A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites built on expired domains, used to create backlinks pointing to a main website (the "money site"). The idea is simple: buy expired domains that already have authority, put content on them, then link back to the one you want to rank. Each domain in the network becomes a controlled source of link equity.
How PBNs work
Building a PBN starts with finding expired domains that have genuine backlink profiles and topical relevance. You buy the domain, host it on a unique IP (to avoid footprint detection), and publish content that's related to your money site's niche. Then you place a link in the content pointing to your target site. Multiply this across 10, 50, or 100 domains and you've built a network.
Google considers PBNs a link scheme and a violation of their guidelines. If detected, both the PBN sites and the money site can be penalized. That said, PBNs remain widely used in competitive niches. The key to avoiding detection is making each site look like a real, independent website with unique content and natural link patterns.
What makes a good PBN domain
Not every expired domain works for a PBN. The domain needs a clean backlink profile with real referring domains, not spammy links. Trust Flow should be higher than Citation Flow, which points to quality over quantity. And the language and topic should match your money site's niche. A domain that hosted a French cooking blog won't help an English fitness site.
CatchDoms helps you find PBN-worthy domains by showing Trust Flow, topical category (TTF), and age for every listing. Filter by category to find niche-relevant domains, and check the Wayback history to verify the site's content was legitimate before it expired.