In the SEO world, we can establish the saying that “sites of a private blog network flock together based on shared WHOIS information.” But if the PBN owner is clever, how can we spot a PBN site?
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How Can You Tell if a Site is a PBN?
Currently, the number of web pages live on the internet is around 50 billion, which is approximately 7 times the world’s population.
Among these, only the top 10 strongest pages typically appear on search engine result pages (SERPs).
A significant portion of these websites are part of private blog networks (PBNs), which are designed to manipulate search engine rankings for the benefit of a main money site—which could be an eCommerce store, brand website, or a monetized blog.
Understanding how to recognize PBN sites is crucial for both offensive and defensive SEO strategies.
What Are Private Blog Networks?
Simply put, PBNs are an evolved version of link farms, which were widely used in the early days of SEO.
The primary purpose of a PBN is to manipulate search rankings, which is why they are strictly prohibited under search engine guidelines.
These private blog sites are typically not intended to rank high on Google, but rather, they serve the sole purpose of linking to the money site to artificially boost its ranking.
PBNs are often built using expired domains, which retain their SEO metrics, including backlink authority and domain rating from their previous owners.
To make a PBN effective, webmasters purchase multiple expired domains and strategically link them together to create a false sense of authority.
Since PBNs essentially function as self-referencing networks, they are considered black-hat SEO tactics and violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
However, some webmasters have developed strategies to disguise PBNs and evade detection, making it essential to know how to spot these networks.
What Does a PBN Look Like?
Recognizing a Private Blog Network (PBN) site requires understanding its authority signals (e.g., Domain Authority, Page Authority) and backlink quality (e.g., Trust Flow, Citation Flow, Link Equity).
PBNs often have strong backlink profiles because they are built using expired domains with existing link juice from high-authority websites.
Despite Google cracking down on PBNs after the 2014 Penguin and Panda updates, webmasters continue to refine their techniques to avoid detection by algorithms like SpamBrain and AI-based link detection tools.
Here’s how to identify a PBN site:
1. Analyzing the Design
Legitimate websites prioritize user experience (UX) and professional design, ensuring a seamless, visually appealing layout.
PBN sites, on the other hand, often have:
- Poorly designed themes
- Minimal user engagement elements
- Outdated templates or default WordPress themes
- Limited or no interactive features
Since PBNs are not built for public engagement, their design often appears basic or outdated.
2. Checking WHOIS Information
To investigate whether a site is a PBN, you can use WHOIS lookup tools to check domain ownership details.
Indicators of a PBN include:
- Multiple domains registered under the same owner
- WHOIS privacy protection enabled on all sites
- Shared hosting IP addresses across multiple sites
PBN owners often host multiple domains on the same server, which is a red flag.
3. Evaluating Domain Rating
Domain Rating (DR), a metric by Ahrefs, measures a site’s authority based on backlinks.
A high DR does not always indicate an authoritative site, as PBNs artificially inflate this metric using spammy backlinks.
To verify a site’s authenticity, conduct a backlink audit and check for:
- Suspicious referring domains
- High DR with low organic traffic
- Unnatural anchor text patterns
4. Reviewing Organic Traffic History
PBN domains are often purchased after expiration and will show traffic gaps in their history.
Signs of a PBN:
- Long periods of zero traffic followed by sudden spikes
- Low traffic despite high DR or DA
- Traffic drop-offs after Google algorithm updates
Using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Analytics, you can identify unnatural traffic trends and spot PBNs.
5. Conducting Backlink Profiling
PBN sites often have manipulated backlink profiles, characterized by:
- A high number of 301 redirects
- Broken links (404 errors) from expired domains
- Irrelevant or foreign language backlinks
Using SEO tools, check for suspicious backlink patterns and redirect chains, which are strong indicators of a PBN.
How to Identify a PBN Site?
If you suspect a site is part of a PBN, use a combination of the above methods to verify its authenticity.
By analyzing design, WHOIS data, domain rating, traffic history, and backlink profiles, you can effectively identify PBN sites and avoid risky link-building strategies.
