Private Blog Networks (PBNs), claim that they work because they create backlinks. This is true.
But what about their other claims?
While we know that backlinks can improve SEO and visibility in SERPs, do PBNs actually work?
If so, are they effective?
What do they actually work?
Let's find out.
What is a private blog network?
Private blog networks can be quite easy to understand.
Someone discovered how to create a large number of backlinks from websites with high domain authority at some point in the SEO era.
They bought expired domains with domain authority.
After acquiring a good portion of these domains they added basic content to each site and included a link to their primary website in every article.
Voila! Instantly, they generated a lot of backlinks to websites with high domain authority.
Private blog networks were created at that time.
PBNs can be thought of as a list of websites that, when paid, all give backlinks to your website.
It ends up looking like this.
All of these backlinks will benefit your website's SEO, domain authority, and rankings.
It sounds amazing, right?
Why would you not want to spend a little more to improve your rankings and drive passive traffic to your site?
This is the ultimate goal of many SEO professionals.
But not so fast.
We'll first discuss the benefits of PBNs to help you decide if you should use them. Next, we'll talk about why they can be a little risky.
You'll be better equipped to make informed decisions for yourself.
The Advantages of Private Blog Networks
Although you may have heard that PBNs can be a scam that will not help your SEO, this claim is only partially true.
PBNs have legitimate benefits.
But before I get much further, let me mention a quick disclaimer:
I have never used a PBN to build my website, and I wouldn't recommend it.
I'll explain the reasons later but I wanted to make it clear so that you all know my position.
Let's now discuss the reasons PBNs are attractive to many marketers.
Backlinks are, as I have already said, the key to success in private blog networks.
What exactly is a “backlink”?
A Backlink is a hyperlink which links from an external website to your website. These little beauties can greatly improve your SEO.
Search engines can see backlinks as a sign that the linking website is trustworthy enough to associate with your domain.
This means search engines will also trust your site.
It's almost the same as playing with cool kids at the playground.
If you hang out with cool kids, you are cool.
Search engines also look at the links between websites to determine which websites are trustworthy.
Link building is therefore the most important factor in determining a website's ranking.
These backlinks can be built so effectively by PBNs that one company noticed a improvement in its rankings after working together with a private network of blogs.
Can PBNs improve your SEO?
They can.
Many marketers have used them at one time or another. They are why they have lasted so long and it is the reason some SEO companies make a lot of money.
But what about the dark side?
All that goes up must also come down. Everything that seems too good to true must be true .
These are the cons to be aware.
The Cons of Private Blog Networks
PBNs sound amazing.
Until you learn about the potential dangers of using them.
They can help increase your SEO, generate passive traffic, and lead to your site.
But, if Google gets you, your entire marketing strategy could quickly turn into a disaster.
In case you were wondering, Google does indeed hate PBNs and actively penalizes people who use them.
But I can see the appeal.
I get it. SEO takes a while to begin affecting your rankings.
PBNs are a quick solution that many marketers find attractive. You can get quick rankings, brand awareness and hopefully revenue.
That's at least what the PBNs claim.
Is it worth it if the benefits can be lost in one moment of vulnerability?
Technically, PBNs don't constitute a blackhat strategy.
They aren't white hats either.
They are a hack. These are a quick-and-easy way to get rich. They come with serious risks, as do other similar strategies.
Google will punish your website if they find out. You'll lose any SEO ground.
But how do you go about it? Google can penalize websites using PBNs to improve their SEO.
How could they possibly know what you are doing?
Google becomes suspicious if you have backlinks to websites that are very inactive, with little updates and no internal linking.
PBN websites often have some of these specific qualities.
This makes it simple for search engines to find them.
If you do decide to use PBNs, you risk hurting your SEO.
There are legitimate pros, but they only exist in a cloud of search engine penalties.
PBNs can help you quickly build domain authority. Traditional strategies are more time-consuming, but they're not nearly as risky.
Here are five risk-free strategies that you can use to climb the ranks the right way.
1. Guest Blogging
Guest blogging allows you to add value to someone else's site while also getting backlinks.
This strategy can be win-win for both the website you write for as well as your website if you do it correctly.
SEO experts and SEO agencies both use guest blogging to build their links.
The same can be done with the other.
Find blogs in your industry, and send an email pitch to editors for an article. You can send them an email pitch and they will accept it.
Before you do, ask the editor about their policy regarding backlinks.
Although they might not ask you to include a link to your website in the article, they will allow you to put it in your bio.
You win a backlink and your audience gets valuable content.
You might be worried that editors will not respond to your email.
To help you get started, we have created this guide to guest blogging.
Don't give up if you don't receive a response.
You're certain to get a response if you pitch enough locations with quality ideas.
Give it time.
Keep this in mind. The 2,400 word ideal word count to rank articles is around.
Follow the guidelines for the blog that you are writing for. If you are unsure, write an article that ranks well on Google.
This will make it more likely that the website accepts your pitch, outline, or final draft.
2. Writing Testimonials
Guest blogging is a popular way to generate backlinks. However, it can be time-consuming.
Writing testimonials for other websites may be more appealing if you don't have one.
Even if you don't write guest blogs, testimonials that include a link to your website are a worthwhile strategy.
It is simple and powerful.
You only need to provide a testimonial on websites you have partnered with.
The majority of websites will then include a backlink to your URL.
Be sure to give your testimonial genuine value. Write something similar .
