u/geebotr

I’ve been digging into SEO lately and trying to separate what still works from what’s outdated.

Right now I’m mainly trying to understand:

• What free backlink methods are still actually effective (not just “theory” like old Web 2.0 stuff)?
• How much impact do things like GitHub Pages / Medium / Reddit mentions really have today?
• And more importantly — what paid backlink strategies are actually worth the money?

For paid links specifically, I keep seeing a lot of options:

• Guest posts (some say only niche-relevant ones matter now)
• Niche edits / link insertions
• Digital PR / HARO-style placements
• Paid directory submissions (not sure if these are still useful)
• “SEO marketplaces” (Fiverr, etc. — which seem risky)

But I’m not sure which of these are:

• actually moving rankings in 2026
• just DR vanity metrics
• or potentially harmful if done wrong

Would love to hear from people who are actively doing SEO right now:

• What are the highest ROI backlink methods you’re using today?
• What’s completely dead but still being sold everywhere?
• And is there anything underrated that people overlook?

I’ve been testing creators/TikTok influencers to promote my app, and honestly it feels extremely hit or miss.

Some creators have huge engagement but almost zero conversions.
Others ask for insane rates and can’t explain their audience quality at all.

What are the biggest red flags you’ve learned to watch out for before paying influencers?

And how do you guys evaluate whether a creator is actually worth it?