How to Expertly Use Google‘s Disavow Tool to Protect & Improve Your SEO
If your website has been hit by a manual action penalty or you‘ve detected a high volume of suspicious, spammy, or low-quality backlinks, it can bring your SEO progress to a screeching halt. Luckily, Google‘s disavow tool provides a way to clean up your link profile and mitigate the damage.
But knowing when, why, and how to disavow backlinks isn‘t always clear. Many site owners misunderstand the purpose of the tool or use it incorrectly, which can do more harm than good.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll demystify the Google disavow process and equip you with the knowledge you need to use it safely and effectively. Learn how to determine if you should disavow links, find the right links to disavow, prepare your disavow file, and monitor results. By the end, you‘ll have an expert-level understanding of this important SEO tool.
What Is the Google Disavow Tool?
First launched in October 2012, Google‘s disavow tool allows webmasters to discount the value of certain links pointing to their site. Essentially, it lets you tell Google not to take these links into account when assessing your site‘s link profile.
The primary purpose of the disavow tool is to help websites recover from "unnatural links" penalties. Google‘s Penguin update, released earlier in 2012, cracked down on link schemes and manipulative linking practices. This left many websites with manual penalties and sunk rankings due to having large volumes of bad backlinks – often out of their control.
The disavow tool emerged as a way for webmasters to ask Google to ignore low-quality links that they were unable to get removed. By uploading a file specifying which domains and URLs to disavow, site owners could essentially clean the slate and escape the negative impact of link-based penalties.
It‘s important to understand that disavowing a link doesn‘t actually remove it from the web; the link still exists and can potentially send referral traffic. The disavow tool simply tells Google to discount the links so they don‘t help or hurt your site‘s ability to rank in search results.
According to a 2020 Ahrefs study, 6.15% of websites have at least one disavowed link, indicating that a significant portion of sites have leveraged the tool at some point. However, Google maintains that disavowing links is an advanced feature that most websites don‘t need to use. More on that next.
When Should You Disavow Links?
Google has consistently communicated that the disavow tool should only be used in exceptional cases. Most websites have nothing to gain, and potentially something to lose, by disavowing links. Let‘s look at some statistics to understand why.
Per a Moz analysis, the average website loses around 5% of its backlinks each month through natural link rot. For most sites, these lost links are roughly balanced out by the new links they naturally attract. A typical link profile might look something like this:
| Month | Total Links | New Links | Lost Links | Net Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5,000 | 100 | 250 | -150 |
| February | 4,850 | 150 | 200 | -50 |
| March | 4,800 | 120 | 240 | -120 |
(Example data for illustrative purposes only)
As you can see, even though this site is losing hundreds of links each month, it‘s nothing to panic over because they are also gaining new links. This natural churn is not a cause for disavowing.
Furthermore, Google has gotten much more adept at identifying and devaluing spammy links on its own. A link from a sketchy directory or irrelevant blog comment might trigger a red flag to you, but it‘s likely that Google is already ignoring its value. In fact, Google claims they successfully ignore the vast majority of bad links and attempts at negative SEO.
There are really only two scenarios where disavowing backlinks is recommended:
-
Your site has been manually penalized by Google for having a pattern of unnatural, artificial, deceptive, or manipulative links. If you see a "unnatural links" warning in Google Search Console, disavowing is a must for lifting the penalty.
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You have a substantial number of links that clearly violate Google‘s guidelines, and you believe they are stifling your organic rankings. This could include links that were self-created as part of a deliberate link scheme or negative SEO attack.
Some specific types of links that may warrant disavowing:
- Paid links, including exchanges, sponsors, and link buys
- Links from known private blog networks (PBNs)
- Site-wide links with keyword-rich anchor text
- Links from completely off-topic and spammy websites
- Injected links from hacked websites and user-generated content
- Links from foreign language sites unrelated to your audience
However, even for sites that fit the above criteria, Google cautions against disavowing more than necessary. When in doubt about a link, it‘s better to leave it alone than to mistakenly disavow a link that was actually helping your SEO.