Oder, give them something similar.
Here's another example.
These two points should always be included in your testimonial.
- Give a number that demonstrates the success of your product or service, such as traffic or lead generation numbers, revenue figures, or the number opt-ins.
- Discuss one concern that you had about the service. The excellence of your experience quickly resolved it. For example, I thought the price was a bit high, but now I know that it was well worth every penny. “I would even pay more for this service, but they won't believe that I said so.
You'll soon be able to start writing testimonials for your partner in no time.
You can be sure that if you don't share content worth sharing, you will not get it shared.
When you create a blog post, a video, or an infographic, your goal is to attract attention to your brand.
You want to build brand awareness and drive traffic to your site.
Even better, you can even create social backlinks for your website.
You can't do this if your content isn't good.
You can make the content great if you don't mind creating it. Share-worthy content
But how can you do this?
You need to make people like your content.
People share information on social media and via email because they want their friends to be happy.
This may sound self-indulgent, but it is the human condition.
Ask yourself this question: Why do people share this information with their friends? It will make them appear smart, funny, kind, cool or wealthy.
You must target at least one of these motivations to get shares.
These are the main reasons people share content.
lists and infographics win when it comes down to what type of of content you should produce.
Spying on your competitors is another strategy that works. This allows you to see what's working best on social media. This is an easy way to do it:
Step 1: Go to Ubersuggest and type your keyword. Click “Search”
Step 2: Go to the Left Sidebar and click “Content Ideas”.
Step 3: Analyze The Results
You will end up with a long list top-performing content that is related to your keyword.
The top listing, “Marketing legend Seth Godin on Future Branded Content,” was shared nearly 100 times on Pinterest and 16,805 on Facebook. This gives you an indication that the content is worth sharing. You can now craft your content in the same way, with the aim of getting the same results.
No matter how you do it, make sure to share your content with others. You will generate more social backlinks, drive traffic and increase brand awareness.
It's your job to create the content. Do the best you can.
4. Use Social Media to Your Advantage
SEO plays a huge role in social signals.
Websites that are active on social media, update their information and share more content tend to rank higher than those that aren't.
This correlation is evident only on Facebook.
Why is this?
Google ranks websites with a active and current social media presence higher than those without it.
Search engines are interested in knowing if your website is relevant and active.
Google will rank you higher if you are generating lots of social signals and shares.
Your SEO can be improved by simply being active on social media. It's that easy.
The more you engage on social media, the better.
An experiment was conducted in 2016 to determine the effect that social media has on your website's search engine optimization.
One website that had increased social shares saw a 14.64% rise in rankings. Another website received a 6.9% boost in SEO.
If that is not enough to motivate you to keep active on social media, consider the extra traffic each post will drive to your site.
You will not only get social backlinks. You will also be able to generate traffic, leads and even conversions.
5. 5. Building loyalty among your audience
I'm so grateful that you have stayed with me all the way.
You might be wondering how building a loyal following can help with your SEO.
That's a great question.
The truth is that the answer is not as simple as you would like.
It exists.
Consider, for instance, the fact that active blogs attract 6.9x more organic search traffic.
Your SEO will be benefited by simply posting to your blog on a regular basis.
Your domain authority will rise if you have more visitors to your site and more users search for it.
Also, a loyal audience means a higher ranking.
This is good for your audience growth.
It's almost like a self-sustaining perpetual cycle.
A larger audience means better SEO. And a better SEO strategy will bring you a wider audience. A larger audience means better SEO. This is the main point.
Additionally, the larger your audience is, the more social shares you will generate on social media. This further aids your link building strategy.
You won't build your audience overnight, just as Rome wasn't built in one day.
It takes consistent, long-term content to build a loyal following.
There will be times of discouragement, and there will be times of tribulation.
Sometimes you may want to give in.
Keep in mind, however, that it is more costly to acquire new customers than to retain existing customers .
This means that all the effort you put into pleasing your existing audience will pay off in marketing to them.
You'll also get more attention from loyal customers than from new or fleeting customers.
Private Networks Frequently Asked Question
Is it possible to be punished for using a private blog network?
Yes, it is possible to be punished for this behavior.
What makes PBNs so bad?
Google considers them fraudulent.
How can I locate PBN sites?
You should look for sites that have high authority and link to websites you can purchase – however, this strategy is not advised.
Is PBN considered Black Hat SEO?
While they aren't black hat, they are penalized in Google.
Private Blog Networks Conclusion
Do you think private blogs networks should be used?
They can improve your SEO and can be done quickly, as I have already explained. However, if you continue to use them, you run a risk of ruining your website's SEO potential in one go.
Is it worth taking the chance?
I hope you will answer this question with a “no.”
SEO is good. SEO that is ruined by spammy tactics can be a problem.
It is better to increase your backlinks by guest blogging, writing reviews, creating share-worthy material, and leveraging your social media platforms.
Although it may seem like it takes a while to climb the ranks using these strategies, it's a worthwhile investment.
You can rest assured that no one will penalize you for using shady methods.
Private blogs networks aren’t black hat. They are not white hat.
They are a gray hat. This is a hat that you should not be willing to wear.
Are you adamant that private blogs networks are either a potential penalty or a great SEO trick?
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By: Neil Patel
Title: Private Blog Networks: A Penalty Waiting to Happen?
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/private-blog-networks/
Published Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2021 21:00:00 +0000