A private blog network, or PBN, is one of the most popular link-building tactics used to quickly upscale the search engine performance of a domain. It consists of a network of authoritative websites that are used to build backlinks for a central domain.
While PBNs can provide quick improvements in the SEO rankings of a domain, it is considered black hat SEO because it involves the use of expired domains to manipulate the algorithm.
PBNs also rely heavily on the use of expired domains and using creating sites at scale. Like any site, the sites on a PBN are vulnerable to hacks, so be sure to do your homework on how to start a private blog network.
While PBNs can be hacked, they typically offer no immediate financial value, making the sites unattractive to hackers. Nevertheless, most PBNs use the WordPress CMS, which invites bad actors as a result of its popularity.
And, there’s the off chance that competitors will try to undermine your PBN links in an effort to impact your rankings.
So, it’s a good idea to take precautions to keep your PBN safe, at least from low-effort attacks.
Safeguard Your PBN
There are a few ways you can help prevent and reduce the possibility of your PBN being hacked. Here are some simple guidelines to safeguard your PBN from hacks and malware:
Be Smart About The Plugins and Themes You Use
For starters, avoid any plugins that aren’t regularly being updated. There’s no way to ensure plugins are safe, but you should at least try to stick to plugins that are actively supported by the developers.
Also, it’s a good idea to only use the plugins you absolutely need. If there’s a plugin that you can live without, it’s often a good idea to remove it and forego some features than risk exposure to attacks.
And, don’t completely forget about your sites. Make it a habit to check in on your sites and see if your themes and plugins are up to date and still working as intended.
Use The Latest Version of Your CMS
Plugins and themes are one part of the problem. You should also make sure you’re always running the latest version of your CMS. If you’re like most people who own a PBN, that CMS is WordPress and it’s easily updated.
Scan Your Sites for Malware
It should go without saying that regularly scanning your PBN sites for malware ought to be a priority. It’s not a complicated process, but it’s a tedious one if you’re doing it manually so it’s easy to get lazy and stop doing it.
Work With a Competent PBN Hosting Provider
Most of the rote security tasks involved in keeping your PBN sites safe can be offloaded and automated to your hosting provider, as long as you choose the right service.
At Easy Blog Networks, we’ve dealt with a LOT of malware and we’ve built safeguards in place to ensure PBN sites hosted with always have their bases covered.
That includes automatically updating WordPress, plugins installed on your sites, and creating automatic backups. Additionally, we scan every file that’s uploaded to servers where we host sites. And we regularly scan sites for malware using our own malware database.
In Summary
When a PBN is carefully hosted and managed, it can be virtually undetectable and deliver some serious ranking power. But, it’s easy to get complacent and forget to regularly maintain your PBN sites, which can open them up to malware and hacks.
The easiest way to ensure that your sites are as protected as they can be is to rely on an experienced PBN hosting provider like us. We take care of all the grunt work, so you can confidently work on creating links and getting value out of your PBN.
Buy High-Quality Links
The best way to safeguard your PBN is to avoid buying cheap links from marketplace sellers or buying domains from different registers. Choose a reputable hosting service and use SEO to increase your footprint.
Cheap links should be avoided because they are predisposed to hacks and attacks. Also, for higher ranking, the quality of the domain score is what matters. The poor quantity offered by many marketplace sellers is the reason why so many people wonder if PBN links are worth buying. Buying cheap links or using SEO hosting services does increase the footprint your PBN leaves, increasing the chances of it being red-flagged by Google.t’s also important to understand how to find hidden PBN links.