google frowns upon paid links, and if caught, your website could be penalized or even delisted from search results.

* **Low Quality:** Paid backlinks often come from irrelevant, low-authority websites that won't help your SEO.

* **Unsustainable:**  These links may not be long-lasting, and the SEO benefit disappears when the link is removed.

However, there are ways to invest in strategies that  indirectly  lead to backlinks:

* **High-Quality Content:** Create valuable, informative content that people naturally want to share and link to.

* **Link Building Outreach:** Reach out to relevant websites and propose collaborations, guest posts, or content mentions that could earn you backlinks.

* **Digital PR:** Implement a digital PR strategy to generate brand awareness and attract links from credible publications.

While these methods require more effort, they build a sustainable backlink profile based on trust and relevance, which is what search engines value most.