Disavowing Method Implementation
A Google Links Penalty is not something you want to happen to you, but it’s something you might have to cope with if Google discovers those poor links in your link profile. In this article, we’ll look at the steps involved in producing a Google Disavow file, submitting it to Google, and monitoring the outcomes.
In October 2012, Google announced the disavow tool to assist users who had previously engaged in “poor” link building and were looking for a solution to clean up their messed-up link profile. It wasn’t created for everyone who owns a website; rather, it was created for webmasters who utilized dubious link-building practices. Since its introduction, it has become a widely utilized tool for assisting people in recovering from both manual and algorithmic sanctions.
Some Information about the Disavow Tool
The procedure for disavowing links is a hot topic among SEOs. And we’re sure you’ve observed that there are a lot of different points of view out there, some of which have become myths. There are so many of them that there is even an article addressing 29 misconceptions about the Google Disavow tool. In this article, we’ll also address a few common misconceptions.
One of the myths we’d like to clarify shortly in this article is the number of links you disavow. Let’s be clear: you must disavow any artificial links that point to your website. The issue arises when you disavow useful links. If you go too far in your disavow process, which you will almost certainly do if you have a penalty, you risk deleting strong links, which will have an impact on your rankings long after the penalty is lifted. Though it is advised to use the disavow tool like a machete rather than a fine surgical knife when disavowing links, you should proceed with caution. Good links can be “un-disavowed” if they were previously disavowed. However, because Google has to crawl/index the links, the process of un-disavowing takes time. That time will cost your organization a lot of visitors, rankings, and, ultimately, money.
Possible Disavow Scenarios
Google had three scenarios in mind when they created the disavow tool:
1. Preemptive Strike
It is suggested to use the disavow tool as a surgical knife in this situation. If you detect some artificial links on your website and haven’t been punished yet, you’ll be in this situation. You can simply delete the harmful links from this page. You can even take chances with the ones that seem shady or who you aren’t sure about. If you’ve been the victim of a bad SEO attack, you may find yourself in this situation. If you see a large number of unnatural links in a short period, you can import those links into the Google disavow tool to avoid future penalties.
2. Penguin – Algorithmic Penalty
The second situation in which you’ll want to use the disavow tool is if you’re stuck with a Penguin penalty. This is when you use the “machete” previously mentioned. In this case, it is advised to disavow ALL artificial connections and pay particular attention to the ones that seem questionable. After eliminating the linkages, the penguin algorithm runs as a “one-off event” every few months (or years), thus patience will be your only ally. Always strive to diversify your link profile and begin adopting natural link-building tactics.
3. Manual Penalty
A manual penalty is another situation where you’ll need to employ the disavow tool. If you are subjected to a Manual Penalty, Google will explain why they have taken this step. You can check the reason for the action in Google Webmaster Tools, and if it’s a link-related issue, the disavow tool is a wonderful way to get rid of the bad links. You may need to make a reconsideration request, explaining your removal outreach effort and thorough disavow activity, to get rid of the penalty. Your reconsideration request will be manually examined by Google workers, as the penalty was given manually. Google replies to reconsideration requests in roughly 6 weeks on average (sometimes it can take less, but there are some cases in which Google responded in 3 months or more).
Should a Link Audit Process Include Disavowing Links?
The procedure of disavowing links is an important aspect of the link audit. This cannot be emphasised enough. Identifying the penalty risk has been a major priority in every link audit since Google began issuing penalties for unnatural links. The catch is that you must be very confident that the links you put in the disavow file are indeed harmful, and that you do not go around eliminating good connections and causing your website’s rankings to fall.
How to Build an Accurate Disavow List
To create the most accurate disavow list, one must examine links from all possible sources. Even though we acquire the majority of the links automatically, it’s best to also import them via GWT. Keep in mind that the GWT does not contain all of the links. We propose importing links from whatever source you have to create a thorough and up-to-date link profile.
When establishing a disavow file, another recommended practice is to add domains rather than links to the disavow list wherever possible. The reason it is recommended is that if a domain points one unnatural link to your site, there’s a good possibility it’ll link to you again in the future with another detrimental link (via site-wides or other places on the site where that link is posted). If you’re certain those domains are good, but the connection still looks strange, request that the webmaster of that domain add a NoFollow tag to your link. Only disavow a link at the domain level if you’re certain there’s no way to remove or add a nofollow tag to it.
Conclusions
Your prospects of ranking recovery are good if you were successful with your disavow process. However, there are times when a ranking recovery is not possible. This is because Google no longer considers the links that are used to boost your ranks. You have the option to develop again in any case.
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