Private Blog Networks, A No-No

Updated January 13, 2023

Google Smacks Down on PBNs

Some SEOs are reeling from the recent number of massive manual actions taken by Google against Private Blog Networks. In this post I’ll explain why these networks are deemed thin content spam and what it means for those who generate schemes to artificially bolster rankings.

What Are Private Blog Networks, Anyway?

Private blog networks (PBNs) are composed of numerous small websites that revolve around a larger one. Generally the small sites are focused around a specific niche that link up to a primary website. By having many smaller sites create backlinks, the larger website gains higher rankings. Until now.

These networks aren’t really private. Their reason for being: to create artificial links from thin or spammy content. In their heyday, this linking scheme fooled search algorithms into giving them higher SERP positions. The content and links were created solely to game search visibility rather than for the benefit of human searcher. At its core, PBNs don’t follow online marketing quality guidelines.

Penalties Galore

According to Search Engine Land, Google recently issued thousands of manual action. Notifications were sent to websites specifically participating in private blog networks. While there hasn’t been an official Google statement, Matt Cutts, head of Webspam, tweeted his opinion:

Blackhat SEO fads: like walking into a dark alley, packed with used car salesmen, who won’t show you their cars.

There’s no doubt as to what this Googler thinks of private blog networks.

Related to Panda

You’ve probably heard about Panda, Google’s response against paid links, unnatural linking profiles, duplicate or poor quality content. This latest round of manual penalties is a clear sign the Mountain View giant has had enough. I’m curious to see how many websites end up in “Google jail.”

Previously we’ve seen stats as high as 400,000 sites a month slapped with manual actions. For those who don’t understand the implications… it can mean going from page 1 on a SERP to page 50+. It’s a long and painful road to recovery to get back into Google’s good graces.

What do you think of this latest SEO news?