Friendly Links sound great—who wouldn’t want a boost from a few friendly websites? Chinese SEO agencies push them hard, promising better rankings on Baidu. They even sell them in bulk—50 or 100 a month.
But there’s a catch. After a month, most of those links just disappear. Nobody talks about that part. And nobody mentions that these “friendly” sites are often random, unrelated, or even flagged as risky.
So what’s the real deal with Friendly Links? Do they help, or are they just a costly trick? Let’s dig in and find out.
What are Friendly Links?
Friendly Links, or 友情链接 in China, look like partnerships between websites. You’ll spot them at the bottom of a page—“Our Partners” or “Friendly Sites.” The idea sounds simple: link to websites that share a connection or common interest.
In Western SEO, it’s like a “Partner Links” section—real businesses linking to each other to show collaboration. That makes sense when the links reflect actual relationships.
But in China, it’s rarely like that. Most “Friendly Links” aren’t about partnerships at all. They’re just paid spots—temporary deals where agencies rent links for a month and then move on. It’s less about friendship and more about quick wins.
They might look legit, but don’t be fooled. Often, these links come from random or even shady sites—no real connection, no partnership, just money changing hands.
The Reality about Friendly Links
Chinese SEO agencies love to sell Friendly Links as a quick fix for better rankings. Just buy 50 or 100 a month, and watch your site shoot up in Baidu’s search results. Sounds easy, right?
But here’s the catch: they don’t last. After a month, most of those links are gone. Agencies rarely mention that part. They just swap out the links and move on, keeping budgets flexible. It’s not about building connections—it’s just short-term renting.
These aren’t real partnerships. They’re transactions. You pay for a link to sit on someone else’s site for a while, usually down at the bottom, under “Friendly Links.” When the month’s up and you don’t renew, the link vanishes—replaced by another paying client.
It’s a revolving door of rented credibility. It might give a quick boost, but it’s never built on anything real or lasting.
The Risks envolved
Buying Friendly Links is risky—no way around it. There’s no real proof they work long-term. You might see a quick boost, but it rarely sticks. And when the links disappear after a month, whatever bump you got usually vanishes too.
Worse yet, search engines hate it. Google and Baidu both have strict rules against buying links to manipulate rankings. Get caught, and your site could be penalized or even banned. It’s a risky gamble that can wreck your reputation.
Then there’s the problem of shady sources. Many of these links come from sites that aren’t even indexed by Baidu—meaning they’re invisible to search engines. A link from an unindexed page? Worthless. Even more troubling, some of these sites land on blacklists—flagged as untrustworthy by services like QQ or WeChat. If Baidu sees a connection to a blacklisted site, your own rankings can tank.
Bottom line: Friendly Links might look like an easy win, but they’re more trouble than they’re worth. Most of the time, they don’t pay off—and they can leave your site worse off than before.
The Tactical Use of Friendly Links
Even reputable agencies, like ours, occasionally use Friendly Links—but not for the reasons you might think. We’re not trying to game the system or boost rankings directly. Instead, we use them strategically to get Baidu’s crawlers to notice a site.
Here’s how it works: New or less-crawled websites sometimes struggle to get Baidu’s attention. So, we target high-ranking, relevant websites that offer Friendly Links for a short time. By placing links on these sites, we essentially “invite” Baidu’s crawlers to check out the client’s site.
This isn’t a long-term strategy. We rent these links temporarily, usually for a month, just to give the site a “kickstart.” Once the crawlers are triggered, we can focus on building more sustainable SEO. It’s a short-term boost to get things rolling—nothing more, nothing less.
So, while Friendly Links can be useful in specific cases, they’re not a magic bullet for ranking. It’s all about timing, targets, and using them wisely to get things moving.
Let’s Conclude
Friendly Links can offer quick, temporary gains, but they come with serious risks. While they might trigger Baidu’s crawlers or give your site a short-term boost, there’s no long-term payoff. More often than not, they violate search engine policies and could damage your rankings if you’re not careful.
If an agency offers you 50 or more links a month, be skeptical. These aren’t partnerships; they’re just paid links that disappear as soon as the month is up.
Always think ahead. Short-term wins shouldn’t come at the cost of your website’s reputation. Stay cautious, stay compliant, and remember that sustainable SEO doesn’t rely on shortcuts.
