{"id":71803,"date":"2019-02-05T12:32:39","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T18:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/?post_type=resource&p=71803"},"modified":"2024-01-23T13:21:54","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T19:21:54","slug":"backlink-disavow","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/backlink-disavow\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Remove or Disavow Links on WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Usually, backlinks provide a boost to your site\u2019s Search Engine Optimization (SEO)<\/a>. There are some times, however, when that\u2019s not the case. Links to your site from disreputable sources, such as untrustworthy sites or spam comments, can actually cause your SEO rankings to drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s worse, sometimes you won\u2019t even know that these undesirable backlinks exist. Therefore, It\u2019s important to regularly check for unwanted links to your site, so you can have them removed or disavowed. That way, you can keep your SEO standings intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll explain how backlinks can work against your site and why you may want to eliminate some of them. Then we\u2019ll show you how to find and disavow bad backlinks. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why You Should Disavow Unwanted Links to Your Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Backlinks are URLs leading to your website from other sites. Quality backlinks can drive traffic, and improve your SEO. However, some site owners place backlinks to their sites all over the web\u2014including on unrelated or disreputable sites and in spam comments\u2014to try and improve their SEO dishonestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To combat these unethical linking tactics, Google devalues sites with \u201cbad\u201d backlinks. In other words, it\u2019s the quality and not just the quantity of backlinks that matters to Google\u2019s algorithm when it\u2019s determining how to rank your pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a comment on a fashion blog post with a link to a site selling dog food would be suspicious, since pet food has nothing to do with the blog\u2019s subject. This would be a bad backlink for the dog food seller, and might negatively impact their SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bad backlinks to your site can even be placed without your knowledge. So it\u2019s important to regularly check for them, even if you stay away from shady practices. In fact, we\u2019d recommended that you audit your site\u2019s backlinks at least once or twice a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Find Links to Your Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you can determine which backlinks are good and bad, you\u2019ll need to find them. Let\u2019s look at a few techniques for locating your site\u2019s backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 1: Google Search Console<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Google<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Google Search Console<\/a> is a service for monitoring your site\u2019s Search Engine Results Page (SERP) rankings. If you\u2019ve verified your site<\/a> with Search Console, you\u2019ll gain access to information about your site\u2019s backlinks, as well as other important SEO considerations. You can use Search Console for free, and in conjunction with other Google tools (such as Google Analytics<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 2: Moz<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"moz<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Link Explorer<\/a> feature from Moz<\/a>, a popular SEO platform, can be used to find and evaluate all the backlinks to your site. Moz has a reputation<\/a> as a leading SEO service provider, and is also known for offering excellent resources and education. The Link Explorer can be used ten times per month with a free Moz account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 3: Ahrefs<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"ahrefs<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another highly-recommended<\/a> SEO service provider, Ahrefs<\/a> has a powerful Site Explorer<\/a> tool that can deliver the information you\u2019ll need to conduct a thorough backlinks audit. It also evaluates your site\u2019s backlink features, including anchor text and referring domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Identify Low-Quality Links to Your Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve located your site\u2019s backlinks, it\u2019s time to determine which ones are problematic. The following four steps will help you do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: View All Site Backlinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re using one of the tools mentioned above, you\u2019ll be able to view a list of all the backlinks to your site. You can either export this list as a CSV file, to view all the links in an organized spreadsheet, or simply work within your backlist auditing tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there are ways to automate your backlink analysis, these reports aren\u2019t always entirely accurate. So it\u2019s best to double-check them by evaluating your links manually as well. You wouldn\u2019t want to miss a bad backlink, or accidentally disavow a good one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: View Spam Scores for All Links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A spam score<\/a> is determined by evaluating a site for indicators of spam content. These indicators might include many instances of the same link, or a high percentage of \u201cfollow\u201d links, which impact SERP rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The backlinks to your site on websites with high spam scores are likely to come from spam comments. These will have a negative impact on your SEO, so you\u2019ll want to mark them for removal or disavowal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Check Domain Authority<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A site\u2019s Domain Authority (DA)<\/a> is an estimate of how well its content ranks on SERPs. Most auditing tools will provide an analysis of your backlinks\u2019 referring domains, which can help you weed out undesirable links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sites with low DA may be low quality, and therefore not a desirable location for your backlinks. However, new and small sites can also have low DAs without posing a threat to your SEO, so don\u2019t judge a backlink based on DA alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: Evaluate Anchor Text<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Quality backlinks will usually have anchor text<\/a> that is relevant, such as your brand\u2019s name, your site\u2019s URL, or keywords related to your page\u2019s content. Backlink auditing tools will list your backlinks\u2019 anchor text, to help you easily find any that seem suspicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unnatural backlink text that isn\u2019t relevant to your site is usually an indicator of spam links. Therefore, you\u2019ll want to mark any backlinks with suspicious anchor text for potential removal or disavowal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Disavow Links to Your Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At this point, you should have a list of backlinks you\u2019d like to stop from affecting your SEO. This is called \u201cdisavowing\u201d links\u2014let\u2019s look at how the process works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Download Links to Your Site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Using your backlink auditing tool, you should be able to export a list of all the backlinks to your site. In this list, you\u2019ll want to mark any unwanted backlinks, so you can have them removed or disavowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If possible, it\u2019s best to contact the site\u2019s owner before you disavow a link, and ask them to remove it. Once you\u2019ve removed as many bad backlinks as you can, you can disavow the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Save Unwanted Links as a .txt File<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To disavow your unwanted links, you\u2019ll need to save your list as a plain text file. You can do this in Windows with Notepad, or by using TextEdit on a Mac. Simply copy and paste the links from your list into a .txt file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be absolutely sure that this file only contains links you want to disavow. Otherwise, you may accidentally prevent Google from taking good backlinks into account when it evaluates your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Upload Your File to the Disavow Links Tool<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can now upload your plain text file to the Google Disavow Links Tool. Do this by navigating to the tool, and selecting your website in the drop-down menu:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"disavow<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then click on Disavow Links, and upload your .txt file. It may take several weeks for the process to start making a difference in your site\u2019s SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that you\u2019ll still see the links you\u2019ve disavowed when you do another backlinks audit, since they haven’t actually been removed. However, they won\u2019t be used by Google to rank your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improve the Digital Experience With WP Engine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Optimizing your site is no small task, but the payoff can be very rewarding. Ensuring that your site\u2019s backlinks are of the best quality is just one way to give your site an extra boost when it comes to visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At WP Engine, we know that SEO is key to your site\u2019s success. That\u2019s why our fully managed WordPress hosting<\/a> and our plans<\/a> include plenty of features that can help you improve your site\u2019s SERP rankings, such as performance optimization tools and access to high-quality themes!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Usually, backlinks provide a boost to your site\u2019s Search Engine Optimization (SEO). There are some times, however, when that\u2019s not the case. Links to your site from disreputable sources, such as untrustworthy sites or spam comments, can actually cause your SEO rankings to drop. What\u2019s worse, sometimes you won\u2019t even know that these undesirable backlinks…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71804,"template":"","resource-topic":[904],"resource-role":[903,899],"resource-type":[916],"class_list":["post-71803","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Disavow Links on WordPress<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unwanted (or spam) links can make your site seem undesirable to search engines and can attract the wrong people to the site. 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