Disavow tool

The Google Disavow Tool helps you to harmful backlinks to ignore and protect your website from ranking losses. It is particularly useful in cases of manual penalties, negative SEO attacks, or a sudden increase in toxic links.

Quick facts:

• What it does: Google tells you which links should be ignored.
• When to use: Only in cases of serious problems such as spam links or manual measures.
• Important steps:
  1. Analyze backlinks (e.g. with Ahrefs or Google Search Console).
  2. Identify problematic links (e.g., toxic domains, spam score > 50%).
  3. Create a disavow file and upload it to Google Search Console.

Note:

• Incorrect disavows can worsen rankings.
• Use this tool only if manual removal is not possible.

The Disavow tool is a powerful tool, but it should be used judiciously to improve your SEO performance in the long term.

Before using the Disavow tool

Check backlinks

The first step is a thorough analysis of your backlink profile. Google Search Console provides an overview of all incoming links. For a more detailed analysis, you can use tools such as... Ahrefs, SEMrush or Moz use.

Important metrics to keep an eye on:

The analysis of this data forms the basis for your next steps.

Identifying harmful backlinks

Be aware of the following signs that may indicate problematic links:

• A sudden increase in the number of backlinks
• Links from websites that are not thematically relevant to your site
• Unnatural-sounding anchor texts
• Links from pages overloaded with excessive advertising
• Connections to so-called Private Blog Networks (PBNs)

"Links created primarily to artificially manipulate search rankings are link spam. Our algorithms and manual measures aim to neutralize these unnatural links on a large scale, and we will continue to improve our coverage." Google

List problematic links

Create a structured list with the following information:

• Source URLNote the URL of the linking page and ensure it is formatted correctly as required by the Disavow tool.
• Quality assessmentEvaluate the links according to their potential harmfulness. SEMrush offers a helpful classification:
  • Toxic (60-100 points)
  • Potentially toxic (45-59 points)
  • Harmless (0-44 points)
• Additional InformationAdd relevant details, such as:
  • Anchor text
  • The target on your website that will be linked
  • Date on which the link was discovered
  • Reasons why the link was classified as problematic

This list will help you use the Disavow tool in a targeted and effective way.

Using the Disavow Tool: Step by Step

Create a disavow file

To create a disavow file, certain requirements must be met:

• file formatUTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII
• File extension: .txt
• Maximum URL length2.048 characters
• Maximum file size: 2 MB or 100.000 lines

The entries should be formatted as follows:

Submit file

Once the file is ready, it can be uploaded to the Google Search Console:

1. Go to your property in Google Search Console.
2. Upload the file and confirm the upload.
3. The system will automatically check the file. If errors occur, correct them and upload the file again.

After the upload, the monitoring of the results begins.

Monitor changes

Regularly check how the changes are affecting things:

• Check the section "Manual measures".
• Keep an eye on your organic traffic numbers.
• Document changes in the rankings.

Please note that processing may take several weeks. Use this time to implement further SEO measures and regularly check your backlinks.

Tips and common mistakes

After thoroughly analyzing your backlink profile, there are some important clues and typical pitfalls to be aware of.

Google guidelines

The disavow tool should only be used in cases of serious problems with harmful links. This recommendation is based on an analysis of your backlinks:

Here are some basic points:

• Manual link removalFirst, try manually removing problematic links.
• Regular updatesKeep your backlink documentation up to date.
• Use the correct profileMake sure you edit the correct backlink profile.

Avoid exaggerations

Overly aggressive use of the Disavow tool can lead to the removal of useful backlinks, which can negatively impact your rankings.

Regular link checks

Two measures are crucial for long-term success:

• Backlink auditUse tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs to identify new problematic links. Document every change.
• Performance controlMonitor rankings and traffic after disavow actions. If negative trends emerge, adjust your list accordingly.

Regular checks are crucial to ensure the long-term success of your SEO results.

Time until effect

How long it takes for the measures to become noticeable depends on several factors:

• First changesOften visible after just a few days.
• German ResultsUsually after 2-3 months.
• Frequent updates: Can enable a faster reassessment.

However, the long-term impact on SEO performance is often crucial, as the next example shows.

SEO results

To achieve positive SEO results, two things are particularly important:

• Regular monitoringContinuous analysis of ranking development and link profile is essential.
• Patience and consistencyThe full effects often only unfold through a gradual reassessment of the link profile.

"If you don't have a manual action available, you don't need to file a disavow!" – Gary Illyes, Google