How To Use Google's Disavow Tool To Block Links Safely

TL;DR

Use Google’s disavow tool safely by reviewing your existing disavow file, identifying genuinely harmful backlinks, and uploading a text-based file that tells Google to discount specific URLs or entire domains. John Lincoln presents this as a 10-step process and generally favors domain-level blocking for spammy sites, while warning against excessive blocking. Read on for the specific checks that help distinguish bad links from valuable ones.

Transcript

blocking bad links on a website is incredibly important and if you don't take the time to do it you could have this bail cast over your website where the traffic just goes down and down and down and down and you wouldn't even know it hi everybody I'm John Lincoln with ignite visibility and today I'm gonna give you my 10 step process for blocking li... Read More

Key Insights

• Blocking bad links is crucial for maintaining and improving website rankings. Ignoring this can lead to a continuous decline in traffic.
• Google's disavow tool allows users to block unwanted links by uploading a disavow file, which instructs Google to ignore certain domains or URLs.
• Regularly updating the disavow file, especially for large websites, is recommended to prevent harmful links from affecting SEO performance.
• High PageRank or domain authority does not guarantee a good link. Links from hacked or spammy sites should be disavowed regardless of their authority scores.
• It's important to identify and block multiple bad links, not just a few. Blocking only a handful will have negligible impact on SEO.
• Exact anchor text links and off-topic links are red flags and should be considered for disavowal to maintain link quality.
• Websites in different languages or with security warnings may indicate spam and should be scrutinized before allowing them to link to your site.
• Utilizing third-party tools can help assess the quality of linking sites by analyzing their traffic trends and historical performance.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do you use Google’s disavow tool to block bad links safely?

Log in through Google Search Console, open the disavow tool, and check whether your website already has a disavow file. Review any existing entries, then upload a text-based file identifying the individual URLs or entire domains whose links Google should discount.

Q: Should you disavow a specific URL or an entire domain?

The tool supports both page-level and domain-level blocking. John Lincoln says an entire domain is usually the better choice when a spammy page indicates that the broader domain is also spammy, though he acknowledges that exceptions exist.

Q: How can you tell whether a disavow file already exists for your website?

Open the Google disavow tool through Google Search Console and select your website. If a file is present, the site is already blocking some links; open it to review what is and is not being blocked.

Q: How often should a website review and block harmful backlinks?

The transcript recommends doing this bi-weekly or monthly, especially for large websites. Regular review helps prevent bad sites from continuing to affect search rankings.

Q: Does high PageRank or domain authority prove that a backlink is good?

No. A site can show high PageRank or domain authority in a third-party tool such as Moz while being hacked, filled with spam, or otherwise unsuitable for association with your website.

Q: How many bad links should you disavow?

Blocking only one or two links will not accomplish much when a website has thousands of backlinks. The transcript recommends addressing meaningful chunks, potentially hundreds or thousands, while also warning against becoming so aggressive that useful links are blocked.

Q: What backlink patterns are red flags when reviewing a page?

One warning sign is a page containing many outbound links with exact-match keyword anchor text. The transcript gives links using phrases such as “payday loans” and “grocery coupons” as examples of a pattern that should raise concern.

Q: Are backlinks from unrelated websites a reason to consider disavowal?

Yes, an off-topic link can be suspicious when the linking website has no clear reason to reference your site. The transcript uses a health-and-beauty site receiving a link from an unrelated technology website as an example.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Blocking bad links is essential for maintaining website rankings, and Google's disavow tool is an effective way to manage this. Regular updates to the disavow file can prevent harmful links from impacting SEO.

• High domain authority does not always indicate a good link. Links from spammy or unrelated sites should be disavowed to ensure only quality links contribute to SEO.

• Regularly reviewing and updating the disavow file, using tools like SEMrush for link quality assessment, can help identify and block bad links effectively.