Why Even Unique Content Public Blog Networks Don't Work...

17 replies
  • SEO
  • |
Since the big deindexing of public blog networks by Google in 2012, I saw a lot of networks disappear. Some stayed around but are now primarily used for tier2/tier3 links and others switched their approach to try and improve the quality of their service and hopefully decrease deindexing.

The networks that switched their approach and are trying to make themselves higher quality tend to only accept unique content now. I think it was a valiant effort to try and keep public blog networks alive, but the main issue with these networks is that the domains/blogs themselves that are being added by the users just aren't worth the time to get a link from.

Even if you only allow unique content on a public blog network, you still have 99% of the users registering PR3 or PR4 expired domains that are going to drop to PR1 or PR0 on the next update. Almost NOBODY using these networks is adding worthwhile domains to them. They are all domains with poor link profiles and eventually, they lose their PR and thus lose their value to the owner, and at that time they drop the domain and remove it from the network. When this happens, everyone who wrote unique content and got a link from that site in the network loses their link.

I would imagine 95% of the domains in these public blog networks eventually lose their PR and get dropped by the owner. So almost EVERY link you build will at some point no longer be around. Public blog networks are really only useful for short-term benefit, even if it's a unique content network.

This doesn't apply to private blog networks that are owned and maintained by a trustful company or individual. Private networks can be kept to a high standard, the PR can be maintained, and the owners will often improve the domains and make them more valuable. But none of this applies with public networks.
#blog #content #networks #public #unique #work
  • Profile picture of the author nik0
    Banned
    Pretty much to the point, most just submit deleted domains with a faked PR or domains that are dropped like ages ago (Hayden's method).

    The price of content can better be saved up to buy your own domains.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8783586].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Originally Posted by nik0 View Post

      Pretty much to the point, most just submit deleted domains with a faked PR or domains that are dropped like ages ago (Hayden's method).
      As long as domains are reindexed and still have the links those domains (I call them old link domains) are even stronger than recently expired auction domains. If they have held the links that long then they are going to retain them for some time to come.

      Personally I think the way to go for public networks is stop buying very strong ones and then putting ton loads of unrelated links. Get weaker domains for cheaper and lower the links on them.

      This is part of the problem with the public network sites that do invest in good domains. They are forced to put more links on them to make back the cash.

      Which would I rather have? a PR5 link on a page with 40+ other links for all kinds of niches or a PR3 links with a few links and all related? I 'd choose the PR3 EVERY time

      The juice can end up being the same because of lower OBL and the end result are sites that look more natural (thats why I disagree with people who say you need thousands to start a network and you need Pr4s and and up. If you are going to build a private one you can buy PR2s and weaker PR3s and put a few links on them and get more juice to your site than 50+ on a PR5 public network site)

      Of course would it sell?

      Probably not because you would have to educate a bunch of people who still believe search count is an indicator of competition that a PR3 link is better than a PR5. They can't conceive it because 5 is higher than three and they have no sense of OBL.

      We spend a lot of time accusing sellers but buyers to me are the real problem. If they didn't think so much crappy SEO they wouldn't buy it and sellers would have to sell something different.
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789675].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author nik0
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post

        As long as domains are reindexed and still have the links those domains (I call them old link domains) are even stronger than recently expired auction domains. If they have held the links that long then they are going to retain them for some time to come.

        Personally I think the way to go for public networks is stop buying very strong ones and then putting ton loads of unrelated links. Get weaker domains for cheaper and lower the links on them.

        This is part of the problem with the public network sites that do invest in good domains. They are forced to put more links on them to make back the cash.

        Which would I rather have? a PR5 link on a page with 40+ other links for all kinds of niches or a PR3 links with a few links and all related? I 'd choose the PR3 EVERY time

        The juice can end up being the same because of lower OBL and the end result are sites that look more natural (thats why I disagree with people who say you need thousands to start a network and you need Pr4s and and up. If you are going to build a private one you can buy PR2s and weaker PR3s and put a few links on them and get more juice to your site than 50+ on a PR5 public network site)

        Of course would it sell?

        Probably not because you would have to educate a bunch of people who still believe search count is an indicator of competition that a PR3 link is better than a PR5. They can't conceive it because 5 is higher than three and they have no sense of OBL.

        We spend a lot of time accusing sellers but buyers to me are the real problem. If they didn't think so much crappy SEO they wouldn't buy it and sellers would have to sell something different.
        I have to say that I was pretty disappointed with the links from domains that I found with Hayden's method so in theory it might make sense that the links are stronger as they exist longer but in practice it didn't seem to match up.

