Private backlink network is a black-hat SEO method. Meaning, Google forbids creating links using this method. If you are curious how to create a PBN, you will find a detailed guide for your knowledge.
Warning! Search engines like Google do not want you to artificially build backlinks. This article is for information purpose only. Also, this article was written many years ago. Smart SEOs have moved on and focus on white hat SEO. Avoid this black hat SEO method. You will eventually get caught and have your website penalized. In September 2014, Google targeted private blog networks (PBNs) with manual action ranking penalties to discourage SEO and online marketers from using PBNs to manipulate their search rankings. PBNs have a history of being targeted by Google. (Source: Wikipedia)
SEO, or search engine optimization. You cannot appear at the top in Google & other search engines such as Bing if you do not actively boost your SEO rankings. SEO primarily involves a two-pronged strategy: On-Page SEO & Off-Page SEO.
For on-Page SEO, make your website have all the bells and whistles such as right keyword phrases, headings, images, HTML codes, complex meta data, etc. You will also have to make your website load fast (website caching and optimized site coding).
After optimizing your website, you have to work on the off-page SEO, which requires far more effort. Backlinks, or simply links, from other websites are the most important part of SEO. Backlinks are like votes that pass on the credibility and authority factor of the linking website to your website (that is linked). These links help Google decide which site is the best among the plethora of websites. The more quality backlinks your site has, the higher the rankings.
Let’s take about a strategy used by many successful businesses and SEO experts.
Black-Hat SEO: Private Blog Network (PBN)
A private blog/backlink network (PBN ) is a set of websites and domains developed specifically for adding SEO backlinks to business website(s).
A PBN can have free blogs and webpages such as wordpress.com, tumbr.com or livejournal.com, but these do not have as much power as self-hosted websites. Free blogs basically offer you sub-domains open for everyone, which dilutes their SEO power.
For all practical purposes, a PBN is self-hosted websites & domains that are maintained with all the necessary SEO factors without leaving any footprint and kept under the wraps of secrecy. It is really important that a PBN is not publicly identified. Remember, Google doesn’t want people to create backlinks artificially. (You have been warned!)
With Google rolling out constant changes to its algorithm, you need a reliable way to build authoritative links to your website. Cheap, bulk link building does not work anymore. Instead, you need to control exactly where your links appear and what anchor text are being used.
With Google cracking down on different SEO practices, one of the black-hat (or grey-hat) SEO methods to ensure money-making business website reaches Page #1 in Google is to create an own exclusive, private network of high-authority websites used strictly for linking to your website only. This strategy has helped many websites rank in Google and generate new business.
Caution! Private backlink networks should never be publicly available.
Many done-for-you PBN service providers charge a monthly fee of $150/250/$$$ for adding links to your websites via articles published on their network websites. These networks are not private in true sense, rather these are public. Using such PBNs have resulted in penalties for lots of businesses.
How to Build a PBN (Private Blog Network)?
Here’s how people create a PBN for passing on SEO power to their websites and rank in Google.
1. Register good domains with right SEO power
The first step is to find and register domains with good Domain Authority, which is a prediction of domains ability to rank in search engines. You can check Domain Authority here: https://moz.com/researchtools/ose/
Finding the right expired domain or even a new domain is tricky. You need to scour through thousands of expired domains to find the right one. Once you find the domains, make sure to register them in a staggered manner. Try ExpiredDomains.net.
A few things to check when picking expired domains:
- Number of backlinks
- Number of linking domains
- Number of linking IP addresses
- Link location, anchor text & title tag of the links
- Is the link from an image or comment?
- Are the links do-follow or no-follow?
2. Get different hosting for each domain
It is important that your PBN websites are spread across different webservers to make the links look natural.
Google tracks the IP addresses of websites linking to any website. If all links are from same set of IP address, it will become suspicious and impose penalty on your business site. So, you need all your PBN domains to be hosted on servers with different C-Class IP addresses. What does that mean? IP addresses have 4 “blocks” – A, B, C, and D – AAA.BBB.CCC.DDD
Your webserver IP address can have the same number for the first two blocks, but if it is the same in the third C-Class, it shows your sites are hosted at the same place. You want your PBN domains to have different numbers for the “CCC” set of the IP address.
3. Develop authority sites on each domain
Google hates poor, spammy websites. You should not try to irk Google and be subjected to its wrath. If you are really keen on creating a PBN, make sure that your websites are useful to end-users. You should also use different website platforms to build websites that look natural & real.
The PBN sites need to have:
- Multiple web servers
- Different website platforms
- Unique website design & logo
- Original, quality content
- Fresh content added regularly
Your PBN is ready. Get the PBN sites indexed in Google so that the links to your business site get counted. Your money site should start ranking soon.