Getting quality backlinks is challenging. It requires a lot of time and energy to build relationships with other websites, create great content and promote it. It can also be expensive to pay for links from reputable sources. Many SEOs are tempted to shortcut this process by using PBN links. However, this can be a risky strategy that may ultimately damage your website’s credibility and hurt your search engine rankings. Read on to learn why it’s better to avoid PBN links.

What are PBN Links?

SEO PBN links are a group of sites that are owned by the same person or company. They are often built by purchasing expired domains and then linking them together. While this is illegal and can get you penalized by Google, some users still do it because they believe that it will give them a short-term boost in their rankings. In the past, these tactics could work because Google relied on the number of links in a website’s link profile as a proxy for its authority. However, as search engines have become more sophisticated, they are able to identify patterns that suggest a site is being artificially promoted. This has led to a decline in the effectiveness of PBNs.

While some SEOs still use them, most professionals today don’t rely on PBNs to rank their clients’ websites. This isn’t because we’re all ethical purists who follow the rules to the letter, but because these types of tactics are not scalable in the long run. Furthermore, when a Google penalty hits a site that uses PBNs, it can be devastating and take months or even years to recover from.

Moreover, even if you don’t end up receiving a penalty from Google, PBN links aren’t worth the money or time. They often result in a temporary boost in rankings that will quickly disappear, and they can have negative effects on your reputation and brand trust. In addition, they can be expensive to maintain and can quickly drain your resources if you’re at the mercy of a PBN seller’s never-ending hamster wheel. Instead, focus on building your organic presence through content marketing and other white hat methods that will yield lasting results. In the long run, these strategies will provide a better return on investment and ensure that your website continues to be relevant and authoritative in the eyes of search engines. This is why it’s so important to do your research and weigh the risks vs. benefits before committing to any type of link-building strategy.