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When to Remove Links with Google Disavow Tool

Sep 10, 2021

Written by Casey Bjorkdahl

Profile Picture Casey Bjorkdahl of https://www.vazoola.com

Casey Bjorkdahl is one of the pioneering thought leaders in the SEO community. In 2010, Casey co-founded Vazoola after working for a Digital Marketing Agency for five years in New York City. Vazoola is now one of the fastest growing and most widely recognized SEO marketing firms in the country.

When to Remove Links with Google Disavow Tool

If you are looking for a way to build a strong SEO strategy, then you probably understand that links are an important part of this. At the same time, not all backlinks are created equal, and there is a specific tool called the Google Disavow tool that could play an important role in your SEO strategy. Disavowing links has a place, and you need to know how to handle disavowed links, as they could help you improve your online disability. Learn more about how to use the Google Disavow tool properly.

Disavow Links To Avoid a Link Penalty

Even though you do want to generate a lot of links going back to your website, not every link is created equal. In some cases, these links can harm your search engine optimization campaign if you do not remove them. That is why you should take advantage of the Google Disavow tool and remove harmful links. In particular, you need to invalidate any links that are interpreted as spam or are otherwise unnatural. How can you spot a link that could cause you to get hit by a penalty? 

Disavow Tool: How To Identify Harmful Links

In general, there are several types of links that could cause you to fall prey to the punishing Google algorithm. Bad links usually take one of several forms, including:

  • Links that are coming from spam websites 
  • Pages that have been created for the sole purpose of collecting links 
  • Links that are located in spam comments
  • Links that are coming from pages that are not from your target website

Even though it is important not to go overboard when you are trying to invalidate certain links, it is important for you to keep an eye on where your traffic is coming from. Because links can improve the quality of your website, it is crucial you focus on collecting good links while staying away from bad ones. 

Google Disavow: Be Careful with the Tool

The Google Disavow tool is an advanced tool that should only be used in certain situations. Even Google itself encourages users to be careful when they are using this tool, as using it too much could harm the performance of your website. The first clue that you should be putting this tool to use is that you noticed your traffic is tanking. Then, it is time to take a look at your rankings and make sure you are not suffering a penalty. If you are suffering a penalty, this is probably a sign that you have harmful links damaging the reputation of your website. Now, it is time to put this tool to work for you. 

Disavow Google: What To Do First

Before you decide to put this tool to work, you need to reach out to the owner of the website on which the bad link is hosted. You may want to request that they remove the link for you. Visit the website and take a look at the contact number or email address. You may want to look for contact forms, contact pages, or the “about us” page. You can even take a look at the sidebar. If you cannot find the contact information, or if they simply ignore you, then it may be time to use the Google Disavow tool to help you get rid of links. 

Disavow File: Spotting the Right Links

If you take a look at the large number of links that point back to your website, you will probably have a difficult time figuring out which ones are the bad ones. You need to take a look at the website on which those links are hosted. See how those websites rank, take a look at the content on that website, and make sure it is relevant to the products and services you offer. If there is something sketchy about the website, or if something doesn't feel quite right, this could be a sign you have spotted the problem links.

Disavowing Backlinks: Improving Your Ranking

After you have removed the problem link, you may expect your traffic to improve immediately; however, it may take some time for your ranking to improve again. If you have been hit with a specific Google penalty, you may need to contact Google using a specific form to ask for the penalty to be removed. Then, once the penalty is removed, you should notice that your traffic is restored. If you are wondering how to get the most out of your Google disavow links, you should partner with professionals who have experience in this area.

Work With Professionals To Replace Disavow Links with New Ones

After you have removed disavowed links, it is time to add new ones that can help you improve your SEO strategy. That is why you should partner with professionals who can help you. You probably have a lot to do daily, and you might not have time to keep track of your links. If you want to get the most out of your digital marketing strategy, you should work with professionals who offer high quality link building services to help replace the old links that you disavow, and add new links to the site continuously. That way, you know people are going to spot your product and services, visiting your website to learn more. Partner with experts with the experience necessary to find the right link building strategy to help position your business as an authority in the field. 

See Similar Articles:  Link Building Strategies | Backlink Quality

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How To Get Backlinks: 12 Effective Methods For 2024

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