Google’s Disavow Links Tool is an advanced feature designed to help webmasters address issues arising from unnatural or harmful backlinks that may negatively impact a site’s performance in Google Search results. However, it’s crucial to use this tool cautiously, as incorrect usage can harm your site’s visibility.
How to disavow backlinks – When to Use the Disavow Links Tool
Most websites do not need to use this tool, as Google can typically assess which links to trust without additional input. Consider using the Disavow Links Tool only if:
- Your site has a significant number of spammy, artificial, or low-quality links pointing to it.
- These links have led to a manual action by Google or are likely to cause one.
Before resorting to the tool, it’s recommended to attempt the removal of as many problematic links as possible directly from the web.
Steps to Disavow Links
- Create a List of Links to DisavowCompile a text file listing the URLs or domains you wish to disavow, adhering to the following guidelines:
- List one URL or domain per line.To disavow an entire domain or subdomain, prefix it with
domain:
(e.g.,domain:example.com
).The file must be in UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII format and end with a.txt
extension.The maximum file size is 2MB, and it can contain up to 100,000 lines, including comments and blank lines.Comments can be included by starting a line with#
; these lines will be ignored by Google.
- List one URL or domain per line.To disavow an entire domain or subdomain, prefix it with
# Two pages to disavow
http://spam.example.com/stuff/comments.html
http://spam.example.com/stuff/paid-links.html
# One domain to disavow
domain:shadyseo.com
- Upload the List
- Access the Disavow Links Tool.
- Select the appropriate property (note that the tool does not support Domain properties).
- Upload your prepared text file.
- If errors are detected in the file, they will be displayed immediately; correct them and re-upload the file.
Important Considerations
- The disavowal list applies only to the specific property to which it is uploaded and its child properties. For instance, if you have both HTTP and HTTPS versions of your site, you should upload the disavowal list to each property separately.
- Disavowed links will continue to appear in the Links report within Google Search Console.
- Use this tool only when necessary, as improper use can adversely affect your site’s performance in search results.
For more detailed information, refer to Google’s official documentation on disavowing links to your site.
How to disavow backlinks – Learn it from this video
Here is a youtube video on the topic which has decribed the entire process in detail :