7 Types of Bad Backlinks (Identify and Fix Them Faster)

Bad backlinks. They’re the bane of every SEO professional’s existence. 

It’s a constant battle against spammy tactics, algorithmic penalties, and outdated practices. 

And Google doesn’t make it easy. One day, it tells us to disavow bad links, the next, it tells us to ignore them. It’s frustrating. 

But here’s the thing: Understanding bad backlinks is crucial for maintaining a healthy site. In this post, I’ll share what I’ve learned about identifying, managing, and recovering from bad backlinks.

Whether you’re dealing with a penalty or just want to stay ahead of the curve, you’re in the right place.

What Are Bad Backlinks?

Bad links are external backlinks that can harm your site’s search engine rankings or potentially trigger a manual penalty. Essentially, they’re any links that Google might view as manipulative or low quality. Bad links come in many forms, which we’ll explore in detail later in this post. The common thread is that they’re often created to manipulate search rankings rather than provide value to users.

Even links that used to be valuable can turn bad if the linking site’s quality degrades over time. The key is to remember that if a link wasn’t earned naturally and doesn’t provide value to users, it’s probably a bad link. 

To maintain a healthy backlink profile, you’ll need to be aware of these problematic links on your site, and decide what (if anything) you want to do about them.

Can Bad Backlinks Be a Problem?

This is where things get tricky. If you’ve been in SEO for a while, you’ve probably heard conflicting information about bad backlinks. On one hand, Google’s stance seems to be that they’re not a big deal. On the other, some SEO pros have seen evidence suggesting otherwise.

Let’s start with Google’s perspective. John Mueller, Google’s Search Advocate, has repeatedly downplayed the impact of bad backlinks. He’s even gone as far as saying that the concept of toxic links is “made up by SEO tools.” 

Mueller has advised against using the disavow tool in most cases, stating that it can sometimes do more harm than good. Google’s message seems to be: Focus on creating good content, and don’t worry about bad links.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Recent leaks of Google’s internal documentation tell a different story. These leaks suggest that the algorithm does recognize something called “BadBackLinks.” 

While we don’t know exactly how this works, it implies that Google might penalize pages with bad backlinks pointing to them.

So what’s the truth?

In my experience, bad backlinks can cause problems in some situations, and I’ve seen sites recover some organic traffic after cleaning up their link profiles. But I’ve also seen sites waste time and resources obsessing over every potentially problematic link.

The key is to find a balanced approach. Don’t panic over every suspicious link, but don’t ignore your backlink profile, either.

Types of Bad Links to Avoid

Now that we’ve covered the essentials, let’s dive into the types of bad or toxic backlinks you need to watch out for. These are often the culprits behind ranking drops and penalties.

1. Spammy Links

Spammy links are the low-hanging fruit of bad backlinks. They typically come from websites with auto-generated content or a high spam score. 

I’ve seen countless examples of these: gibberish articles, keyword-stuffed pages, and sites that seem to exist solely for link manipulation. 

Google’s algorithms have gotten pretty good at identifying these, and they’re often the first to be devalued. If you see a sudden influx of links from sites like these, beware.

2. Paid Links

Paid backlinks are a big no-no in Google’s book. You can’t buy your way to the top of search results (and if you try it, you’ll probably end up getting hit with a penalty).

The problem is that paid links violate Google’s guidelines on link schemes. They’re seen as attempts to manipulate page rankings. Even if they’re not explicitly labeled as paid, if money changed hands for a link, it’s risky. Google’s gotten better at identifying these, so it’s not worth taking the chance on paid backlinks.

3. Link Farms and PBNs

Link farms and Private Blog Networks (PBNs) are the industrialized version of paid links. They’re networks of websites created solely for the purpose of linking out. 

There are PBNs that look convincing at first glance, but when you look under the hood, they’re ultimately hollow. Google’s stance on these is clear: They’re against the rules. If you’re caught using them, you’re asking for trouble. The short-term gains aren’t worth the long-term risks.

4. Irrelevant Links

Irrelevant links are a tricky category. They’re not necessarily spammy, but they don’t add value, either. These links come from sites in completely unrelated niches or foreign-language websites that have nothing to do with your content. 

While they might not trigger a penalty, they’re unlikely to help your rankings. In my experience, relevance is key. A few high-quality, relevant backlinks will outperform a ton of irrelevant ones every time.

