PBN - Footprint checklist

[boombaby7]

Here are some tips for some noobs on how to hide some common footprints I see many people makes when creating pbn's. Some of you may disagree, but PBN's aren't dead. And if you were hit by google here are some steps you can take to move forward. I may have a very small pbn network, but all mine are still indexed.

1. Unique Whois data for every pbn. If you want to be extra safe provide a real address. There is GoogleMaps, I honestly believe a fake addresses could be a red flag to google.

2. Diversify your Whois data. Make sure not all the pbn links going to your money site have Whois privacy. This is again is a red flag and footprint. According to Lynn from NoHatDigital only 20% of websites have Whois data blocked.

3. Don't buy cheap hosts or use seohosting, I would also stay away from reseller accounts. Godaddy has a promotion where you can get cheap hosting for $12 also a free domain. I don't remember the exact coupon but do some google searching and you will find it. Host gator has decently cheap hosting as well. STAY away from those sketchy $1 per month hosts.

4. Use different domain name registrars. godaddy, name cheap, name silo, networksolutions (cringe).

5. Be EXTRA careful when it comes to external/outbound links. Make sure not of your pbn's have the EXACT same out bound links and none of them overlap. This again is a huge footprint, and I believe this is the number 1 indicator for googles algorithm flagging a pbn site. I would stick to one link from pbn to money sites. Why risk losing your pbn that you put tons of time and handwork over just because you left a stupid link footprint.

6. Obviously make the site look like a real one. Vary the link placements on your pbn (all your links can't be one the first post closest too the top) cmon son, that SCREAMS pbn. Also be cautious of over optimized anchor text.

7. Mix up post word account, 450, 750 , 1000. Differ the number of pages each website has.

8. If you are using wordpress for your pbn, add some social media plugins to your website. Twitter streams, social share buttons, facebook integration. These are some quick tips that don't take a lot of time for you to implement. Plus is makes your site look more real.

9. Unique content. Obviously.

10. Don't use Google Web Master Tools or Google Analytics. If you must use these tools, make sure you have separate accounts. Never have two sites linked together.

11. Use this information or don't and Get Rekt by google.

 

[Etranger]

Great list.

One thing to add, I think: You need to keep your competitors from finding your pbn. Ranga's thread covers it pretty well, but I can't post links yet. Search for "How to hide your Private Blog Network (PBN)"

 

[boombaby7]

Great list.

One thing to add, I think: You need to keep your competitors from finding your pbn. Ranga's thread covers it pretty well, but I can't post links yet. Search for "How to hide your Private Blog Network (PBN)"

I would only advise if you do it by editing your .htaccess file.

Do not block back link checkers by using robots.txt for every pbn site you have, once again, that is a big footprint.

 

[sweetdude]

Hi Guys,

With so many guides to make PBN networks, which one would you recommend now?

Thanks,

Ram.

 

[FutureProofSeo]

Hi Guys,

With so many guides to make PBN networks, which one would you recommend now?

Thanks,

Ram.

Who do you think reads the guides?

The best thing to do is use your own brain, imagine you were a search engine, and imagine how you would go about calculating if a group of sites were affiliated.

Then do the exact opposite of these "tells", and rain supreme!

 

[Nino2011]

I was just reading on spencer's (niche pursuits) how his pbn's got hit and most of his websites lost 90% of the traffic... He also talked about other renowned people getting hit...

So that made me wonder: is google cracking down only the big pbners? I mean Spencer at least, was sharing his success, offering it as a service, building a domain marketplace for pbns... that surely caught google's eye.

The way i see it, a small, real pbn can't be hit because there wouldn't any patterns, and the websites wouldn't have anyhing in common.

 

[sweetdude]

Who do you think reads the guides?

The best thing to do is use your own brain, imagine you were a search engine, and imagine how you would go about calculating if a group of sites were affiliated.

Then do the exact opposite of these "tells", and rain supreme!

haha so true! I'm going to let the dust settle and then look into making PBNs

 

[intruder2600]

If you're using your small network to link 1, 2, 3 same sites - there's nothing easier to detect such network. I mean:

Sites: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Each one is linking to: A, B, C and nothing else

It doesn't matter how good your content is etc - A,B,C links are footprints.

 

[alexbeckonizer]

The list is good and the thread is helpful, just that its public, and if anyone can go through it, why can't the ones they are aimed at?

 

[bartosimpsonio]

11) Don't ever use a web browser made by a search engine that you want to rank on

12) Don't ever use an email provider provided by a search engine

13) Don't ever log into any service that has your id

14) Don't ever get your reports from cloud docs provided by the people that'll ban you

15) Don't ever buy links and/or services from anyone using free email providers

16) Don't ever join any webmaster panel from a search engine

These are the biggest footprints these days. People build 200 site PBN's and then proceed to save a list of them all on their email accounts and cloud document accouts, it's like generalized retardation has hit SEO's.

 

[boombaby7]

11) Don't ever use a web browser made by a search engine that you want to rank on

12) Don't ever use an email provider provided by a search engine

13) Don't ever log into any service that has your id

14) Don't ever get your reports from cloud docs provided by the people that'll ban you

15) Don't ever buy links and/or services from anyone using free email providers

16) Don't ever join any webmaster panel from a search engine

These are the biggest footprints these days. People build 200 site PBN's and then proceed to save a list of them all on their email accounts and cloud document accouts, it's like generalized retardation has hit SEO's.

I added google web master tools to the list. I am not positive about using gmail though. I feel like it would be against the law for them to go through your emails. But yeah, it is best to be safe and just stay away from google products.

 

[praetserge]

The main thing is that you have to make all your blogs like real blogs and websites.
I used to have 4 real websites and 3 of them were linking to my main websites, all 4 websites were in GWT and none of them got hit with anything because they were real websites and I linked them to cross-sell which is a natural thing to do.

 

[grahamg]

So vary posts, add authority links, leave some blank and put some other auth sites in your niche in the PBN, then if you gt a manual review, it does not look as though you are the main benefit of the PBN.

If you're using your small network to link 1, 2, 3 same sites - there's nothing easier to detect such network. I mean:

Sites: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Each one is linking to: A, B, C and nothing else

It doesn't matter how good your content is etc - A,B,C links are footprints.

 

[sarav]

I added google web master tools to the list. I am not positive about using gmail though. I feel like it would be against the law for them to go through your emails. But yeah, it is best to be safe and just stay away from google products.

Law? Do you really think google do not parse the emails. Several times G-Mail information gone public in the past. And you create a new page and add the url in mail and send it to gmail. I am pretty sure in few minutes you can see Google Bot in your logs.

Don't overlook google, they are the largest SPYWARE known to the humankind.

 

[Chunkz]

Thanks for this! Just what I was looking for.

Some crispy nuggets in here!

 

[innosoft]

after a long time gotta see some worthy info!! Kudos!

 

[Paulie W]

Nice points! Basicly it all comes down to:

1.) use your brain!

2.) Randomize things

Then you should be safe.

 

[stugz]

Google hosted JQuery. Using Wordpress for all your sites is a massive footprint. Not all sites on the Internet use Wordpress.

As for being illegal for Google to view your gmail account - ha! Google provides you with a free account so they can do what they like and they do as they mention in the terms of service where they explicitly say they scan all incoming and outgoing emails.

 

[Nerevar]

Google provides you with a free account so they can do what they like

No, they can't. You don't forfeit all your privacy rights just because you use a free product.

and they do as they mention in the terms of service where they explicitly say they scan all incoming and outgoing emails.

Scan =! read. They analyze emails for contextual ads.

 

[bignose]

tldr: Randomize! Randomize!