There is a lot of talk about private blog networks and whether they are an SEO goldmine or a high risk that should be avoided. After all, SEO is all about "quality content" these days right? Wrong.
I am here to tell you that private blog networks still produce amazing results when done correctly (emphasis on correctly). Do they work? If they didn't would Google continue to sniff them out and take action against them? A private blog network is a network of websites that are created to look like real sites, but they only exist to pass link juice around. This is a gray/back hat method used by more people than you think.
You see, the majority of people somehow don't understand what the true definition of "private" is. According to the dictionary, "private" is an adjective meaning, "belonging to or for the use of one particular person or group of people only." If you visit any of the SEO forums you will see everyone and their brother selling private blog network (PBN) links. Private? These are far from being private because they are selling to anyone willing to pay, therefore exposing their "network" and putting everyone at risk.
If you buy self-proclaimed private blog network links and got wacked, you can't say they don't work. What you can say though, is that PUBLIC blog networks don't work and they are high risk. Think about it for a moment – what is to prevent or stop a Google employee from ordering and either using the report these sellers provide or tools to discover the links and quickly crush any site linked. They could do this is a single afternoon if they were really bored and wanted to ruin some people's day.
You are wasting your time if you purchase PBN links that are really public blog network links. If you are serious about rankings, then you need to build your own networks and keep it truly private. Let's go over some simple steps to help you build a network of sites that you can use for your own personal SEO benefit.
Identify Quality DomainsThere is absolutely zero benefit of building a network of crappy sites. Google loves signals of trust from websites that they deem as high quality. While you always want to go after niche related domains, the truth is finding a large amount of high quality domains in a single niche is not realistic.
Ignore page rank. Too many people get suckered into chasing PR and they end up with domains that have zero backlinks and a high PR due to redirects. Remove page rank from your vocabulary when looking for domains. Look for domain names that are very broad, because you can always make them more niche-custom by alerting the title tags, meta descriptions and themes/logos.
You want to turn your focus to the link profile of any domain you are considering adding to your network. Spammy links and spammy anchor text should always be avoided. Look for domains that have high quality links from authority websites. If you see domains with 10k inbound links and Chinese anchors run far away and never look back. Avoid using these "bulk domain checking" tools – they aren't always accurate and if you are serious about building a solid network you will need to check them all manually.
Here are some of my favorite tools to use to dig deep into the link profiles and history of domains I come across:
Open Site Explorer
Many SEOs talk about Moz's Domain Authority (DA) like it is the second coming of Google's page rank. It can be a decent metric to analyze, but it can be inflated with pure spam. It is important that you don't just look at the DA and skip over actually combing through the link profile. Use common sense when checking a domain through OSE. If a domain has a DA of 15 but has a few high authority inbound links it can still be a very strong domain. With that being said, a domain with DA 50 that contains spammy links is completely worthless and would be toxic if you added it to your network.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs will typically give you the biggest link profile to dig through. Look for high quality links and kick that domain to the curb at the first sign of low quality links. You have to be very picky, because once you start to let one or two spammy links into your network of sites you essentially let your guard down and put everything at risk. Use Ahrefs to analyze the anchor text profile and ratio as well. Look for a lot of brand anchors and avoid anything with anchor heavy keywords that reek of spam.
Majestic
Last year everyone was on the Domain Authority bandwagon. Well, for 2015 get read to jump on the Trust Factor (TF) train. Majestic's TF metric is one of the hardest to unnaturally inflate, in my opinion. Will that always be the case? There is no way to tell, but for the time being it is very solid. As a rule of thumb I won't even consider a domain that isn't TF15 or higher. Again, there are so many different factors to consider – and Majestic is also another great tool to look into the link profile of a domain.
Way Back Machine
The last thing you want to do is add a domain to your network that was previously used in a network. Use Way Back Machine to check the website history as far back as it will let you. See what kind of site it was all the way from the beginning up until just before it was dropped. If you see any low quality content or spammy footer and sidebar links toss the domain into the reject pile. This can also give you a good idea about how to "rebuild" the site for your network.
What Are Clean/High Metric Domains Worth?Honestly, they are worth whatever you are willing to pay for them. There is no right or wrong answer here. It all comes down to the niche, the link profile, and good old fashion supply and demand. I have seen great domains ranging from the registration fee to a few hundred dollars. I would highly suggest you spend some time learning what to look for before you go on a domain shopping spree.
Locate Golden DomainsEverything we have talked about up to this point is useless if you don't know where to find good domains. I have three "go-to" sources when it comes to buying domains for a network. One requires a lot of time and effort, but the price is great. Another will typically have some really good offerings but the prices can skyrocket into bidding wars, resulting in overpaying for a domain. The last one is the ultimate lazy-person dream.