        Lately I did exactly that, I bought 160 deleted domains with decent mozrank stats and placed some PR5 links from a back end network to them to turn them into true PR3's and niched them up into 40 different niches.

        Now what you think clients say when they get a link on a domain with a toolbar PR of 1 or 2 and 3-5 posts on the domain? I can tell you it required quite some explaining, and now I see you pointed that out as well

        The biggest issue with mini niche networks as I like to call them is how are you going to make them all look real as an SEO provider when dealing with 100's of sites / niches, it's like an impossible job.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8790500].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
          Originally Posted by nik0 View Post

          I have to say that I was pretty disappointed with the links from domains that I found with Hayden's method so in theory it might make sense that the links are stronger as they exist longer but in practice it didn't seem to match up.
          You mean in your experience they do not match up. You keep mentioning Hayden's method but I don't use Hayden's method. I didn't like the way he finds the domains and came up with my own which is why I referred to it as old link domains.

          Theres no doubt whatsoever it works. You know why? Every day people buy recent expiring domains with old links in auctions. In fact many people buy domains through auction that meet an age requirement which means a lot of the links they are getting are old links just like with old link domains

          The big problem and where you end up having to bite the bullet on some domains is that since they are naturally not indexed you are going to get some domains that were in fact REALLY deindexed. You can't always tell if they were deindexed before they aged to the point where they would fall out naturally. Thats the price of using those domains. You set them up and and some never get included again.

          The biggest issue with mini niche networks as I like to call them is how are you going to make them all look real as an SEO provider when dealing with 100's of sites / niches, it's like an impossible job.
          Thats easy. Stay tuned. but yeah we agree. If you sell it to the PR bunch you will hear nothing but whining many of which believe PR is back because Google updated it ONCE in 10 months
          Signature

          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8791208].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Steve Waller
          Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post

          As long as domains are reindexed and still have the links those domains (I call them old link domains) are even stronger than recently expired auction domains. If they have held the links that long then they are going to retain them for some time to come.
          Originally Posted by nik0 View Post

          I have to say that I was pretty disappointed with the links from domains that I found with Hayden's method so in theory it might make sense that the links are stronger as they exist longer but in practice it didn't seem to match up.
          I use my own twist on Hayden's method and while the recently updated toolbar PR of my network sites does vary somewhat, I've picked up a few PR4s and quite a lot of PR3s for reg fee. Ok I've got some PR1s and even a few PR0s in there too but my investment for each domain is so low I accept those as part of the process.
          Signature


          Crawl Your Way To Cheaper Expired Domains - PM Me To Access My Personal Crawler/Scraper


          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8791219].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DBMEDIALLC
    I'm honestly surprised people continue to use public networks. It makes sense why BST threads (not Warrior specifically) have been overtaken by private network sales. Those are the only networks with value anymore as long as their owner takes good care of the network (easier said than done). I was scooping up closeout Godaddy domains with PR, and unless you are checking backlink profiles and doing extensive research, almost all of them drop to PR1/PR0 on the next update. I imagine no public blog network users are actually looking into the backlinks that are providing the PR and getting the good domains =/
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8784093].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Maguire
    I've been involved in this SEO game in one form or another for donkeys years. And it was only last year that I began having some free time to really get involved in public forums. But in my short time here one striking pattern keeps jumping out at me almost every day about Public blog networks, and almost all SEO services sold on forums in general.

    Out of the hundreds and hundreds of networks and services I have seen advertised by sellers, I can count on one hand the number of sellers who actually take part in the SEO section of the forums. Weird don't you think?

    The truth is, that most of these public blog network sellers are just product creators. They have no real knowledge of SEO at all, other then the tidbits of information they can troll from the SEO section. Which they string together as quickly as possible to feed the demanding market of wanting buyers of such services. In most cases the only time I see a seller show their face around this section for example is when they have just launched their latest SEO service, just to drum up some business.

    And 99% of those who do show their faces here to drum up that business, end up getting pwned by senior members here, as they spew out nonsense advice about SEO good practice.

    I confronted a perfect example 2 days ago, in a thread in this section where an SEO service seller was trying to convince the world that. No-follow helps you in SERP rankings, and https:// social pages where crawled and counted as links that would also improve SERPs. Then when looking at his WSO, he was selling Xrumer blasts as "Whitehat SEO"

    But the sad part about it all is that there's a fool born every minute to buy into a twist of words in a sales page. You would have to think the buyers of these services where either desperate to rank or just mentally challenged in some way. It feels like beating a dead horse most of the time trying to tell people "that shit won't last, and it's going to kill your site in the end".

