PBN-friendly countries for foreign promotion: specifics and opportunities

In some regions of Eastern Europe and Asia, the Balkans, and parts of Africa, the number of local websites is 5–7 times lower than in developed EU or US markets. Search competition is minimal, and most sites lack even basic SEO. Yet there are millions of internet users. This creates a vacuum that PBNs can fill — with lower risk, no need for massive budgets or tricks like cloaking and Cloudflare, and a significantly higher ROI.

The global state of PBNs on the international market

Scandinavian countries, the Balkans, or Central Europe objectively have fewer relevant platforms for link placement than the US, UK, or India. That’s why building your own networks here can be advantageous. But why is launching a PBN in these GEOs easier and safer?

Although Google officially applies the same algorithms globally, in practice, its behavior can vary across regions. This isn’t a contradiction — it’s a function of how the system is architected and what it prioritizes. That’s why in “simpler” GEOs like Armenia or the Philippines, the algorithms seem less aggressive or slower. For example, in countries with fewer websites and less SERP competition, Google simply has less data to detect patterns, manipulations, and so on. The algorithms are the same, but the triggers are fewer.

Also, in many countries, duplicated content, poorly translated pages, or footer links are seen as normal. That’s because Google adjusts the “suspicion threshold” to fit the market, avoiding mass penalties. What might get you banned instantly in Germany could pass as normal in Armenia.
So, which GEOs should you consider for your projects?

Friendly countries (high efficiency, low competition)

Armenia / Georgia

• Few local websites, SERP competition is minimal.
• Low-frequency queries are easy to rank with just a few quality links.
• PBN works well even without complex infrastructure masking.
• Successful niche — tourism, real estate, online services.
• The .am or .ge domain is not yet oversaturated.

Local TLDs (like .kg, .ge, .am) don’t show up on major drop services.Check local registries and forums — you can find trusted domains with no competition.Or even easier — use the Links-Steam database.

Vietnam

• A high share of mobile traffic, local content is poorly optimized (you’ll need to create it from scratch).
• Cheap expired domains are available in the local zone.
• Google is “more tolerant” of PBNs if basic safety rules are followed.
• Niches: mobile apps and online services, EdTech, e-commerce (especially local brands).

Work on the visibility of local online media: logo, mentions on Twitter or Facebook, integration with Google News. This increases the site’s authority for crawlers.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Search results are often filled with outdated or government resources.
• Small market, but SEO is still emerging.
• Challenge: language (Serbo-Croatian).
• Niches: medical services, local business (cleaning, repair, salons), local online services.

Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Albania

• There’s an information gap: large niches have no search leaders.
• PBN networks of 3–5 sites can cover entire categories.
• Low competition allows for simpler content and structure.
• Challenge: poor infrastructure, local hosting is not always stable.
• Niches: agribusiness, logistics, delivery, education and financial services.

Philippines

• The market is growing fast, with a large English-speaking audience, but SEO is still unstructured.
• It’s easy to find expired domains with a good profile.
• Local content is often duplicated or outdated, creating “windows” for new resources.
• Niches: online education, delivery, e-commerce.

Indonesia

• One of the largest internet markets in Southeast Asia, but content and site quality remain low in many niches.
• PBNs can quickly establish dominance in regional SERPs.
• Requires adaptation to local language, but infrastructure demands are moderate.
• High user mobility — content must be fast and adaptive.
• Niches: FinTech, local products and brands, education and tourism.

Nigeria, Kenya

• High demand for information, shortage of local content.
• A PBN can become one of the few sources of quality backlinks in the region.
• Technically weak competition — the key is to follow native style and local formats.
• Many English-speaking users — even English-language PBNs can be used for local niches.
• Niches: medicine/pharma, business education, IT courses, online platforms.

Colombia, Peru

• SEO is not as developed as in Brazil or Mexico.
• It’s easy to reach the top for mid-frequency queries with a minimal backlink profile.
• Local Spanish language, unique query structure.
• Domain and hosting costs are low, risks are moderate.
• Niches: educational services (English, technical courses), tourism and domestic flights, agriculture, export-oriented services.

Technical nuances of PBNs in countries with a “poor” link base

As noted, in some regions it’s a challenge to find relevant local websites for link placement. This includes Sweden, Norway, Israel, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. There are not enough news sites or niche-relevant portals to publish links without risk. That’s why properly configured PBNs can appear “native” in such regions if:

• Hosting is located in a neighboring or target country, or at least has the correct geo-IP.
• The domain has a regional extension (.kz, .rs, .kg, .ge) or a neutral, non-spammy one (.org, .net).
• Proper language and regional meta tags are used (lang, content-language).

Pro tip: In countries where local hosting is hard to find, a VPN server + CDN setup works well (e.g. Bunny.net with a server in the desired region).

In markets with a limited number of local sites and low competition, PBNs are both an advantage and a risk. They can shoot to the top quickly — but may also get flagged for patterns just as fast. So:

• Vary your CMS — not just WordPress, use static site generators or custom setups.
• Don’t use the same template or plugin pack across all sites.
• Build a unique structure: from URLs to footers to content layout.

Pay attention to local UX. For example, in Asia, mobile vertical UX with large buttons and high-contrast design is popular. And as we know, Google takes user behavior into account. So use these local patterns for better CTR.

Google is extremely sensitive to language localization in “weaker” markets. Even basic machine translation with light editing, enriched with local place names and cultural elements, significantly improves ranking potential:

•  Create content in the local language, even if it requires AI or automated translation.
• Add regional case studies, mentions of cities, currencies, local habits — this makes your PBN site feel more natural.
• Use local forums/media for internal linking.

Since overall competition is low, Google indexes even “raw” sites quickly. However:

• Don’t launch your network with a bunch of links right away — start with a natural structure (5–7 content pages, no external links), and build gradually.
•  Add the site to Search Console — for markets without a national filter, this helps trigger indexing.

Some .org or .edu domains can be purchased from local registrars (and this isn’t strictly controlled). These sites are less likely to be flagged for artificial link building if they resemble local initiatives or foundations.

In some countries (e.g., Kyrgyzstan or Bosnia), Google doesn’t have a constant crawler (though this doesn’t mean Googlebot “skips” countries intentionally), so it’s better to initiate indexing manually or through GSC.

Even in low-competition GEOs, remember that Google’s core algorithms are the same everywhere. So even for budget PBNs:

• Use separate accounts for domains and hosting.
• Apply basic protections — Captcha, firewalls, XML-RPC blocking.
• Connect sites to local Google/Analytics accounts — this looks more natural.

The cost of launching a PBN, for example with five sites, in such countries can range from $200–350. That’s 3–5 times cheaper than building a network in the US, Germany, or France

By the way, if you don’t want to get lost in the details or deal with domains yourself, there’s a shortcut. We’ve already covered all the critical aspects here — from selecting relevant domains in the target GEO to structure, hosting, content, and infrastructure security. It’s convenient if you need to quickly test a new niche or launch a project in multiple regions at once.

Conclusion

If you’re scaling a project in a GEO with few websites, you have an almost perfect opportunity to build a semi-white PBN that looks like a regional content network. It can be used to promote local business, affiliate programs, or to tap into organic traffic with no competition.

In such regions, a PBN isn’t just a clever trick — it can be a real way to fill an information vacuum and open up strong promotion opportunities.