What is Google Disavow Tool and How to Use It Effectively in

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Webmasters know that a site's position in search results also depends on the quality of its link mass. However, links accumulate naturally very slowly, even if we are talking about projects with a lot of content and a regular audience.

What is Google Disavow Tool and How to Use It Effectively in 2021



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Therefore, optimizers try to reduce the promotion period with the help of link building, and many do not think about the consequences. Instead of a flow of targeted traffic, the promoted resource may receive sanctions.



Google has long been fighting against artificial links and penalizing sites that used backlink exchange schemes or purchased links on exchanges. The search engine algorithms are constantly learning to quickly find unnatural links and impose restrictions on projects that violate promotion recommendations.



1. What is Disavow Tool

Google Disavow Tool is a  tool for disavowing links in Search Console. The Google team announced it in 2012 and gave site owners the ability to refuse backlinks from certain projects.



The Disavow Tool has a mixed content writing service reputation among SEOs. Some believe that adding links to it is useless because they continue to be taken into account as part of the ranking signals. Others argue that it is worth updating the file periodically to protect the site from possible sanctions.



In April 2012, Google released the Penguin algorithm, designed to combat artificial links. In the early stages, it did a poor job of recognizing unnatural placements.



The latest update, Google Penguin 4.0, was released in the fall of 2016. Since then, search engine representatives and experienced optimizers have agreed that Google algorithms recognize most low-quality links on their own and do not take them into account as part of a site's profile. Therefore, the question of the advisability of rejecting links arose.



Even experienced optimizers do not always know how to use the Disavow Tool. If the site feels great in organic search results and competitors do not conduct negative SEO attacks, there is no need for it. Although most webmasters use the link disavow tool when the promoted resource has already received a penalty for violating SEO recommendations.





















2. When to use the Disavow Tool

When asked by SEO specialists about the advisability of using the link disavowal tool, Google representatives almost always give the same answer. They say that most sites do not need it and that a file with a list of domains or addresses should be created in the case of manual sanctions or when there is confidence that they will soon be imposed.



John Mueller noted in one of the video conferences with webmasters that the Disavow Tool is useful for sites that actively used link exchange schemes and bought backlinks. And if traffic suddenly dropped after the Core Update, there is no guarantee that the drop was caused by links.



Some webmasters ignore the recommendations, add dozens of links to the Disavow Tool file and do not take the time to thoroughly check the quality of backlinks. As a result, traffic may not recover at all, because the reason was not in the links.



Another global problem with using the backlink disavow tool is that you can’t know which links are ignored by Google’s algorithms. Accordingly, the Disavow Tool file may contain backlinks that no longer have weight.



2.1. There are many low-quality links leading to your site

Low-quality backlinks are generated chaotically. New doorways and other resources that are of no value to users appear on the Internet every day. Mentions from such projects can be detrimental to organic SEO.



Before adding a subdomain or URL of a specific page to the disavow file, you need to make sure that the link can really negatively affect the future of the promoted resource. If the quality of the site is questionable, it is advisable to send a signal to Google algorithms so that they stop taking into account all backlinks from the dangerous domain.



2.2. Links triggered manual sanctions

One common scenario where the Disavow Tool needs to be used is when manual sanctions are imposed on a site. Manual actions point to a specific cause and give the resource owner a hint on the direction to take to lift the restrictions.



Manual sanctions usually apply to sites that openly manipulate ranking algorithms. For example, if a project is linked to by irrelevant resources and the anchor list is 90% commercial anchors with keys.



Google has huge resources for processing large amounts of information. Neural networks are constantly learning, and search engine representatives have repeatedly said that algorithms have long learned to distinguish natural placements from sponsored ones based on a number of characteristic features.







3. What links are considered low quality

According to Google representatives, any link that appeared unnaturally is of low quality. If a webmaster put a backlink in exchange for money or a backlink, this is a violation of recommendations and manipulation of ranking algorithms.



The tool for disavowing links was created to combat attacks from competitors or the chaotic appearance of backlinks from low-quality sites. If the webmaster cannot influence their removal from donor resources, it is necessary to connect the Disavow Tool to the solution of the problem.



All SEOs try to reject low-quality backlinks before the site gets manual penalties. Manual measures will remain in effect for some time after the signal is sent to Search Console that the problem has been resolved.



Google representatives have repeatedly said that after the release of Penguin 4.0, the algorithm for recognizing spam links has become more accurate, but the Disavow Tool is still relevant. If a webmaster notices an abnormal growth of backlinks, he can reject them and buy time until the algorithms scan the new content.



3.1. Paid links

Google is against any link exchange schemes, and paid backlinks can lead to sanctions, making the path to restoring trust very difficult. One of the scenarios for using Google Disavow Tool involves combating paid links.



If the algorithms detect that a site is linked to by many irrelevant donors and the signals determine that the backlinks are paid, the site may be subject to sanctions.



Rejecting paid links is one of the standard tasks for webmasters who have failed to follow security recommendations, which is why their projects have come under the scrutiny of Google algorithms. The search engine representatives recommend paying attention to sponsored backlinks first if there is a suspicion of filters.



3.2. Links from PBN

Google is against artificial methods of getting backlinks. These include the Private Blog Network - a network of affiliate projects that are created to increase the ranking of the main site.



If the algorithms detect the network and are able to link the projects by indirect signs, they will be subject to sanctions along with the main resource. Google has been fighting PBN for a long time : it excludes pages from the index, lowers positions and tries to convince webmasters to stop using dishonest methods of fighting for high positions.







3.3 Low quality listings and directories

Links from site directories are part of the profile of almost every resource presented in search engines. Sometimes backlinks appear chaotically, without the webmaster's intervention, and in most cases they do not require a prompt response.



The decision to use a disavow tool for listing and directory mentions should be made if there is a clear belief that the links may affect the site's organic ranking.



3.4. Comments

Google added the nofollow attribute to combat spam links from comments. This was not enough, because such placements were still taken into account by the search engine algorithms.





The disavow tool was created as an effective tool for combating problematic backlinks, and it is ideal for Google to stop considering links from comments that usually do not benefit the promoted site.



If your profile constantly contains links from comments on several resources and you are sure that they are low-quality, you can disavow the domains in the Google Disavow Tool and forget about the problem.



3.5. Spam attacks

Spam attacks are a pressing issue for large information sites and commercial projects, where there is a constant struggle for high positions in search engines. Competitors can create doorways to lower the site's rating, which prevents them from gaining visibility in organic search results.



Most often, optimizers detect spam attacks when they see a sharp jump in backlinks on the graphs. And even then, it’s not too late to address the problem. Backlinks do not immediately become part of the profile. Google does not always update data in real time, and ranking algorithms take into account thousands of microfactors at the same time.