What is Disavowing? And How to Disavow Links
Backlinks are a key part of SEO, helping search engines determine your website’s relevance and authority. But not all links are beneficial. Links from low-quality or spammy websites can actually harm your rankings and damage your online reputation. When these types of links appear and you’re unable to remove them manually, disavowing becomes a valuable option.
Google’s Disavow Tool gives you a way to tell search engines to ignore certain backlinks when evaluating your site. This is especially useful if your site has received a manual penalty or is affected by unnatural links that were purchased or created in bulk. Disavowing helps prevent further damage and gives your site a chance to recover in search results.
In this guide, we’ll explain what disavowing links means, how the tool works, and when you should consider using it to maintain a clean backlink profile.
What is disavow in SEO?
Not every backlink pointing to your website helps your SEO. In some cases, links from spammy or irrelevant sites can harm your rankings. Disavowing is the process of asking Google to ignore specific backlinks that may be damaging your website’s credibility.
While backlinks are an important part of building authority online, bad or unnatural links can lead to penalties or a decline in search visibility. If efforts to remove these harmful links directly are unsuccessful, the Google Disavow Tool allows you to submit a list of links you do not want counted against your site.
Disavowing links is a strategic step often used when a website is affected by manual actions or a large number of toxic backlinks. When used properly, it can help clean up your link profile and support stronger, more reliable SEO performance.
Purpose of the Google Disavow Tool
The Google Disavow Tool is designed to help website owners protect their site from low-quality or spammy backlinks. These are links that point to your website from suspicious or irrelevant sources, and they can harm your search engine rankings. Sometimes, these bad links come from old SEO practices, automated link-building tools, or even from competitors trying to damage your site. These are links pointing to your site from:
- Spam directories
- Low-quality blogs
- Link farms
- Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
- Automated link-building tools
If you’re unable to get these links removed by contacting the site owners, you can use the Disavow Tool to prevent Google from considering them when evaluating your website. This helps protect your site’s ranking, authority, and visibility in search results.
What Are Spammy Links?
Toxic or spammy backlinks are links from unreliable websites that hurt your site’s credibility in Google’s eyes. These links can make it seem like your site is trying to cheat the system, even if that wasn’t your intention.
They often come from outdated or shady SEO methods, where people try to manipulate rankings by building large numbers of poor-quality links. Google’s systems, including recent updates like SpamBrain, are designed to detect and ignore these harmful links. In some cases, sites can even receive penalties that cause a drop in search rankings.
Common sources of toxic backlinks include:
- Buying links from untrusted SEO services
- Participating in link schemes or private blog networks (PBNs)
- Getting links from link farms or spam directories
- Links on irrelevant or low-quality websites
- Being targeted in a negative SEO attack by someone else
These links are considered spam because they don’t provide real value to users. Instead, they exist only to try and influence search results.
If your site has many bad links, review them carefully. Disavow the ones you can’t remove. Our SEO services help you spot and remove toxic links for your website. We make it easier to protect your site’s reputation and search visibility.
When Should You Disavow Backlinks?
Not every low-quality link needs to be disavowed. Google’s algorithms are good at identifying and ignoring bad links automatically. However, you should consider disavowing backlinks if:
- You receive a manual penalty related to unnatural links
- You experience a sudden drop in rankings and discover a large number of spammy backlinks
- You are the victim of negative SEO attacks, where someone intentionally sends harmful backlinks to your site
- You’ve worked with an SEO agency that used black-hat link-building tactics
In these cases, disavowing backlinks can help prevent further damage and improve your chances of recovering lost rankings.
Tip: Try to remove bad backlinks by contacting the site owners first. Only use the Disavow Tool if that doesn’t work, as using it the wrong way can hurt your SEO.
How to Disavow Backlinks in Google Search Console
1. Download Your Backlink Profile
Start by gathering a list of all backlinks pointing to your website. You can do this through:
- Google Search Console: Go to Links > Top linking sites and download the list.
- Third-party tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz for deeper insights into link quality.
Review your backlinks and identify ones that are irrelevant, spammy, or from suspicious domains.
2. Identify the Harmful Links
Next, go through the list and manually check links that:
- Come from unrelated or low-quality websites
- Appear to be part of link farms or paid link schemes
- Are clearly created for manipulation (e.g., automated blog comments or forum profiles)
- Use over-optimized anchor text repeatedly
Be sure not to include good or neutral links by mistake. Disavowing legitimate backlinks can harm your rankings.
