{"id":36789,"date":"2021-01-22T11:33:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T19:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/?p=36789"},"modified":"2023-08-30T18:57:21","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T01:57:21","slug":"complete-guide-bing-and-google-disavowing-links","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/complete-guide-bing-and-google-disavowing-links\/","title":{"rendered":"The Complete Guide to Disavowing Links for Google and Bing"},"content":{"rendered":"
Google has named content and links<\/em> as its top two ranking factors that affect how well a website performs in organic search results. As such, links have a wild history of being manipulated and spammed, making their acquisition risky but still important.<\/p>\n Google’s sophisticated link analysis algorithm, Penguin, has run in real-time as part of Google’s core ranking algorithm since the Penguin 4.0 update<\/a> in September 2016. Because it can recognize most bad links, Google’s algorithm just ignores them now rather than penalizing the sites they point to.<\/p>\n However, in our experience managing SEO<\/a> for clients, we’ve found many cases when a low-quality link profile still hurts a website. In these cases, we must closely evaluate every link and be honest about its value to the brand.<\/p>\n Search engine link disavowal tools are needed in today’s link penalty environment. These tools cut ties between a site and links pointing at it that might be seen by engines as dark marks. As with all powerful tools, Google’s and Bing’s disavow tools require careful use to avoid damaging mistakes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This guide provides steps on disavowing links for both Google and Bing and includes:<\/p>\n In 2019, Google\u2019s John Mueller stated during a webmaster hangout that the \u201cvast majority of sites\u201d do not need to use the disavow tool. In line with that statement, Google did not immediately include the disavow tool as part of the new Search Console experience. However, access to the original tool was not removed.<\/p>\n You do not have to be working in SEO for long to realize that it\u2019s not always wise to take Google at face value when they make such statements.<\/p>\n We have long found that actions Google states are unnecessary and sometimes continue to work very effectively. This isn\u2019t because Google is trying to mislead, necessarily. But the internet is a big place, and they cannot possibly make statements that apply equally to every site.<\/p>\n Additionally, such statements often arise from advancements in the algorithm, such as new ways to detect bad links. These changes have allowed Google to make massive strides in bad link identification over the years. But even their technology is fallible and can be fooled.<\/p>\n In November 2020, almost three years after the launch of the new Search Console experience, Google finally added a new version of the disavow tool.<\/p>\n As you can see from the screenshots below, little has changed in the disavow tool, and the process remains largely the same.<\/p>\n Old Google disavow tool:<\/em> New Google disavow tool:<\/em> Our view is that disavow is still a powerful tool for SEOs, as long as it is used lightly. As one of the BCI team puts it, \u201cYou need a scalpel, not a hacksaw.\u201d<\/p>\n Quality backlinks are a requirement of healthy search rankings. But you can\u2019t go far if your site is associated with off-topic or spammy inbound links. While it\u2019s important to attract good links, removing bad ones is just as important. This is why link pruning<\/a>\u00a0is a critical task of SEO.<\/p>\n A problem arises, however, when you\u2019re stuck with a few bad backlinks. If you can\u2019t get them removed, and Google is not discounting them from your link profile, then how do you avoid a search engine ranking loss for these backlinks? Fortunately, both Google and Bing have an answer: each search engine has a tool for disavowing links, which means telling them the backlinks you want them to ignore.<\/p>\n The search engines\u2019 disavow links tools can help your website in many ways.<\/p>\n First, it can improve your inbound link profile. Disavowing a low-quality backlink essentially blocks it from\u00a0the search engines’ considerations. If a search engine feels that a low-quality link is dragging down your trust factor, removing that link via disavow can help your site regain some of that trust. In fact, we’ve seen that getting rid of low-quality backlinks can provide positive results in a way similar to attracting quality links to your site.<\/p>\n Another benefit to using the tool is the opportunity to discover negative SEO. While gathering link information, you might find artificial links pointing to your site that you did not generate. If you are<\/em> indeed negatively targeted by your competition, asking nicely to remove the links may not\u00a0work. While rare, negative SEO is a great example of when disavowing links can stop poor-quality links from harming your site.