SEO

How To Disavow Backlinks in Google Search Console

Akshay Krishnan
|
January 12, 2025
How To Disavow Backlinks in Google Search Console

Contents

Disavowing backlinks is a crucial process for maintaining the health of your website's SEO. This guide provides a detailed walkthrough on how to disavow backlinks using Google Search Console. The process is essential if you suspect that spammy or harmful links are affecting your site's ranking negatively.

This tutorial is tailored for marketing professionals seeking to enhance their SEO strategies.

Step-by-Step Tutorial on How To Disavow Backlinks in Google Search Console

Step 1: Determine the Need to Disavow

Before proceeding, ensure that disavowing links is necessary. Generally, you should disavow links if: - You have a significant number of spammy or low-quality links. - These links have led to or might cause a manual action against your site.

Step 2: Prepare the Disavow List

Create a .txt file listing all the URLs or domains you want to disavow: - Each entry should be on a separate line. - Use the format domain:example.com to disavow all links from a domain. - Ensure the file is encoded in UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII.

Step 3: Access the Disavow Tool

  1. Go to the Google Disavow Links Tool.
  2. Select the website property for which you want to disavow backlinks.
1 Following that, click on "".

Step 4: Upload the Disavow File

  1. Click on 'Upload disavow list'.
  2. Choose the .txt file you prepared and upload it.
3 Click on "Upload disavow list".

Step 5: Monitor the Impact

After uploading, it might take several weeks for Google to process your request and reflect any changes in ranking.

Conclusion

Disavowing backlinks is a strategic move to protect your site's SEO health. By following the steps outlined, you can effectively manage harmful backlinks. Remember, this should be a last resort after attempting to manually remove or resolve the problematic links.

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Frequently asked Questions

When should I consider disavowing backlinks?

Disavow backlinks if you have a high number of low-quality or spammy links that have caused or could cause a manual action against your site.

Can disavowing backlinks negatively impact my site's ranking?

Yes, if done incorrectly, disavowing backlinks can harm your site's SEO. It's crucial to ensure that only harmful links are disavowed.

How long does it take for Google to process a disavow request?

It can take several weeks for Google to process a disavow request and for the changes to impact your site's ranking.

Can I undo a disavowed link?

Yes, you can remove a URL from your disavow file and re-upload the file. However, it may still take some time for Google to re-evaluate and reinstate the link's influence.

Is it necessary to disavow links if they haven’t caused a manual action?

While Google can often identify and ignore bad links, disavowing might still be beneficial if you suspect a risk of future manual actions.

Akshay Krishnan
How To Disavow Backlinks in Google Search Console
Akshay is a B2B SaaS SEO specialist with 4 years of experience helping startups and scaleups in the SaaS industry grow their online presence. At TripleDart, he oversees SEO and content operations for his clients, making sure that every strategy is well-executed and aligned with business goals.

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