How Do You Fix Unnatural Links From Your Site?

TL;DR

To fix unnatural links from your site, remove them or prevent them from passing PageRank with a rel="nofollow" attribute or an intermediate URL blocked in robots.txt. These links commonly arise from paid placements, excessive link exchanges, or links to spammy sites and can reduce Google’s trust in your site. After correcting them, submit a detailed reconsideration request explaining the changes and how you will prevent another violation; read on for the specific options.

Transcript

Matt: Hey everybody. This is Matt Cutts. >>Sandy: And I'm Sandy. >>Matt: And today we wanted to talk to you a little bit about if you've gotten the message that you have unnatural links from your site. So, this is something where because of the links that you are, the places that you are linking to, it's affecting our trust in your site. And so l... Read More

Key Insights

• Unnatural links can decrease Google's trust in your site, often due to link selling or excessive link exchanges.
• Natural links are editorial choices based on the merit and usefulness of the linked content, not influenced by compensation.
• Unnatural links often result from compensations like money or gifts, which violate Google's quality guidelines.
• To fix unnatural links, site owners can remove them or ensure they don't pass PageRank using 'nofollow' attributes or redirects.
• Google prefers removing paid links that pass PageRank as it provides a clear resolution to the issue.
• A reconsideration request should be submitted after resolving the issue, detailing actions taken to avoid future violations.
• Providing context and transparency in reconsideration requests can help Google understand and trust your corrective actions.
• Receiving a message about unnatural links can be frustrating, but addressing the issue is straightforward and manageable.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do you fix unnatural links from your site?

First identify the unnatural links, then remove them or make sure they do not pass PageRank. For sponsored links you retain, add the rel="nofollow" attribute or redirect them through an intermediate URL blocked in your robots.txt file.

Q: What is an unnatural link from a site?

An unnatural link is not based purely on an editorial decision about a destination’s usefulness or merit. Examples include sold links that pass PageRank, excessive link exchanges, and links created in return for money, gifts, or other material compensation.

Q: How can unnatural outbound links affect a site?

Google may reduce its trust in a site because of the places that site links to. The transcript gives an example of a newspaper whose PageRank dropped because it sold links that passed PageRank.

Q: What makes a link natural?

A natural link is an editorial choice based on a site’s usefulness or merit and a genuine desire to share its content. One suggested test is to ask whether you would create the link if search engines did not exist.

Q: Can sponsored or advertiser links remain on a site?

Yes, links to advertisers or sponsors can remain on the site. They must not pass PageRank, so the site can use rel="nofollow" or an intermediate URL blocked in robots.txt.

Q: Why does Matt Cutts prefer removing paid links that pass PageRank?

Matt Cutts describes removal as a clear-cut approach. Taking the paid links down directly demonstrates that the issue identified by Google has been fixed.

Q: What should a reconsideration request include after fixing unnatural links?

Document the corrective work and explain why the violation will not happen again. Useful context can include the link network or agreement involved, confirmation that the agreement was terminated, and details showing that the links were removed.

Q: What commonly causes an unnatural-links message from Google?

The message can result from selling links that pass PageRank, excessive link exchanges, or links pointing to low-quality or spammy sites. Matt Cutts says that, in the vast majority of cases discussed, the cause is selling links that pass PageRank.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Matt Cutts and Sandy discuss the issue of unnatural links from your site, which can reduce Google's trust in your site. They explain that unnatural links often stem from link selling or excessive link exchanges, and emphasize the importance of editorial choices in linking.

• To resolve issues with unnatural links, site owners can remove them or ensure they don't pass PageRank by using 'nofollow' attributes or redirects. Google favors removing paid links that pass PageRank for a clear resolution. A detailed reconsideration request helps regain trust.

• Site owners are encouraged to provide context and transparency in their reconsideration requests, detailing the actions taken to prevent future violations. Although receiving a message about unnatural links can be frustrating, the issue is relatively easy to fix with the right approach.