Link building can be a tough game. You put in the work, but when those results don’t show up right away, it’s normal to feel a little frustrated. That’s when the idea hits: “What if I had my network of websites? I could just pop my links in whenever I need to!” It sounds like the perfect solution—a quick and easy way to boost your site’s authority and rank higher in search results.
But here’s the reality check: this strategy isn’t as new or foolproof as it seems. It’s known as building a PBN or a private blog network, which basically means creating or owning multiple websites just to link back to your main site.
Sounds clever? Maybe.
But it’s not exactly on Google’s list of approved tactics. In fact, using PBNs goes against Google’s guidelines, which can lead to penalties, tanking your site’s rankings instead of helping them.
While the idea of a network of websites sounds like a shortcut to better rankings, it’s important to play the long game and stick to Google-approved link-building practices that actually work for the long haul.
What is PBN?
A private blog network (PBN) is basically a bunch of websites built for one purpose—to provide backlinks to another site, hoping to give it a bump in Google’s search rankings. The main goal? To make search engines think the site is more authoritative than it really is.
SEOs set up PBNs by either creating new sites from scratch or snapping up older domains that already have some authority. From there, they start linking those sites back to the one they want to boost.
The idea behind using PBNs is all about “control.” Instead of waiting to earn natural backlinks, having a PBN means you get to decide where the links go, what anchor text to use, and which pages get the spotlight—all on your own schedule. It’s like having your own link-building machine at your disposal. Sounds like a dream, right?
Well, not quite.
This tactic is a clear violation of Google’s Webmaster Quality Guidelines. And breaking those rules can lead to some serious penalties that can drop your rankings like a rock.
But despite the risks, some folks still swear by PBNs. So, what’s the deal? Why do they keep popping up in SEO conversations?
Let’s dive in.
What are PBN Links?
PBN (Private Blog Network) backlinks come from a network of privately owned sites that are set up solely to link to another website, aiming to push its pages up the search rankings. These PBN sites aren’t built for content—they’re just there to pass on those juicy backlinks.
So, why do PBNs sometimes work? Well, Google’s algorithm looks at a site’s link profile to help decide its ranking. Ideally, quality content attracts a bunch of natural links, signaling that a page is valuable. But when you’re dropping links from your PBN to your main site, it’s not really about quality—it’s all about gaming the system.
That’s why search engines aren’t fans of PBNs. While they once were an easy shortcut to climb the rankings, Google’s gotten a lot better at spotting these networks and penalizing those who use them.
How are PBNs Generally Built?
Backlinks from authoritative sites pack a punch, but building those sites can be both pricey and time-consuming. So, PBN owners take some shortcuts to get the job done.
One common trick is using expired domains that already have some built-in authority from the previous owner’s backlinks. They then add new content to these domains, sneaking in links to the main site within the articles.
Quality content can be costly, but PBN operators often cut corners by using cheap, low-quality articles, or even AI-generated content to fill up their sites.
To keep things under the radar, they’ll also try to cover their tracks. This includes using various hosting providers, mixing in unrelated content without any backlinks, and picking different themes to make the sites look unrelated.