The three ways it usually goes wrong
These are not rare accidents. They are what happens when there is no escrow, no record and no consequence.
You pay, nothing happens
Money goes out by bank transfer or PayPal to someone you have never met. There is no mechanism to get it back — only a polite email and hope.
On Contenzo: your payment sits in escrow. The publisher cannot touch it until the placement is live and you have approved it. If nothing is published, the money returns to your wallet.
The link disappears
The post goes up, you report it to your client, and weeks later the page 404s or the link has been quietly stripped out. The publisher already has your money.
On Contenzo: placements are permanent, and we back that with a 12-month guarantee. If a link is removed inside that year, you get it restored or refunded.
Nobody answers
Something is wrong — the anchor, the URL, the page it landed on — and your emails go nowhere. There is no leverage once the invoice is paid.
On Contenzo: problems go through improvement requests and disputes inside the platform. Funds stay frozen while a dispute is open, so replying is in the publisher's interest.
What the 12-month guarantee actually covers
Our placements are permanent by default. The guarantee is what happens if a publisher breaks that.
The link is removed
Report it and we contact the publisher. If it is not restored, you are refunded in full to your Contenzo wallet.
The page is deleted or 404s
Same treatment. A placement you cannot reach is a placement you did not receive.
The link is switched to nofollow
If you bought a dofollow placement and it is changed without agreement, that counts as removal.
The article is rewritten around your link
If your link survives but the context is gutted or the anchor is changed, file an improvement request. The publisher fixes it or you are refunded.
The publisher stops responding
Open a dispute. We deal with the publisher directly — you do not have to chase anyone.
The guarantee runs for twelve months from the date you approve the placement. It covers the publisher's side of the deal — it does not cover a link you asked to have removed, a site that goes offline entirely for reasons outside anyone's control, or a rented placement that has simply reached the end of the period you paid for.
How to claim
- 1
Find the order
Open My Orders in your dashboard and pick the placement. Every order keeps its reference, the live link, the anchor text and the date it was approved.
- 2
Open a dispute or an improvement request
An improvement request goes straight to the publisher with your notes. A dispute brings the Contenzo team in and freezes the funds for both sides.
- 3
We contact the publisher
Most cases are a mistake during a redesign or a migration and are fixed within days.
- 4
Restored, or refunded
If the placement cannot be restored, the amount goes back to your Contenzo wallet. You can spend it on any other listing.
Why publishers put up with this
A guarantee only means something if the other side has a reason to honour it.
Publisher earnings do not become withdrawable the moment you approve a placement. They sit in a clearing period first, and payouts are reviewed before release. A publisher who removes paid links loses their listings, and their standing in a marketplace that sends them repeat work.
That is the whole trade. Publishers get buyers who pay reliably and briefs that are actually specified; buyers get placements that stay up. Neither side has to trust the other personally, because the platform sits in the middle holding the money.
We also sell more than guest posts
Publishers can offer any of these, each priced separately on their listing.
Content placement and creation
Send your own article, or pay the publisher to write it from your keywords. Both are permanent placements and both are covered by the guarantee.
Link insertion
Your link added into an article that is already published and already ranking. Often cheaper and faster than a new post.
Banner placements
Display advertising for an agreed period. You supply the artwork and destination URL; the publisher places it. Priced monthly.
Sidebar and sitewide links
A text link in the sidebar, or in the header or footer where it appears on every page. Rented by the month, so the guarantee covers the period you paid for rather than twelve months.
Questions
Is the guarantee automatic, or do I have to buy it?+
Automatic. Every content placement, content creation and link insertion order is covered for twelve months from approval. There is nothing to opt into and nothing extra to pay.
Does it cover banner and sidebar placements?+
Those are rentals, so they are guaranteed for the period you paid for rather than twelve months. If a banner comes down in month two of a six-month booking, you are refunded for what is left.
What if the whole site goes offline?+
Contact support. If the domain is dead within your guarantee window we treat it as removal and refund you, even though it was not deliberate.
How fast are claims handled?+
We contact the publisher the same working day. Most placements are restored within a few days; if a publisher does not respond, we refund you rather than leave you waiting.
Do I get money back or credit?+
Refunds go to your Contenzo wallet as credit, where they can be spent on any listing. Wallet credit is not paid back to your card — if you think something has gone wrong with a payment, email team@contenzo.co.uk and we will look at it.
I was scammed on another platform. Can you check my existing links?+
We can only guarantee placements bought through Contenzo. But if you email us your list we are happy to tell you honestly which of those sites we would list and which we would not.
Buy your first placement
Create a free account, browse the catalogue with real prices, and order when you are ready. Create a buyer account or ask us anything first.