Most websites receive spammy links they never asked for. Google has said it generally ignores these, so most sites do not need to disavow anything.
When to ignore
- Random spam links from low-quality sites.
- Scraper sites copying your content.
- Links you did not build or pay for.
When to consider disavowing
- You received a manual action for unnatural links in Search Console.
- You or a previous provider bought links or ran link schemes at scale.
How the disavow tool works
- List domains or URLs to disavow in a text file.
- Upload through Google’s disavow links tool.
- Google treats them as hints to ignore.
Using it carelessly can remove useful links.
Investigating drops
Before blaming links, check other causes; measure changes with our percentage change calculator. Inspect suspicious URLs with our URL parser.
Read manual actions and backlink audits.
Want the full picture? This article is part of SEO: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
