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How to Identify and Resolve Unnatural Links: 10 Essential SEO Tips

July 12, 2024
How to Identify and Resolve Unnatural Links - Link Genius

Unnatural links can harm your website’s search engine rankings and lead to penalties from Google. It’s crucial to identify and resolve these links to maintain your site’s SEO health. In this blog post, we’ll cover 10 essential tips to help you spot and fix unnatural links.

In this article: 

Unnatural links are backlinks that Google considers manipulative or spammy. These links violate Google’s guidelines and can result in penalties, harming your site’s search engine rankings. Unnatural links often come from low-quality sites, irrelevant content, or are part of link schemes.

  • Penalties: Google can penalize your site, resulting in a significant drop in rankings.
  • Reduced Trust: Unnatural links can make your site appear less trustworthy to search engines.
  • Wasted Resources: Spending time and money on unnatural links doesn’t provide long-term SEO benefits.

1. Use Google Search Console

Use Google Search Console to Find Unnatural Links - Link Genius

Google Search Console is a free tool that helps you monitor your site’s presence in Google search results. It can alert you to potential issues, including unnatural links. Using Google Search Console helps you stay informed about any link-related issues and take action quickly.

Log in to Google Search Console and look for any manual actions or messages from Google about unnatural links. Use the “Links” report to see which sites are linking to yours.

2. Perform a Backlink Audit

A backlink audit involves reviewing all the links pointing to your site to identify any that might be harmful. Implementing regular audits and other backlink management strategies help you maintain a healthy link profile and spot problems early.

Here are the steps:

  1. Use Tools: Tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush can help you perform a detailed backlink audit.
  2. Export Links: Export the list of backlinks to review them.
  3. Identify Unnatural Links: Look for links from low-quality sites, irrelevant content, or link farms.

3. Check Link Quality

Not all links are created equal. Assessing the quality of each backlink is crucial in identifying unnatural ones. Checking link quality helps you focus on building valuable, natural links that boost your SEO.

Use tools to check the domain authority of linking sites. Natural links often have varied anchor text, while unnatural ones might use exact match keywords excessively.

4. Monitor Anchor Text Distribution

Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. An unnatural pattern of anchor text can signal manipulative linking practices. Monitoring anchor text helps you maintain a natural link profile, which is crucial for avoiding penalties.

Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush can show you the anchor text distribution of your backlinks. Identify any overuse of exact match keywords or suspiciously uniform anchor text. Encourage a natural variety and relevance in anchor text to avoid appearing manipulative.

5. Disavow Harmful Links

Google Search Console's Disavow Tool - Link Genius

If you find harmful links pointing to your site, you can use Google’s Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore them. Disavowing harmful links can help prevent penalties and improve your site’s search engine rankings.

Follow these steps to disavow links:

  1. Create a List: Compile a list of URLs and domains to disavow.
  2. Submit to Google: Use Google’s Disavow Tool to submit the list.
  3. Monitor Results: Keep an eye on your site’s performance to see the impact of the disavowal.

6. Reach Out to Webmasters

Contacting the webmasters of sites with unnatural links to your site can sometimes get those links removed. Removing harmful links manually can improve your link profile and reduce the risk of penalties.

Find the contact details of the linking site’s webmaster and politely ask them to remove the unnatural link. If necessary, follow up to ensure the link is removed.

7. Focus on Earning Natural Links

Ways to Earn Links Naturally - Link Genius

The best defense against unnatural links is a good offense: build high-quality, natural links through great content and outreach. Earning natural links strengthens your link profile and boosts your SEO without the risk of penalties.

Publish content that others naturally want to contextually link to. Build relationships with influencers and bloggers in your niche. Use social media and other channels to increase the online visibility of your content.

8. Use Social Media

Social media can help you earn natural backlinks by increasing the reach and visibility of your content. Social traffic and engagement can lead to more natural backlinks and improve your site’s overall SEO.

Share your content on social media platforms regularly. Respond to comments and engage with your audience. Foster a community around your brand to encourage sharing and contextual linking to your content.

9. Keep Up with SEO Updates

SEO is constantly evolving. Staying informed about the latest updates and best practices helps you avoid penalties. Keeping up with SEO updates helps you stay ahead of changes and maintain a healthy link profile.

Some tips to remember:

  1. Follow SEO Blogs: Subscribe to reputable SEO blogs and websites.
  2. Attend Webinars: Participate in SEO webinars and online conferences.
  3. Network with Experts: Join SEO communities and forums to learn from other professionals.

10. Monitor Your Link Profile

Regular monitoring of your link profile helps you quickly identify and address any issues before they become major problems. This ensures your link profile remains healthy and your site avoids penalties.

Use tools to set up alerts for new backlinks. Make it a habit to review your backlinks at least once a week. Quickly address any suspicious or harmful links you find.

Keep Your Site Healthy

Unnatural links can be a major threat to your website’s SEO health, but by following these tips, you can identify and resolve these issues effectively. From using tools like Google Search Console to performing regular backlink audits and focusing on earning natural links, these strategies will help you maintain a strong and healthy link profile.

As you tackle unnatural links, complement your efforts with Link Genius to boost your SEO. Elevate your SEO strategy today.

Even after a decade as a content and copywriter, Marijim continues to refine her skills and expand her expertise. Passionate about digital marketing, she excels in on-page SEO and has a proven track record of enhancing website content to drive traffic and boost domain authority.