Getting Rid Of Spammy Backlinks: Tips From RNF Technologies
Did you know that more than 75% of internet users don't go past the first page of search results?
In such a scenario, it makes sense for businesses to compete ferociously for the top rank on Google! In fact, your competitors may also take this a bit further and kickstart a negative SEO campaign against your business to bring down your rankings.
If left unchecked, this can hinder your business' growth and also affect your online visibility. In serious cases, your business website may be marked as "spammy" or "fraudulent."
Such malicious parties can do this by linking your business website to questionable websites, spinning bad reviews around your business, or erasing your high-quality backlinks. In this piece, we will tackle the first problem.
Explained simply, backlinks involve linking one website to another. When high-quality websites link back to your business website, Google believes that this has been done because your content is authoritative and valuable. Inevitably, good backlinks help to improve your website's search engine rankings in the long run.
Spam backlinks, on the other hand, do the opposite. These links direct people to your website through suspicious and sleazy websites. Also known as toxic links, they are notorious for bringing down your organic rankings.
So, not all backlinks are bad. Most of them are great for your web presence and business. However, here are the scammy and fraudulent ones that you should absolutely avoid:
Links from flagged websites.
Links on gambling websites or on sites that are not related to your business.
Removing spammy and fraudulent backlinks can be a bit tricky. However, it is a necessary step that must be taken so that your web presence is not negatively impacted. Here are some of the primary measures you can take to eliminate them:
Identify their origin: You can use a variety of tools, including Moz and SEMRush, which specifically highlight toxic links. These also have indicators, such as spam scores, for you to ascertain whether the website is actually a suspicious one.
Ask them to remove the backlink: Send a request to the webmaster after jotting down the contact details from the problematic website. While the chances of removal of such spammy and fraudulent backlinks are low, this is an essential step that you must perform, as per Google.
Send in a “disavow” file to Google: Now is the time to open up Google Search Console and send in all the links that should ideally be disregarded by Google while ranking your website. We recommend that you do this only after carefully assessing the websites in question. You don't want to commit the mistake of losing out on good backlinks! If your case is strong enough, Google will do the needful.
Spammy backlinks can be significant hindrances for businesses working hard to maintain a respectable online presence. However, if you follow the steps mentioned above every now and then, you will easily be able to tackle this menace without having to run from pillar to post!
Faisal Abidi is the Co-Founder and Director of RNF Technologies since 2009. He has also co-founded other ventures, namely Phonato Studios, Resourcifi, and FNR Technologies. He started his career with Google India working in the online marketing space where he was recognized and rewarded for his innovative product ideas. Google was followed by British Telecom where he worked as an analyst and was involved in all aspects of marketing and business management of the highest level. He is a marketing and a tech enthusiast and has been invited by Google to speak on various online marketing trends. His professional interests lie in the areas of branding, digital marketing, and developing anti-fraud, and anti-scam tech solutions.
