Disavow Tool

To analyse the links and prepare the work for Disavow, I need specific access and data. It is essential to make domain verification possible, so that the work concerns the right version of the domain and the file can later be submitted in the right place. An export of inbound links is also necessary, as it is the basis for merging the sources into a single working set. In addition, information about earlier link building activity and about any earlier disavow files is important.

Based on this data I create a working table of links for assessment and tidy it up before the risk analysis. The working set includes: the linking URL, the domain, the target page, the link type (if available), the date of detection (if available) and notes. This structure makes it easier to identify patterns and domain clusters later, and supports decision-making about the level of disavowal (URL or domain). It also has to be taken into account that the service is based on link data that may be incomplete, which affects how it is interpreted and how cautious the decisions are.

• The ability to verify the domain.
• An export of inbound links to be merged into a single working set.
• Information about earlier link building activity.
• Information about earlier disavow files (if any were submitted).

Assessing the risk of unnatural links consists of analysing the quality and intent of the links in terms of the risk of unnaturalness and the potential impact on visibility. At this stage I identify patterns that may indicate spam activity or systemically low-quality sources, and I also group the domains into clusters that make decision-making easier. The analysis is based on the available set of links and its completeness, which is why I word the conclusions cautiously, especially in ambiguous cases. The result is an organised picture of which elements of the profile need clarifying and which qualify for disavowal.

Signals of unnatural links that I take into account in the analysis

• Mass sources and recurring linking patterns.
• Suspicious private blog network sites and low-quality directories.
• Spam comments and profiles.
• Unnatural anchors.
• Sitewide links.
• Links from infected or non-existent pages.

Based on the assessment I make operational decisions for the individual entries: keep, to be clarified or to disavow, taking into account the risk of disavowing valuable links. In parallel, I establish the level of disavowal: a single URL, when the problem is isolated, or the whole domain, when the source is systemically low-quality or spammy. If it makes operational sense in a given case, I also consider whether to try to have the links removed through contact, or to move straight to disavow, depending on the scale and the availability of contact details. These decisions are the basis for the next stages of preparing the file and for further recommendations.

Preparing and implementing the disavow file consists of building the file in the correct format, in line with the approved decisions and the chosen level of disavowal (URL/domain). Only the items accepted for disavowal go into the file, and where necessary I add working comments that support an audit of the decisions. The file is versioned (e.g. date/version), so that it is clear which version was prepared and when. The scope of work at this stage depends, among other things, on the scale of the link profile, the number of suspicious domain clusters, multilingualism, the history of earlier disavow files and whether outreach was carried out.

Implementation consists of submitting the file in the right place for the right version of the domain and confirming the update. Depending on the situation, this is the first submission of the file or the replacement of the previous file with a new version. After implementation I provide confirmation that the file has been updated for the indicated domain, together with a record of the file version used in the implementation. Such a record makes it easier to track changes later and to refer back to specific decisions when new risky domains appear or further action is needed.