How To Use Google Disavow Tool

Backlinks are an essential part of an overall SEO strategy. However, not all backlinks are beneficial for your website. In some cases, they can negatively affect your chances of appearing high in internet search results. As such, managing your backlink profile is a crucial part of your link strategy.  

Good backlink management isn’t just about obtaining links that matter; it also means getting rid of those potentially harming your site – but how do you do this? To answer that very question, we’ve created this handy guide on the topic, discussing common search queries from ‘what is Google Disavow tool’ and ‘what does Google’s link disavow tool do’ to ‘how to disavow poor-quality backlinks’. 

Disavowing Links 

Analysing your backlink profile and auditing your links will highlight potential issues and flag any problematic links that may be causing Google to penalise your site. The process of devaluing links entails identifying these ‘bad’ links in your profile and requesting their removal. This is where the question ‘what is Google disavow tool’ is answered: it’s a valuable tool that allows you to upload poor-quality backlinks and have them removed, after which they are usually discarded as per your request  

While you can disavow links with the Google Disavow tool, there’s also the option of using software such as Semrush, which integrates your Google Search Console and Analytics, thus taking care of the whole process.  

What Is a Bad Link? 

Many people can see the difference between a good and bad link immediately. Most bad links come from spammy sites and are irrelevant to your website or content. In the past, some companies sold links in bulk, which typically ended up with businesses having hundreds of low-quality backlinks pointing to their websites. However, Google soon wised up to this, and anyone caught using these tactics suffered penalties. 

Generally, there is also a misconception that all low-authority sites are bad for your link profile. However, having a few irrelevant links in the mix shouldn’t cause any issues. If you have too many, though, this could be harming your website’s authority and, thus, its search engine ranking, which is why it’s important to check your backlink profile regularly. 

Manual Actions from Google 

If you receive a manual action from Google, you will find it in your Webmaster Tools. Head to the sidebar menu and select Search Traffic, then Manual Actions. Google will let you know the type of penalty you’ve received.  

The most common issues include: 

• Hacked website 

• Unnatural links  
• Spam 
• Keyword stuffing 
• Cloaking redirects  

If Google has identified any of the above, it could apply to specific pages or your entire website. Manual actions for unnatural links are among the most common problems; however, they’re easy to rectify. 

Manual actions can result in a minor drop in the search rankings or significant losses in traffic, so it’s vital to resolve them quickly – but don’t worry too much; most fixes are straightforward. Once these issues are cleared up, you can submit a reconsideration request to Google to get your manual actions removed.  

When to Disavow Links 

It’s not wise to disavow every link you deem bad. Sure, removing backlinks from your profile can have a positive effect on your SEO – but you also have to be prepared for the opposite. So, before doing anything hasty, analyse your profile thoroughly to determine the precise links that are affecting your website. This process can be challenging and time-consuming, but the rewards are more than worth it. 

Check out Google’s Webmaster guidelines for more details – the information contained within these is incredibly useful when learning how to disavow links in Google Webmaster tools. 

What to Do Before Using the Google Disavow Tool  

Google’s disavow tool is a great way to eliminate spammy links. However, it shouldn’t be your first port of call. Using this feature tells Google that something is harming your site, and it’s always best to analyse the information correctly before making any decisions and effectuating changes.  

Google has advised website owners to approach the linking website first before starting the disavow process. In most cases, you can find an email address or phone number and ask them politely to remove it.  

If you get a response and the link is removed, this is ideal. If not, then it might be time to disavow it. Some websites may not have contact details and are purely spam sites. In this case, if it’s hurting your SEO efforts, the only option would be to disavow the link.  

What Is the Google Disavow Tool?  

Within Google Search Console, you can upload a list of links you want Google to consider taking off your backlink profile. Naturally, there is a specific format to follow, so this should be done with caution.  

How to Use Google Disavow Tool 

Learning how to use Google disavow tool might sound challenging for those who’ve never used it before. However, once the basics are mastered, it’s fairly simple to use. 

First, you need to create a list of links you want to disavow. Google has specific instructions on how to do this. The format must follow: 

• The list should be in a text file – .txt 

• One domain or URL per line  
• Maximum URL is 2048 characters 
• Maximum file size is 2MB and 100,000 lines, including blank spaces 
• The file must be a text file encoded in UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII 

The Google disavow tool displays as a box and warns you of the implications of this process. In addition, a drop-down box allows you to select the property, so if you have more than one website, ensure you’ve picked the right one.  

Here, you can then upload your list, and any errors in the file will be displayed immediately. Once you’ve corrected any errors, upload it again. When the upload is successful, Google takes a couple of weeks to process and re-crawl your website. Voila! You now know how to use Google disavow tool – simple.