Member Avatar for AndersLarsson

Hi everyone. I'm checking with you guys if you have any experience with this. So what I'm doing is deeper research on PBNs, and I would really love to get a picture of what it takes to successfully run a PBN and stay under the radar.

Are you running a PBN, and how difficult is it? What do you think about the risks?

Have you bought links from a PBN and how did it go? What is your backup plan if G deindexes the PBN?

So I just released a video about why I believe this is a very risky strategy. In this video, I talk about my experience investing over $1000 on Fiverr testing random traffic gigs with 1-3 Tier Networks and other traffic gigs. It was a long time ago, but it ended up being a complete failure when it came to ranking on Google or making money online.

I also talked about something I thought was suspicious when I checked a thread at a forum market place (not this forum). I need to know if this is common practice or if I just imagine it.

Then I talk about people that have been unsuccessful for a long time, and I shed light on the reason why that is. I talk about how I changed my strategy to something that makes sense. It is just disappointing that I didn't do this 10 years ago.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to my video, so I'll refrain from doing that, but it would help explain what I mean. Let me know if I can add it. Thank you.

  • 5 Contributors
  • 7 Replies
  • 106 Views
  • 1 Day Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by SoftBa

Dani AI

Generated

A concise, risk-focused addendum that builds on points from , , , and .

Short verdict: PBNs are a high-risk, short-term tactic best reserved for throwaway experiments. They violate Google guidance on link schemes and can cause manual actions or long-term loss of value for any site treated as a core business or brand (see ).

Practical due diligence when evaluating a PBN seller:

  • Verify domain history with the Wayback Machine and search-engine index checks (site:domain). Look for prior content, previous use as a link farm, or sharp shifts in topic.
  • Inspect backlink quality and anchor-text diversity via a reliable backlink tool. High-volume low-quality referring domains or identical anchors are red flags.
  • Confirm permanence and placement: ask whether links are editorial content, in-line contextual links, and whether the seller offers removals/refunds if the domain is penalized.
  • Check footprints: common themes, identical templates, shared hosting patterns, or repeated outbound link lists suggest networked control.
  • Treat traffic claims skeptically; ask for independent analytics or screenshots over multiple dates.

Contingency and monitoring:

  • Maintain a ledger of purchased links with timestamps and page snapshots. Monitor rankings and index status weekly.
  • If unnatural-link manual action occurs, pursue removals where possible, prepare documentation, use the disavow tool for links that cannot be removed, and submit a reconsideration if required.
  • Never rely on PBN links as the primary growth channel. A diversified profile cushions impact.

Safer alternatives and experiment guidance:

  • Earned links (outreach, guest posts on reputable sites, digital PR, resource link building) scale with far less long-term risk.
  • For tests, use disposable test sites and cap spend. Any PBN-driven gains should be treated as ephemeral; reinvest in sustainable link acquisition if results justify it.

This synthesis emphasizes risk management over tactics and ties back to community concerns about long-term site health.

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

Member Avatar for rproffitt

Thanks for putting your YouTube channel in your profile.

I have to ask: Why would we want to stay under the radar?
Is there something shady going on with PBNs?

commented: What I mean by staying under the radar is doing things that will be detected by the Algorithm as a manipulation of ranking a website. +0
Member Avatar for Dani

I haven’t watched your video (yet), but my first instinct is to recall there was the big announcement a couple of years ago that Google was going to go hard against PBNs. I don’t remember if it was just deindexing, or a Penguin penalty. Either way, personally it’s not something I would risk doing with any site or content that I genuinely care about in the long term.

I think it’s one of those things that might work great temporarily, but once a domain is on Google’s radar, it would be very, very difficult to ever do anything with that domain, or its content, ever again.

Edited by Dani
Member Avatar for Dani

On that note, let me ask you a question: Do you have any experience using PBNs for SEO clients or established brands you care about preserving in the long term?

Apologies if you answer this in the video.

Member Avatar for rproffitt

Thank you Dani for all this and more. Black Hat SEO is what I'm reading and how Google has a tripwire that if they are found out then it's game over.
-> Seems like it's time to forget that and find ways to get your SEO game on "inside the rules."

Member Avatar for Adeel_10

Do you think that PBN work now a days, I think Google easily detect the backlinks profile if it's a PBN network then You get a Penalty ....

Member Avatar for Dani

No, I don’t think PBNs easily work nowadays.

Member Avatar for SoftBa

Google doesn't like it. I prefer buying a domain with a good backlink profile and DA rather than going with PBN.
Personally, I never tried PBN. I did however do 301 redirecting from a good domain to a new one multiple times and I have good experience with it.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.