What is a PBN and is it safe to use for SEO?

A PBN (Private Blog Network) is a network of websites built to pass backlinks to a “money site” in order to manipulate search rankings. While it can temporarily boost rankings, it’s a black-hat tactic explicitly against Google’s guidelines.

In 2025, with advanced link spam updates (e.g., Google’s SpamBrain AI), PBNs are detected faster than ever. Risks include manual penalties, loss of rankings, and even deindexing. If you’re managing a client site or a long-term business, PBNs are not worth the risk.

Safer alternatives:

1) Build topical authority with content clusters.

2) Leverage digital PR to earn links from real publishers.

3) Use resource link-building (e.g., industry guides, tools).

Example: instead of a PBN link, a mention in an industry news roundup (via HARO alternatives like Help a B2B Writer) brings authority, referral traffic, and EEAT value.

Rule of thumb:

If you wouldn’t proudly show the link to a client or Google employee, don’t build it.

Further Reading:

https://ahrefs.com/blog/pbn/

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies