PBN, or private blog networks, are diversified websites created to promote one money site. They rely on the fact that human website reviewers will have difficulty figuring out they’re fake. Even though they’re frowned upon, many SEOs use them to boost their rankings. Here are why you should think twice about using them.
They’re a Black-hat SEO Tactic
PBN backlinks are a black hat SEO because they violate Google’s webmaster guidelines. They are created by purchasing expired domains with existing authority and then building links to your money site using that authority. The problem is that Google can see this unnatural linking activity and may penalize your website if it discovers it. The people who create these networks try to hide their footprints by ensuring that all the sites in their network are different domains, use various hosting providers for each site, and have unique content. Unfortunately, they often fail this task, and Google’s algorithm can still detect these links. This can result in your website being demoted or deindexed from Google’s search results. Thankfully, it’s possible to build high-quality links without relying on PBN backlinks by following the best practices for white hat SEO. This includes creating content relevant to your target audience, getting guest posts on authoritative websites in your industry, and using other legitimate link-building strategies.
They’re a Waste of Time
PBN backlinks violate Google’s Webmaster Quality Guidelines and can lead to harsh penalties. They also lack credibility, which is vital to SEO success. For these reasons, using PBN backlinks is a waste of time. If you’re tempted to try them out, be warned: Google may catch on at any time and penalize or deindex your website. If you’re looking for a safe, long-term way to improve your search engine rankings, avoid PBN backlinks and use white hat link-building strategies like guest blogging, broken link building, and other outreach efforts. These methods take longer to implement, but they’re the best way to build high-quality links to boost your search engine ranking over the long term.
They’re not Sustainable
PBN backlinks can greatly impact your search engine rankings, but they can also damage them. If Google catches on to the fact that you’re using a network of low-quality websites to manipulate its algorithms, it can penalize your website and even deindex it. People who run PBNs typically build them out of expired domains with established authority. They then post low-quality content on these websites and include backlinks to their buyer’s sites. The problem with this tactic is that it’s both time-consuming and expensive. Instead of building a PBN, it’s best to use legitimate link outreach strategies that are more likely to yield long-term results. In addition to being less risky, these tactics are often cheaper and more effective. They also offer direct control over your link profile, often out of your hands with other black-hat SEO techniques. With a legitimate strategy, you can be confident that your links are safe and will benefit your website long-term.
They’re Risky
PBNs violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and come with some significant risks. If search engines catch on to the fact that you’re using them, they’ll penalize your website, potentially deindexing it from search results.
The most obvious risk is that your network will be discovered. While many PBN owners try to hide their networks from the public, this isn’t always possible. Search engines can see a lot about a site by looking at its domain, hosting, and internal linking. They could flag the site for a manual review if any of these are suspicious. The other risk is that your PBN links will be penalized. While some SEO experts believe PBNs can give you a temporary rankings boost, this is often short-lived and can lead to more severe penalties in the long run. Instead, it would help if you focused on more sustainable and ethical white hat link-building tactics like guest blogging. These can be more time-consuming, but they will provide lasting results.