5. Links From Penalized Sites

This is a big red flag for Google. Getting links from penalized sites is like guilt by association. 

I’ve seen cases where a site’s rankings tanked simply because they had links from domains Google had already flagged. It’s crucial to monitor your backlink profile and the health of the sites linking to you. What was once a good link can turn bad if the linking site falls out of favor with Google.

6. Comment Links

These are links dropped in the comment sections of blogs, forums, or news sites. Comment spamming used to be a popular tactic, but it’s thankfully fallen out of favor. Still, it’s worth mentioning because it still occasionally pops up.

While legitimate comment links can be okay, mass-produced comment links are a clear violation of Google’s guidelines. They’re easy for algorithms to spot and more likely to hurt than help.

7. Too Many Backlinks on a New Website

This is a subtler issue, but one that trips up eager new site owners. While backlinks are generally helpful, a sudden influx of links to a brand-new website can look suspicious to Google. 

It’s not natural for a new site to instantly have hundreds of backlinks. When you’re building links, work gradually and patiently. Start slow, focus on quality, and let your link profile grow organically. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

How to Find Bad Backlinks

Finding bad backlinks is a crucial skill for any SEO professional. To simplify the process, you can use Semrush to perform a backlink analysis. 

Here are the steps you can take to help you analyze your backlink profile and uncover toxic backlinks:

Start by logging into your Semrush account and navigating to the Backlink Analytics tool.

Enter your domain and click “Analyze.”

The overview shows a breakdown of your backlink profile. Pay attention to the “Referring Domains” section.

Then click on the “Referring Domains” tab for a detailed list of sites linking to you.

Look for red flags such as domains with very low scores, sites in irrelevant niches, or suspicious-looking URLs.

Click on individual domains to see the specific pages linking to you and the anchor text used. Check things like the surrounding text and placement of the link.

Export your findings for further analysis or create a disavow file, if necessary (we’ll talk about how to disavow backlinks in the next section).

Remember, this is just a starting point. Not every low-scoring link is bad, and not every high-scoring link is good. Use these metrics as a guide, but always apply your own judgment. Look for patterns and try to spot anything that seems unnatural or manipulative.

How to Remove Toxic Backlinks

While Google’s stance on toxic backlinks is complicated, sometimes you may need to take action when you have toxic or spammy links pointing toward your site. 

Here’s a brief guide to disavowing backlinks.

• Assess the situation: Don’t panic over every suspicious link. Only consider removal if you received a Google manual action for unnatural backlinks, or if a large number of unnatural, poor-quality backlinks were added to your site in a short period of time. If you receive a Google penalty, you’ll need to disavow bad links to get your site out of trouble.
• Attempt manual removal: If possible, contact the webmasters of sites with problematic links and request removal. This is often the best first step.
• Use the Disavow Tool as a last resort: If manual removal isn’t possible, consider using Google’s Disavow Tool. But be cautious — this tool is for use in extreme cases.
• Create a disavow file: If you decide to disavow, create a .txt file listing the URLs or domains you want Google to ignore. You can create this file manually, or run a backlink audit in Semrush to automate and streamline the process.
• Submit to Google: Use the Disavow Tool in Google Search Console to upload your file.
• Monitor results: After disavowing, monitor your rankings and organic traffic. Remember, it may take time to see changes.

Disavowing links can be risky. It’s possible to accidentally disavow good links, which could hurt your rankings. Always err on the side of caution and only disavow links if you’re confident they’re causing harm.

Find Out More About Bad Backlinks and Connect with an SEO Community

Managing your backlink profile can feel like a big task. And as you’ve seen, the information we get from Google is constantly changing. That’s why continuous learning and connecting with other SEO professionals are so important.

If you want to expand your backlink knowledge and skills, join us at TTT Academy to get access to a wide range of lessons on backlinks and link building, including:

• Online Outreach: Earn Links, Not Cold Shoulders
• Link Building Management Strategies
• Kaizen-Style Link Building
• How to Earn Media Attention and Build High-Quality Backlinks

You also get access to a community of SEO experts and professionals, where you can discuss your challenges, share experiences, and get advice from people in the trenches every day.

Sign up for Traffic Think Tank Academy today and start mastering the art of building and managing high-quality backlinks.