As Google‘s John Mueller has said, "Just because some links look weird does not mean that they‘re doing you any harm. I would see those as neutral at worst and potentially something that we will figure out on our own over time."
How to Safely & Effectively Disavow Links
If you‘ve determined that you do need to use the disavow tool, either to recover from a penalty or proactively protect your rankings from spam links, follow these steps:
1. Collect a comprehensive list of your backlinks
Use a tool like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, Semrush, or Majestic to download a complete list of domains linking to your website. Make sure to select the option to include "latest links" or "lost links" to get the full picture.
2. Carefully evaluate each domain and URL
Go through your links line-by-line and highlight any domains that look suspicious, untrustworthy, or otherwise match the criteria for disavowing described above. Tag questionable links using a system like this:
- Okay: Looks natural, leave alone
- Investigate: Potentially unnatural, research further
- Disavow: Clearly spammy or violates guidelines, include in disavow file
Be meticulous but conservative here; don‘t disavow a link unless you‘re fully confident it‘s doing more harm than good. A typical link audit may categorize links like this:
| Category | Number of Linking Domains | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Okay | 950 | 80% |
| Investigate | 200 | 16% |
| Disavow | 50 | 4% |
(Example data for illustrative purposes only)
3. Attempt manual link removal first
For any domains in the "Investigate" or "Disavow" buckets, try to reach out to the site owner and request removal of the link. This could be as simple as finding an "advertise with us" or "contact us" link on the site. Keep records of your link removal attempts.
4. Create a properly formatted disavow file
For any remaining low-quality links you were unable to remove manually, it‘s time to add them to a disavow file. Using Notepad or a plain text editor, list the domains and URLs to disavow following Google‘s recommended formatting:
- To disavow all links from an entire domain, on a new line, add: domain:example.com
- To disavow a specific page or directory, on a new line, add the full URL: https://example.com/spammy-links.html
- To leave notes for yourself, start the line with a #. These will be ignored when processed.
Here‘s what a typical disavow file looks like:
# Dating site links - contacted 2/15/21 but unable to remove
domain:spammydatingsites.com
domain:linksfordates.com
# Gambling site links - appear to be injected, no contact info available
domain:bestcasinobonuses.com
# Pharma links - verified unnatural via manual review
https://discountpharma.com/cheap-viagra
https://medsforyou.com/cialis-couponsDouble-check that your disavow file is a .txt file (not .doc, etc.) and that each domain or URL is on its own line. When in doubt, you can run your file through Google‘s disavow file testing tool for peace of mind.
5. Upload your disavow file to Google
Next, visit the disavow tool page in Google Search Console. Select your domain, then click the button to upload your disavow file.
Once uploaded, you‘ll see a confirmation message. Be aware that it can take a few weeks for Google to fully process and apply the disavow file. In the meantime, the disavowed links may still appear in your Search Console link report.
6. Track your results
After submitting a disavow file, keep a close eye on your search rankings and organic traffic. Ideally, you should see improvement within 1-2 months – especially if you were recovering from a manual penalty.
However, don‘t panic if you see a slight dip; in some cases, disavowing links that were previously helping your SEO can cause temporary volatility in your rankings. As long as you were judicious in which links you disavowed, you‘ll likely see this settle out in time.
Here‘s what an analytics report might look like for a site that disavowed about 40% of its link profile while recovering from an unnatural links penalty:
| Month | Organic Search Traffic | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| January | 10,000 | – |
| February | 6,500 | -35% (penalty received) |
| March | 7,000 | +7% (disavow submitted) |
| April | 8,500 | +21% |
| May | 9,500 | +12% |
| June | 11,000 | +16% |
(Example data for illustrative purposes only)
If you don‘t see any positive impact after a couple months, you may need to consider whether you were overly aggressive in your disavowing and upload an amended file. When in doubt, you can always consult an SEO professional for a second opinion.
