Podcast Summary: Grumpy SEO Guy – Episode 139

Title: Why Are There No Good Examples of PBN Sites?
Date: February 4, 2026
Host: Grumpy SEO Guy

Episode Overview

This episode takes a no-nonsense look at a frequently asked question in the SEO community: Why are there no good public examples of PBN (Private Blog Network) sites? The Grumpy SEO Guy dismantles this topic with directness, drawing from his 14 years of experience and sharing practical, opinionated advice. The central argument is that sharing real PBN examples is both impractical and counterproductive, for beginners and professionals alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why No One Shares Good PBN Examples

[01:31–04:41]

• Copycat Problem:
  The host points out that if he published a successful PBN example, everyone would just copy the exact theme, layout, number of images, word counts, and even footer details:

  "You don't want websites that all look exactly the same... That's a bad plan." (A, 01:53)

  • This would create uniformity across sites, an obvious footprint for Google or competitors to exploit.

• Security and Longevity Threats:
  Revealing PBN examples would endanger both the owner and anyone trying to use that domain in the future:

  "If I were to share a site... [it] would become known on the Internet as a PBN site. And then I could never do anything with that domain again, and neither could anyone else." (A, 03:00)

  The host highlights concerns that publicizing a PBN invites sabotage or malicious linking from others.

2. The Myth of the “Ideal” PBN Site

[04:41–06:57]

• Stop Overthinking Design:
  Listeners often obsess over specifics—what theme to use, how many words per post, excerpts vs. full posts, etc.—but the host says this is the wrong approach:

  "The more important thing is that it doesn’t matter... Just build a website. What do I generally say, right? I say, build a normal website." (A, 04:46)

• Diversity is Key:
  Rather than uniformity, the host stresses the importance of natural variation across your sites:

  "It’s not gonna matter if some of them show the full post and others show the excerpt, because you have a variation, and that’s good." (A, 05:24)

  • He gives examples of clients who succeed by making each PBN site look different, with varying numbers of posts and unique designs.

• Avoid Spammy Tactics:
  The only "wrong" way is to use spammy link placements (blogroll, footer, or non-contextual links).

3. Terminology: PBN vs. PBP

[03:23–03:53]

• The host prefers the term "Private Blog Portfolio (PBP)" over "Private Blog Network (PBN)" to reflect best practice:

  "A portfolio is a bunch of websites that are not linked together. And network means a bunch of sites that are linked together. And you don't want to link your sites together in a pbn because that's a bad idea." (A, 03:33)

  • Linking all sites together creates a network footprint that's easy for Google to catch.

4. Guidance for Newcomers

[04:42–04:46; 05:44–06:57]

• Answers to common technical questions about PBN setup can be found in earlier episodes.
• The key takeaway: build normal-looking, diverse sites—don’t obsess over mimicking a formula.

5. Community Success Stories

[05:35–05:53]

• The host shares brief accounts of clients who have followed his advice, creating diverse, effective PBNs after Zoom advisory calls.

Memorable Quotes

• On the futility of public PBN examples:

  "I'm not going to share an actual PBN site. Then you know who some of our clients are. That’s not good for anybody, okay?" (A, 02:24)

• On what a “normal” site looks like:

  "Go online and look at websites. That’s what a normal website looks like. I don’t know what else to tell you." (A, 04:58)

• On variation and naturalness:

  "Stop trying to make them all the same. Because as long as you have a blog and it has authority and you're linking to another website, you're doing it correctly." (A, 05:43)

Important Timestamps

• 00:38: Introduces central question—why no good PBN examples are shared
• 01:31: Begins explanation, outlining risks of copying and publicizing PBNs
• 03:23: Advocates for "Portfolio" over "Network" terminology
• 04:46: Advises listeners to stop overthinking the technical details
• 05:24: Explains why natural variation is essential; shares success stories
• 06:57: Wrap-up; invites listener questions

Conclusion

The Grumpy SEO Guy underscores that safe, effective PBN/PBP use relies on uniqueness and normalcy—not secret formulae or templates. Publicly showcasing “good PBNs” is a lose-lose for both sharer and would-be copier. The real solution is to treat each site as unique and strive for diversity across your portfolio. If you think you’re overcomplicating it, you probably are.