3. Try Manual Removal First
Before using the disavow tool, always try to remove the backlinks manually:
- Contact the website owner and ask for the link to be removed
- Look for contact forms or email addresses on the site
- Keep a record of your outreach efforts
Google recommends this step to show that you’ve made an attempt to resolve the issue naturally.
4. Create a Disavow File
Once you’ve identified links that can’t be removed manually, it’s time to create a .txt file to submit to Google.
The format is simple:
- # Example Disavow File
- # Links that cannot be removed manually
- domain:spammylinkdomain.com
- domain:lowqualitysite.net
- http://example.com/bad-link.html
Use Domain: to disavow an entire domain or include specific URLs as needed. Add comments using the # symbol for your reference.
Important: Make sure the file is plain text and encoded in UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII.
5. Upload the File in Google Disavow Links Tool
Now go to the official Disavow Tool page:
https://search.google.com/search-console/disavow-links
- Select the correct property (your domain)
- Click Disavow Links
- Upload your disavow file
- Click Submit
Once submitted, Google will process your request. It may take a few weeks before the disavowed links are fully evaluated and removed from consideration.
6. Monitor Your Site’s Performance
After disavowing links, continue to monitor your site’s performance in Google Search Console and other SEO tools. Look for improvements in ranking, traffic, and any reduction in manual penalties.
Best Practices for Disavowing Backlinks
- Use it only when necessary: Don’t disavow links just because they look unfamiliar. Focus on clearly harmful links.
- Keep your file updated: If new spammy links show up in the future, add them to your disavow file.
- Double-check before submission: Mistakenly disavowing good links can hurt your SEO.
- Focus on quality over quantity: You don’t need to disavow every low-authority link. Just the truly toxic ones.
How to Prevent Toxic Backlinks in the Future
Preventing toxic backlinks is just as important as removing them. By being proactive with your SEO strategy, you can build a healthy link profile that supports long-term success. Here’s how you can stay ahead of harmful backlinks:
1. Focus on Quality Link-Building Strategies
The best way to avoid toxic backlinks is by earning good ones. Focus on strategies that attract high-quality links naturally:
- Guest posting on relevant, high-authority sites
Reach out to trusted blogs and websites within your industry to contribute content. When done genuinely, guest posting helps build authority and generates backlinks from credible sources. - Building relationships in your niche
Networking with other content creators, influencers, and businesses in your niche can lead to organic link mentions. Collaborations, interviews, and joint ventures can all result in natural backlinks. - Creating shareable content that earns links naturally
Publish helpful, original content like how-to guides, research studies, infographics, or tools. The more valuable your content, the more likely others will link to it voluntarily.
2. Monitor Your Backlinks Regularly
Keeping track of who links to your site is essential. Regular monitoring can help you spot and address bad links early:
- Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Search Console
These tools let you view new backlinks and assess their quality. They also highlight potentially toxic links so you can act before they impact your SEO. - Set alerts for new backlinks to catch spammy ones early
Most SEO tools let you set up alerts when new links are detected. This gives you the chance to investigate suspicious activity quickly and disavow if necessary.
3. Avoid Black-Hat SEO Agencies
Sometimes, toxic links come from hired agencies using outdated or manipulative SEO tactics. To avoid this:
- Vet link-building services carefully
Before hiring an SEO agency or freelancer, research their methods. Look for reviews, case studies, and ask how they acquire backlinks. - Ask for transparency and examples of their work
A reputable agency will be open about where your links come from and the types of websites they target. Avoid anyone who promises thousands of backlinks overnight—that’s usually a red flag.
4. Audit Your Backlinks Quarterly
Prevention isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process. Performing regular link audits helps keep your backlink profile clean:
- Schedule regular backlink reviews
Make it a habit to review your backlinks every 3-4 months. This ensures you catch low-quality links early and track the health of your overall profile. - Update your disavow file as needed
If new spammy links appear that you can’t remove, don’t hesitate to add them to your disavow file. Keeping this file updated helps maintain your site’s credibility with Google.
Final Thought
Maintaining a clean backlink profile is essential for long-term SEO success. Disavowing toxic links is not only about correcting past issues but also about protecting your site’s future performance in search results.
We help businesses take control of their backlink profile through careful link audits and disavow strategies. Our team of professionals is ready to assist with identifying harmful links, creating accurate disavow files, and guiding your recovery process.
Need help disavowing links? Our experts at WebCazador are here to support your SEO goals with confidence.