ExpiredDomains.net
I check ExpiredDomains.net multiple times a day and I like it because they offer a lot of filtering options. Remember, in order to really find great domains, you have to do a lot of manual work, so anything you can use to make that easier is welcomed. Their filter system will allow you to sort by PR, DA, TF, and domain character length, just to mention a few. There is also an option to eliminate fake PR, but don't rely on this alone as you MUST manually research any domain you are considering. Yes, it is a lot of work, but it is well worth it.
This is a great tool to get yourself familiar with if you are just getting started acquiring domains. These domains are available to register, costing you just the registration fee.
GoDaddy Auctions
GoDaddy auctions are my favorite source to find very strong niche related domains. Yes, you are going to pay a premium, but they can be a great source for some very healthy metrics. However, sometimes the bidding can get out of hand, and I have personally seen domains that were worth no more than $100 sell for thousands.
I will check the auctions on a regular basis and watch domains that I am interested in. I determine the max price I will pay for a particular domain and once it goes beyond that price, I take it off my radar. You have to be very disciplined when buying domains at auction. Don't let the bidding game or your emotions come into play. That is how unnecessary spending occurs.
SEMimpact
Searching through link profiles and analyzing metrics takes time and I value my time, so this is my third source for domains. SEMimpact is an affordable source of domains that have already been analyzed and vetted. You can secure domains that are niche specific and meet your required metrics at an affordable price.
There is nothing like the rush of uncovering an expired domain with a sweet link profile, but it takes a lot of digging to find the gold. This is great option for people looking to build up a large network fairly quickly and don't have the time or patience for the hunt.
Smart Registration RequiredIt would be extremely convenient to have all of your network domains in one registrar account, but that is a huge footprint you need to avoid. You might think it will be a pain to manage several different registrar accounts, but as long as you are organized it really isn't that much of an inconvenience. You want to build your network knowing that there is a very good chance Google will be looking at your websites. Non-existing footprint = less likely that your network will become discovered.
Create an excel spreadsheet to make your registrar management simple. I would suggest spreading your domains across as many registrars as possible. As your network grows you can continue to add to each, but always be on the lookout for new registrar options.
Multiple Hosts Are KeyDo not host all of your sites on the same server, the same host, and avoid anything that is labeled as "SEO hosting" if you want to avoid waving a major red flag that screams, "Hey, Google…over here! Please de-index all of my sites!" It amazes me how many people will spend time and money to build a private networks of sites only to try to save a few dollars on hosting. Then they get mad when their not so private network is discovered.
Use separate hosting accounts for each site, spread across as many hosting companies as you can find. This gives you major IP and server location diversity. Again, staying organized is key. Keep a spreadsheet that contains all of your login details to make your life easier. If you aren't willing to spend a few dollars per site to host your network then this isn't for you.
Be Smart When Building Your SitesWordPress is the easiest CMS out there, but you can't have all of your sites built using WordPress and you MUST use a different theme for every WP site in your network. Again, this helps to avoid leaving a footprint. WordPress can account for a large percentage of your sites, but also add in some HTML, Drupal, and Joomla sites for some diversity.
Make sure each website has an about page, functional contact page, custom logo, and detailed navigation. A terms of service and a privacy policy page is also a good idea. Limit each site to 2-3 links per homepage. If you have a sidebar or footer loaded with links (especially keyword heavy anchors) you will get nailed eventually. You want to also include some outbound links to authority sites to make it all look very natural (and real).
Feed Your Sites Regular ContentOne of the biggest mistakes I see people make is completely ignoring their sites once they build them and add their links. I'm not saying that you need to add new content daily, but you should be adding new content at least a couple of times every month. Some niches will require very frequent updates to keep them looking real.
Include images, video, and outbound links to niche related authority sites in your content. Never drop unrelated links in the content you add and never use cheap spun or outsourced low quality content. I've seen sites that got very lazy and started to update with spun content that was barely readable. That is a major red flag. Get yourself a quality writer if you value your network and want it to be around for a long time.
Build Links to Your Network (But Not From Your Network)Never interlink your sites. Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about link building. A real site is going to have inbound links on a semi-frequent basis. Not all sites are going to have them coming in rapidly, but a link here and there will help paint the picture of the site being real.
Build a few decent links to your network sites every month and make sure to share your new content over social media, but never from the same accounts. Hey, nobody ever said this would be easy, hence the reason why so many fail. Laziness will kill a private network faster than anything else!
There are no shortcuts when it comes to this. You are either in or out. When you are smart about it and do it right the results can be amazing. Also, remember to keep your sites truly private. Never rent out links or share them with anyone.
What are your thoughts about private blog networks? Let's hear them in the comments below.
Image Credits
Featured image: igor.stevanovic via ShutterstockAll screenshots taken December 2014
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