<\/p>\n As mentioned above, Google states that<\/a> most sites should not need the\u00a0disavow links tool. In a Webmaster Hangout, John Mueller reiterated it this way:<\/p>\n That\u2019s kind of the goal with all of this. And that\u2019s why the disavow tool isn\u2019t like a main feature in Search Console. You kind of have to look for it explicitly. That\u2019s all done on purpose. Because for most sites you really don\u2019t need to focus on links that much.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Search Console Help<\/a> calls it an advanced tool and warns users to use the tool only if:<\/p>\n You have a considerable number of spammy, artificial, or low-quality links pointing to your site, AND The links have caused a manual action, or likely will cause a manual action, on your site.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n So do you really need this tool?<\/strong><\/p>\n The short answer: probably. (Sorry, Google.)<\/p>\n Why? There are many reasons disavowing links might be the right choice for you, the first of which is that few sites have a perfect link profile.<\/p>\n If we think of your site like a home, over the years \u201cstuff\u201d accumulates. You have to dedicate time to finding the things that are no longer helpful and getting rid of them. From cleaning out the gutters to decluttering the garage, we know this is a necessary maintenance task.<\/p>\n Websites are no different. As sites age, they can attract more junk. Also, links that once were useful may now be broken or outright dangerous. As our founder, Bruce Clay says: \u201cEveryone has the weakest link. We all have links that we wish would go away.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s why many sites today have a disavow file. While initially envisioned as a last resort, disavow tools have become a required last step in a complete link-pruning process.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve worked to remove as many low-quality, off-topic, or spammy inbound links from your site, if you’ve found you\u2019re stuck with a few stragglers (which is very common), the disavow links tool might be the best way for you to avoid current or future penalty.<\/p>\n You might also want to use the tool if you\u2019re turning a new leaf in your SEO strategy. You or a past\u00a0vendor may have consciously created unnatural backlinks in the past. Whether or not you have been penalized for these backlinks\u00a0yet<\/em>, you\u2019re eager to follow the search engine’s guidelines. Using this tool helps you to get on the path of SEO best practices.<\/p>\n Here are other important reasons you might need to use the disavow links tool.<\/p>\n *Note: If you suspect negative SEO against your site, we strongly recommend working with an experienced SEO. Negative SEO that works is exceedingly rare. Commonly, the links cited as negative SEO are so bad that they cannot be missed. Generally, if you can easily identify spam, so can Google. We strongly recommend ruling out all other issues before determining that negative SEO has impacted your site.<\/p>\n If you fall into one or more of the categories mentioned above, the disavow links tool might be the best option for you.\u00a0That said, there are drawbacks and limitations to\u00a0disavowing links.<\/p>\n The biggest problem with the disavow links tools is that disavowing links may backfire on the user.<\/p>\n Sites may inadvertently damage their link profile during a clean-up effort. This often happens to sites with manual actions. You may be forced to prune links that still have value in the effort to appease Google. So, your site may end up getting unpenalized, but your link profile is severely depleted as a result.<\/p>\n For this reason, we greatly stress the importance of using search engine disavow\u00a0tools with the help of a professional and even offer an SEO Penalty Assessment Service<\/a> to help you.<\/p>\n Google\u2019s disavow links tool requires you to submit a list of the\u00a0domains and pages you wish Google\u00a0to ignore when evaluating your inbound link profile.<\/p>\n The first step to using the Google disavow links tool is to create a .txt file. Per Google\u2019s instructions, this file type has to be a.txt file encoded in UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII. Within this file, list\u00a0the URLs and\u00a0domains\u00a0you want to disavow; each domain and URL\u00a0should have its own line.<\/p>\n To include a domain-level link in the file, add \u201cdomain:\u201d before the URL of the domain home page (for example, \u201cdomain:shadyseo.com\u201d).<\/p>\n To submit a page-level link, simply list\u00a0the URL.<\/p>\n Add notes to each submission by starting the message with \u201c#\u201d on the line before the URL or domain listing.<\/p>\n\n
<\/a>Commentary on Google and Disavowal<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/p>\n<\/a>How Disavow Files Help You<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Who Needs a Disavow File?<\/h2>\n
You know you need a disavow links file if any of the following are true:<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Drawbacks and Limitations with\u00a0Disavowing Links<\/h2>\n
<\/a>How to Build a Disavow Links File for Google<\/h2>\n