Advanced Disavow Strategies
For most websites, the process outlined above is sufficient for safely and effectively leveraging the disavow tool. However, there are some unique scenarios that may call for a more nuanced approach:
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Negative SEO attacks: If a competitor bombards your site with spammy links to sabotage your rankings, you may need to disavow links more aggressively and frequently. Monitor your link velocity and consider disavowing weekly during an active negative SEO campaign.
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Borderline links: For links that appear to be manipulative but aren‘t egregiously spammy, consider using the "nofollow" directive rather than disavowing entirely. Using "nofollow" tells Google not to pass PageRank through the link without completely discounting it.
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Multiple language profiles: If your site has versions for different countries and languages, you may want to use the Search Console property selector to submit separate disavow files for each version. This allows you to be more targeted in addressing bad links unique to each region.
Ultimately, the key to success with the disavow tool is taking a strategic approach based on a thorough link audit. Indiscriminately disavowing links simply because they "look weird" is more likely to backfire than boost your SEO. Only disavow when you have clear evidence of a widespread unnatural linking pattern.
Disavow Tool Success Stories
When used correctly, cleaning up your link profile via the disavow tool can be extremely powerful for SEO. Take Financer.com for example, which used the disavow tool to address shady links built by a previous agency.
According to the case study, Financer.com disavowed over 70,000 domains that were deemed to be spammy or manipulative. Within 6 months of the disavow file being processed, their share of voice for financial keywords jumped from 3% to over 20%:
(Source: Financer.com Case Study)
In another case, a website that had suffered a 90% drop in traffic following Google‘s Penguin update used the disavow tool to remove hundreds of low-quality directory links. Organic traffic grew over 400% within 5 months of filing the disavow:
(Source: Search Engine Journal)
While not every website will see such drastic results, these examples demonstrate the power of the disavow tool when wielded strategically. By taking control of your link profile and removing the low-hanging spam, you give your site the best chance of ranking for your target keywords.
Disavow Tool FAQs
Still have lingering questions about disavowing links? Here are expert answers to some of the most common ones:
Q: Will disavowing links cause a rankings drop?
A: Generally no, unless you accidentally disavow good links that were previously helping you rank. If you see a temporary dip after filing a disavow, don‘t panic; you should bounce back as Google processes the file.
Q: Can disavowing links replace removing them manually?
A: While the disavow tool can be a faster solution, Google still recommends first trying to remove spammy links at the source. Disavowing should be a last resort for links you can‘t get taken down manually.
Q: How many links do I need to disavow to see an impact?
A: There‘s no magic threshold, but most SEOs agree that using the disavow tool isn‘t necessary unless spammy links comprise at least 20-30% of your total link profile. Even then, be conservative in choosing which links to disavow.
Q: How often should I submit a new disavow file?
A: For most sites, submitting an updated disavow file once or twice per year is plenty. Proactively audit your backlink profile on a quarterly basis to catch new spammy links before they accumulate.
Q: Does Google penalize sites that use the disavow tool?
A: No. Some webmasters worry that using the disavow tool is an admission of guilt that could trigger a penalty, but Google has made clear this isn‘t the case. As long as you use the tool properly, there‘s no risk of a penalty.
Disavow Links Carefully for SEO Success in 2023 & Beyond
When it comes to the Google disavow tool, choosing the right links to disavow is just as important as using the tool in the first place. Take the time to critically examine your link profile and differentiate between links that are just "weird" and those that are clearly doing damage.
By understanding the proper use cases and procedures for disavowing backlinks, you can leverage this tool as an insurance policy against negative SEO, link spam, and manual penalties. Prioritize manual link removal first, disavow conservatively, and keep close tabs on your traffic post-disavow.
The disavow tool may not be a magic wand, but used skillfully and sparingly, it remains a valuable weapon in any SEO‘s arsenal. Here‘s to a spammy backlink-free 2023!
