Quick answer
Google treats bought links, excessive link exchanges, automated links and keyword-anchored guest-post campaigns as link spam. Paid links are allowed only when marked rel="sponsored" or nofollow. Nepali businesses earn real links through local press, partners and associations, useful resources and relevant directories. Audit backlinks by linking site in Search Console; most sites never need the disavow tool.
Key takeaways
- Bulk backlink packages break Google’s spam policies.
- Paid and sponsored links must use rel=“sponsored” or nofollow.
- Real links in Nepal come from press, partners, associations, resources and directories.
- Audit by linking site and anchor text, using Search Console’s Links report.
- Google says most sites will not need the disavow tool.
Many Nepali businesses are offered “100 backlinks for Rs 5,000” on Facebook or by email. Some of those links do nothing. Some can harm you. Meanwhile, the links that genuinely help (a news mention, a partner’s resource page, a directory your customers actually use) are earned, not bought in bulk.
This guide explains the difference, what Google says, and how to audit the links you already have. Link earning is part of our off-page SEO services, which are included in our full SEO packages.
What does Google count as link spam?
Google’s spam policies list link spam explicitly. It includes:
- Buying or selling links for ranking purposes, including paying for “dofollow” guest posts.
- Excessive link exchanges and partner pages that exist only to cross-link.
- Using automated programs or services to create links to your site.
- Large-scale article campaigns and guest posting with keyword-rich anchor links.
Paid or sponsored links are allowed when they are labelled. Google asks for rel=“sponsored” or rel=“nofollow” on those links, so they do not pass ranking credit.
What does link earning look like in Nepal?
- Local press and media. A genuine story: a new branch, a scholarship, research, an event or a useful local statistic.
- Partners and suppliers. Universities you represent, brands you distribute, associations you belong to (ECAN, FNCCI, NMA and similar), when they list members or dealers.
- Useful resources. Guides, calculators or checklists people in your industry want to reference.
- Relevant directories and citations your customers use, with consistent name, address and phone.
- Brand mentions. Being named in articles, forums and AI answers, even without a link, builds recognition. Our guide on why AI recommends your competitors explains why mentions matter for AI search too.
Earned links come slowly and unevenly. That is why we do not sell link quotas.
Link spam vs earned links
| Link spam | Earned links | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is obtained | Bought, exchanged or automated | Earned through news, partners, resources |
| Anchor text | Repeated exact keywords | Mostly brand name and natural phrases |
| Relevance | Any site that will take money | Sites your customers read or trust |
| Speed | Hundreds in a week | Slow and uneven |
| Risk | Ignored, or manual action | None |
How do you audit your backlinks?
- Export your links from Search Console (Links report, “Top linking sites”). Add a third-party tool if you have one.
- Sort by linking site, not individual links. Most sites have a handful of sources that matter.
- Mark each site: relevant and real (keep), irrelevant but harmless (ignore), or clearly manipulative: link farms, hacked pages, foreign-language spam with exact-match anchors (review).
- Check anchors. A natural profile is mostly your brand name and URL. Many identical keyword anchors suggest bought links.
- Find lost links to pages that now 404 and redirect those URLs to the right page.
Should you use the disavow tool?
Usually not. Google’s disavow help page says that in most cases Google can assess which links to trust, so most sites will not need the tool. It is meant for sites with a manual action for unnatural links, or that are likely to get one because of paid links or link schemes.
If you did buy links in the past, the first step is to try to remove them. Disavow what you cannot remove, and only then.
Off-page SEO in practice
Our Smith Street Medical Centre case study shows off-page work done properly for a GP group: local citations, entity building and real mentions alongside content and Google Ads, with no link quotas.
See what is included and how it is priced on our SEO services page.
Want a second opinion on your site? Ask us for a free SEO review and we will tell you what to fix first, in plain language.
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Reviewed by
K.K. Bhatta
K.K. Bhatta is a general digital marketer at Queens Digital Agency: hands-on across SEO, paid media, and whatever platform changes next. A lifelong learner rather than a one-topic specialist, he tests ideas on live campaigns before writing about them, and stays skeptical of anything that has not actually been tried.
Every claim in this article was checked against a live source before publishing.
Not illegal, but buying links to pass ranking credit breaks Google’s spam policies. Paid links must be marked sponsored or nofollow.
There is no target number. A few relevant, real links usually matter more than many weak ones.
Use the Links report in Google Search Console. It shows top linking sites, linked pages and anchor text.
Only if you have, or are likely to get, a manual action for unnatural links. Google says most sites do not need the disavow tool.
No. Off-page work is part of our full SEO package, with no link quotas or guarantees.
Sources and references
Facts in this guide come from the sources below, checked live on 8 November 2026. Everything else is our own working practice, stated as such.