Should You Build Links During a Google Update?

You wake up, check your phone, and see that Google is rolling out a new core or spam update. Your first instinct is to either freeze all link building out of fear or to frantically order more links to "beat the update." I have watched both reactions play out across my own networks and client campaigns for over a decade. The SEOs who freeze completely often lose momentum and fail to recover. The ones who panic and blast exact-match anchors during an active rollout usually dig their own graves. The question of whether you should be building links during an update does not have a one-size-fits-all answer. But after surviving every major algorithm shift since Penguin, including the March Spam Update, I can give you a practical, risk-calibrated framework for link building during an algorithm update that keeps your profile safe while allowing you to continue growing.

The short answer: you should not stop building links entirely, but you must change what you build and how you build it. If your link building is indistinguishable from organic brand growth, you can continue. If it screams "link scheme," you pause and reassess. I will break down exactly what that looks like.

What Happens to Links During an Algorithm Update

During a major update, Google does two things. It re-evaluates the entire web's link graph, and it applies new or refined spam detection signals. The March Spam Update, for example, specifically targeted identifiable link networks via hosting footprints and over-optimized anchor text. During the nine-day rollout from March 12 to 21, SpamBrain was actively devaluing links that matched those patterns. If you were frantically building new PBN links with exact-match anchors from domains on a single C‑class IP block, you were essentially feeding the algorithm fresh evidence to use against you. The links you built in that window were being evaluated under the new, stricter rules in real time.

Conversely, editorial links earned through digital PR platforms like Featured.com or Qwoted were unaffected. Those links are seen as organic endorsements, and no update penalizes them. I covered the safety of those in my HARO alternatives guide. The key takeaway: during an update, Google's sensitivity to manipulation spikes. Links that might have passed under the radar a month earlier can suddenly become liabilities.

The Case for Pausing Aggressive Link Building

If your link profile relies heavily on PBNs with moderate footprints, niche edits on loosely relevant sites, or any tactic that feels even slightly unnatural, I strongly recommend a tactical pause. The March update demonstrated that SpamBrain now evaluates link velocity and anchor text ratios in conjunction with the update window. A sudden burst of new links during an active rollout is a giant red flag. I audited a site that had been stable for a year, built ten PBN links with partial-match anchors during the March rollout, and saw those specific pages drop 30 positions within a week. The timing was fatal.

Pausing gives you three advantages. First, it prevents you from adding links that might be devalued or penalized under the new rules before you understand what those rules are. Second, it allows the update to finish and the dust to settle so you can accurately assess the damage to your site and your linking domains. Third, it stops you from burning budget on links that may lose all value within days. I always pause all aggressive link building for at least the duration of the rollout, and often for an additional week after the update completes. This is not fear; it is prudence.

The Case for Continuing Safe Link Building

Not all link building must stop. If you are actively engaged in digital PR, building genuine relationships with journalists, and earning editorial mentions, you should continue. Those links are a sign of a healthy, growing brand. If you have a guest post scheduled on a highly reputable, topically relevant site with a branded anchor, I would let it go live. The key is that the link must look like a natural, earned endorsement.

I also continue building foundational branded links, such as consistent NAP citations for local businesses or branded social profiles, during updates. These are so low-risk that they do not move the penalty needle. They simply maintain a baseline of brand consistency. I covered these in my foundation links guide.

If you operate a very clean PBN with perfect hosting footprints, diverse DNS, real content, and you are only using branded or URL anchors, I would still slow the pace to no more than one link per week during an update. Even a clean PBN link is a manufactured one, and you do not want a pattern of artificial growth to be the first thing the new algorithm sees.

Safe vs. Risky Link Types During an Update

This table summarizes my approach. It is based on what survived the March update and what I have observed across previous core and spam updates.

Timing Your Link Building: A Phased Approach

I follow a three-phase timing model for link building during an algorithm update. It has kept my clients safe through every update since the 2024 core shifts.

Phase 1: The Rollout Window (Days 1–7 or Until Update Completes)
Action: Pause all PBN, niche edit, and guest post link building. Stop any automated tier-2 work. The only links I allow to go live are those that were already scheduled and come from editorial or genuine brand mentions. I do not request new links. I do not place orders with sellers.

Why: The algorithm is in flux. Links you build now could be evaluated under a rule set you have not yet adapted to. It is better to wait and see.

Phase 2: The Assessment Window (1–2 Weeks After Completion)
Action: I analyze the impact on my money sites and my PBN. I check Google Search Console for manual actions, traffic drops, and indexation changes. I audit my PBN domains to see if any were deindexed. If my sites were unaffected, I resume link building slowly, starting with branded and URL anchors only. I do not reintroduce partial-match or exact-match anchors until I am confident the new rules allow it. If my sites were hit, I shift into my 90-day ranking drop recovery roadmap and stop all link building until the repair phase of that plan begins.

Why: You need to know if your current link profile is now toxic before you add more of the same. Resuming slowly with the safest anchors lets you test the waters.

Phase 3: The Recovery or Ramp-Up Window (Weeks 3+)
Action: If the update did not hurt you, you can gradually return to your normal link building pace and anchor diversity, always staying within the safe ratios (under 10% exact match, heavy branded). If you were hit, you follow the recovery playbook, which includes building safe, branded links to dilute your anchor profile and replacing deindexed domains with clean ones.

A Lesson from the March 2026 Update

During the March rollout, I paused all link building for my entire network. I spent those nine days auditing my PBN domains, checking my anchor text ratios in Ahrefs ($129/mo Lite), and tightening my hosting footprints. When the update completed, my network was intact. I resumed building links with a renewed focus on branded anchors and topical relevance. The clients who followed my advice survived. The ones who panicked and ordered a batch of exact-match anchor PBN links from a cheap seller during the update? They lost rankings and had to start their recovery from a deeper hole.

This experience reinforced a core belief: algorithm updates are not a time to gamble. They are a time to slow down, observe, and then act with precision.

Practical Tips for Agencies and Link Sellers

If you sell links or manage client campaigns, communicate proactively during updates. I tell all our clients at BuyPBNLinks that we are pausing their automated placements for the duration of the rollout, explaining that it is a protective measure. This builds trust. When we resume, we do so with the safest possible anchors until we are confident in the new landscape. Rushing to deliver orders on schedule regardless of the update is a disservice. It is better to deliver a safe link a week late than a toxic link on time.

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