    There is one thing I can take from all the madness though.

    Don't project your own IQ onto the other guy.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8785001].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DBMEDIALLC
    That's another good point. A lot of the public networks are used in services on forums and are an easy way to make cash, hustling a service that has little value for the webmasters paying for it. I think that plays a big role in it. It's just sad people are still buying it and not realizing its flaws. It's like the blog comment/xrumer spam blasts that people point to their money sites. People seem to just not think through their link building strategies. They see these networks bringing quick gains and they put all their eggs into it. Public networks just aren't something I see bringing value to my clients.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789307].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Some providers still buy good domains for their public network but frankly with the customers you get on forums its Russian roulette. Lets face it 90% of the people buying WSOs have crap websites. Crap websites are glaring footprints. No matter how well you build your networks sites if you are constantly linking out to sites that no one would link to its a dead giveaway what your are up to.

      Add that to the fact that at least half of the customers are trying some other junk like bookmarks, blog commenting and running auto software and you have a high possibility one of them is going to turn right around and send ALL their links (including your network sites) to Google to be disavowed.
      So then any day you wake up you could find 10-20 thousand dollars of your investment deindexed.

      Its time for a new link model and yes even a new network model.
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789643].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author timpears
    @Kevin Maguire, I love your bluntness. I want to ask you how should I rank my stuff as I am one of those suckers who believes the crap I read as I don't know any better. Can I intern for you?
    Signature

    Tim Pears

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789814].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Funny to see people switch gears & starting to be concerned about relevant niche/site links.

    I guess If people don't read things in a $7 WSO they're not believers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789886].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      Funny to see people switch gears & starting to be concerned about relevant niche/site links.

      I guess If people don't read things in a $7 WSO they're not believers.
      And who in this thread has switched gears?? this is a good discussion so far please don't wreck it with nonsense. Having network sites that fit around a theme has always been something advocated by most people because it makes the sites look more natural. Seeing as I am the only one in this thread that even used the word niche I'll point out that I have been telling people in my seo network course for years to build network sites that have content that fits together and thats all I meant.

      I am still certainly not buying that only certain niches can pass on juice to other sites of the same niche. The point was for security of the network site not any nonsense that Google discounts links that don't fit a defined niche or even catalogs niches site wide.
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789925].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author timpears
    I always wonder how much I can believe in those $7 reports. I seldom buy them any more though.
    Signature

    Tim Pears

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789900].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Originally Posted by timpears View Post

      I always wonder how much I can believe in those $7 reports. I seldom buy them any more though.
      I have bought about three info WSOs in the entire time I have been here and none in about two years. None were good. Only thing I will buy through a WSO nowadays is software.
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789946].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author timpears
        Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post

        I have bought about three info WSOs in the entire time I have been here and none in about two years. None were good. Only thing I will buy through a WSO nowadays is software.
        .
        Good, I a, coming out with a couple of software here shortly. I have to build the delivery platform for the one I have ready, and the other one should be out soon. I will need to start looking for reviewers pretty quick.

        But I am getting off the subject.
        Signature

        Tim Pears

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789971].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author seonutshell
    PUblic Blog networks still work. But depends how you go about doing it. Like how Amazon has IMDB that could be seen as a tier one link.

    Treat your network like your money site, and it will be a valuable asset to you.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8789936].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DizenSounds
    Good points in this thread all around. The problem with these networks you are talking about is that they allow public content. Public content that can be published on a network, private or public is a huge risk.

    There is very little editorial review of the content, if any at all. So you get low quality content on a ton of different topics. This makes an easy footprint as the unique content may be unique when its posted on the network sites. Then to keep costs low the people that use these networks will use the same content on networks that allow anything.

    This makes a very easy footprint to track down if/when the time comes. With Googles' crackdowns network owners need to wise up, but most are about the $$ at the end of the day and sell links till the networks get deindexed. They aren't in it for the long term value or to help their clients in anyway.

    The best networks are those that are referral networks, friends networks or your own networks. I have been apart of several networks that haven't had a site deindexed ever. But they don't play by the BST rules of selling out. That is what makes it tough for most people as they aren't able to find these networks easily and get burned by the latest and greatest sales thread.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8790463].message }}

Trending Topics