How to Disavow Backlinks in Google Search Console (Complete Guide)

Bad backlinks can damage your search rankings, but Google’s disavow tool should only be used as a last resort. In fact, Google now recommends disavowing links only if you’ve received a manual action notice for unnatural links. For most websites, Google’s algorithms are sophisticated enough to ignore low-quality links automatically.

This guide covers when you actually need to disavow backlinks, how to identify truly harmful links, and the step-by-step process for using Google Search Console’s disavow tool.

When Should You Disavow Backlinks?

Before reaching for the disavow tool, understand when it’s actually necessary:

You SHOULD disavow if:

• You’ve received a manual action notice in Google Search Console for “Unnatural links to your site”
• You previously used link schemes or bought links and want to clean up your link profile
• You have clear evidence of a negative SEO attack with thousands of spammy links appearing suddenly

You probably DON’T need to disavow if:

• You simply see some low-quality sites linking to you (this is normal)
• You haven’t received a manual action notice
• Your rankings dropped and you’re looking for something to blame (link spam is rarely the cause)
• A backlink tool flagged some links as “toxic” (these tools often over-report problems)

Google’s John Mueller has repeatedly stated that for most sites, the disavow tool isn’t necessary. Google is generally good at ignoring spammy links automatically.

How to Identify Harmful Backlinks

If you’ve determined you need to disavow links (typically after receiving a manual action), here’s how to identify which links are problematic.

Signs of Harmful Links

• Link farms and private blog networks (PBNs): Sites that exist solely to sell or exchange links, often with thin content and hundreds of outbound links per page
• Foreign language spam sites: Random links from sites in languages unrelated to your content, especially gambling, adult, or pharmaceutical sites
• Comment spam at scale: Links from automated comment spam across hundreds of blogs
• Directory spam: Submissions to hundreds of low-quality, irrelevant directories
• Exact-match anchor text abuse: Hundreds of links with the same commercial keyword anchor text (a clear signal of manipulation)
• Scraped content sites: Sites that copy content from others and add links

Tools for Backlink Auditing

To audit your backlinks, use one of these tools:

• Google Search Console: Free. Go to Links > External links > Top linking sites. Limited data but shows what Google knows about.
• Ahrefs: Comprehensive backlink database with spam indicators. Site Audit feature flags potentially harmful links.
• Semrush: Backlink Audit tool specifically designed to identify toxic links with a “toxicity score”.
• Moz Link Explorer: Shows “spam score” for linking domains.

Important: Don’t blindly trust “toxic link” scores from these tools. They often flag legitimate links. Manually review any link before adding it to your disavow file.

Metrics to Evaluate

When manually reviewing links, check:

• Domain Rating/Authority: Very low scores (under 10) combined with other red flags can indicate spam
• Traffic: Sites with zero organic traffic and no real visitors are suspicious
• Relevance: A link from a completely unrelated site isn’t necessarily bad, but irrelevance combined with other factors is concerning
• Outbound links per page: Pages with 50+ external links are likely selling or farming links
• Site quality: Actually visit the site. Does it look like a real website? Is the content original?

Step-by-Step: How to Disavow Links in Google Search Console

Once you’ve identified links that need to be disavowed, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create Your Disavow File

Create a plain text file (.txt) with the links you want Google to ignore:

1. Open a text editor (Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac in plain text mode)
2. List each URL or domain you want to disavow, one per line
3. For individual pages: use the full URL
4. For entire domains: use domain: prefix
5. Add comments with # to document your reasoning
6. Save as UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII encoding

Example disavow file:

# Links from obvious link farm
domain:linkfarm-example.com

# Spammy blog comment links
http://spamblog.com/post-with-my-link.html
http://anotherspam.net/article123.php

# Foreign language gambling spam
domain:casino-spam-ru.com
domain:betting-links.net

# Contacted for removal, no response
http://unresponsive-site.com/my-link-page.html

Pro tip: Disavow at the domain level (domain:example.com) rather than individual URLs when the entire site is problematic. This catches any current and future links from that domain.

Step 2: Upload to Google’s Disavow Tool

1. Go to Google’s Disavow Links tool
2. Select your property (website) from the dropdown menu. You must be a verified owner.
3. Click “Disavow Links”
4. Click “Choose File” and select your .txt file
5. Review any errors Google flags (formatting issues, invalid URLs)
6. Click “Submit”

Google will confirm the upload and show a summary of how many URLs and domains are being disavowed.

Step 3: Request a Review (For Manual Actions)

If you received a manual action for unnatural links:

1. Go to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual actions
2. Click on the “Unnatural links” issue
3. Click “Request Review”
4. Write a detailed explanation of what you found and what actions you took

Example reconsideration request:

We received notification of unnatural links pointing to our site. After a thorough audit using Ahrefs and manual review, we identified [X number] of problematic links from link farms and spam sites. We attempted to contact webmasters for removal where possible. For links we couldn’t get removed, we’ve submitted a disavow file. We’ve also implemented new processes to prevent acquiring such links in the future. We believe we’ve addressed all issues and respectfully request a review.

How Long Does Disavowing Take to Work?

Disavowing links isn’t instant:

• Processing time: It can take weeks or months for Google to crawl and re-process the disavowed links
• Manual action reviews: Typically 1-4 weeks for Google to review your reconsideration request
• Ranking recovery: If rankings were affected, recovery can take several months after the manual action is lifted

Be patient. There’s no way to speed up the process.

Common Disavow Mistakes to Avoid

1. Disavowing too many links
Some site owners panic and disavow thousands of links that are perfectly fine. This can actually hurt your rankings by removing legitimate link equity.

2. Disavowing without a manual action
If you don’t have a manual action, you probably don’t need to disavow anything. Focus on building good links instead.

3. Blindly trusting toxicity scores
Third-party tools flag many legitimate links as “toxic”. Always manually verify before disavowing.

4. Forgetting to update the file
If you submit a new disavow file, it replaces the old one completely. Always include all previously disavowed links in your new file.

5. Not trying removal first
Before disavowing, try contacting webmasters to remove the links. Google looks more favorably on removal efforts during reconsideration requests.

How to Monitor Your Backlink Profile

Prevention is better than cure. Set up ongoing monitoring:

• Set up alerts: Ahrefs and other tools can email you when new backlinks are discovered
• Check Search Console monthly: Review the Links report for any unusual patterns
• Track anchor text distribution: A sudden spike in exact-match anchors could indicate an attack
• Monitor for manual actions: Check the Security & Manual Actions section regularly

Keep a spreadsheet of links you’ve reviewed, their status, and any actions taken. This makes future audits much faster.

Summary

The disavow tool is a powerful feature but should only be used when necessary—primarily when you’ve received a manual action for unnatural links. For most websites, Google automatically ignores low-quality links.

If you do need to disavow:

1. Audit your backlinks using Google Search Console and third-party tools
2. Manually verify each link before adding to your disavow file
3. Try to get links removed manually first
4. Create a properly formatted disavow file
5. Upload through Google’s disavow tool
6. Request a review if you have a manual action
7. Be patient—recovery takes time

Focus your energy on building high-quality links rather than worrying about bad ones. A strong, natural link profile is the best defence against any negative SEO attempts.

Need help with a backlink audit or recovering from a manual action? Contact our SEO team for professional assistance.