Google’s June 2024 algorithm leak finally confirmed that the search engines pay close attention to any signs of backlink spam.
Despite the revelation in the spam update, many SEOs still struggle with the concept. They unknowingly dive headfirst into a penalty, mainly because of Google’s notorious ambiguity surrounding the matter.
Thankfully, our team has spent almost a decade successfully helping clients avoid this SEO menace, and we’ve finally decided to drop our playbook.
Thus, in today’s blog, we tackle the concept itself, in addition to explaining how to sniff out spammy sites, how to deal with the consequences of backlink spam, and of course, how to avoid it.
What is Backlink Spam
Backlink spam refers to the practice of creating manipulative or low-quality backlinks with the intent to deceive search engines and artificially boost a website’s ranking.
While everyone immediately thinks of manipulative black hat SEO tactics, the truth is that the most common ‘offenders’ are inexperienced link builders who don’t know what they’re doing.
That’s the most challenging part—the algorithm doesn’t know whether spammy links were built on purpose or not, so, after the spam exceeds a certain threshold, a penalty is automatically applied.
Nevertheless, fighting against backlink spam isn’t rocket science, and the first step towards winning the battle is knowing how to recognize spammy links and sites.
4 Ways to Identify Backlink Spam
Google has outlined some of its rules in its Spam Policies for Google Web Search doc, but, as it’s customary with them, they didn’t specify exactly how they apply penalties for backlink spam.
It makes sense, as spammers would otherwise reverse-engineer the system and avoid the filters.
Fortunately, through trial and error, countless SEO experts have come to find that these are the most common forms of backlink spam Google dislikes:
1. Excessive Anchor Text Optimization
Since search engines promote natural linking, their algorithms have been trained to notice unnatural patterns.
When it comes to anchor texts, it’s expected to see a variety of anchors, not just depending on the site, but the wider context as well.
For instance, if you snoop around a cybersecurity company’s backlink profile and notice that their homepage always has the anchor text “cybersecurity services in your area”—that’s backlink spam.
The odds of 50+ different people linking the same page using the exact same anchor every time are astronomical, and Google’s algorithm will flag black hat SEO tactics like this rather quickly.
Eventually, the algorithm will spot this unnatural pattern and penalize the site for using unethical practices to rank for their desired keyword.
If it were a series of non-spammy links, the anchors would look something like this:
- cybersecurity companies
- using cybersecurity services
- hiring a cybersecurity company
- when you need cybersecurity consulting
- [name of the brand]
2. Low Quality Referring Domains
Another popular form of backlink spam is acquiring links from domains with low DA/DR metrics, a high spam score or thin, almost non-existent content.
Google’s algorithm leak confirmed this, mainly in the IndexingDocjoinerAnchorSpamInfo module, where the following criteria are mentioned as factors in determining the spamminess of a link:
- Number of trusted anchors
- Number of trusted sources
- Anchors used compared to a library of spam anchors
- Number of trusted anchors concerning spam probability
This tells us that Google actively looks for whether a domain is an authority one or not. The moral of the story is—aim for high-authority sites relevant to your niche and audience.
Yes, landing a DR 90+ link is hard, but going for 20 DR 5-10 links will only result in your backlink being treated as spammy.
3. Obvious Paid Links
If you ask Google, paid links are against the rules, but the practice has been in hush-hush territory as long as backlinks have been known to have an impact on SEO.
As a result, selling links in an organic manner has been going on without Google penalties, just as long as everything is by the rules.
However, many SEOs fall for promises sent by link builders promising placements for as low as $10.
While our team knows how to ‘sniff out’ scams like this from a mile away, someone inexperienced or desperate for traffic might fall for this and incur a Google penalty.
If it’s too good to be true, it most likely is and will be considered backlink spam by search engines. On the other hand, reputable sites either charge a fortune for their links or require years’ worth of relationship-building to accept placements.
4. Link Farms
During every site’s lifecycle, there comes a time when its metrics are high enough that it becomes a frequent target of outreach spam. It’s completely natural, as SEOs are always looking for new opportunities and placements.
There are two ways to go about this:
- The right way: The site’s editor or content manager filters proposals and only accepts links to sites that are relevant to their audience or provide a valuable resource. Eventually, they will accept fewer and fewer proposals, resulting in high prices or even a total reduction to quid-pro-quo ABC or AB link exchanges. This keeps low-tier links away and protects the site’s backlink profile. This is why we always urge our clients to stick to only white hat backlinks.
- The wrong way: When a site is short on funds or the content manager is under pressure to sell links for more revenue, they start accepting anything and everything. Over time, their backlink profile deteriorates, and they will only receive cheap, spammy proposals since proper SEOs will avoid the site like the plague.
As you can see, if a site does things the wrong way, they will eventually end up a link farm—a site whose sole purpose is to sell links for pennies on the dollar, without providing any valuable content whatsoever.
Of course, the best way to spot link farms is to monitor their backlink profile. However, you can also do this just by looking at the titles of their articles and how they relate to the site’s topic.
For instance, if you see a site about web development has blogs along the lines of Best Flight Booking Sites in 2024, 5 Tricep Exercises That 100% Work or 10 Reasons Why Your Hair Is Falling Out, they’re most definitely selling links.
Why? Well, the reason why their topics are all over the place is because they sell links to companies from all sorts of niches, resulting in the dilution of their content.
How Link Spam Hurts SEO Rankings
Now that we know link spam is bad and what spammy sites and links look like, it’s time to examine what happens when search engines notice such activities.
One of the most immediate and severe consequences of backlink spam is the potential for penalties from search engines like Google.
These penalties can range from a drop in search rankings to complete de-indexation, where the website is removed from search engine results entirely.
As penalties are imposed, the organic visibility of the affected website significantly diminishes. This drop in visibility can lead to a sharp decline in organic traffic, which is often the primary source of visitors for many websites.
Reduced traffic translates directly into fewer opportunities for conversions, sales, and engagement—being able to effectively ruin a company.
Furthermore, once this happens, the brand as a whole will be tarnished, resulting in vendors, partners and customers ceasing relations.
The worst-case scenario, however, is when a company completely neglects its backlink profile, resulting in a series of compounding penalties.
Tips for Avoiding Backlink Spam
Even though the saying that prevention is better than the cure is more than 500 years old, it still rings true, especially in the case of backlink spam. As we outlined above, search engine penalties are ruthless, automated and difficult to come back from.
Therefore, the best approach is to be careful and not take unnecessary risks. This means:
- Scrutinizing potential referring domains. Before you engage in a link placement or a link exchange, you must thoroughly vet the site. Does it have high enough metrics? Is the content relevant and always on topic? Do you notice any link selling patterns?
- Paying attention to the content. Even though a site might seem reputable and authoritative, you must be careful about the context surrounding the link. Make sure it’s not random, abrupt or out-of-place. Weave the content around the link and not vice versa.
- Emphasizing relationships. If you focus on working with reputable sites and come off as someone with whom they’d want to collaborate in the future, getting in contact with other editors and content managers will be significantly easier.
Reducing Backlink Spam
At the same time, reducing backlink spam is crucial for maintaining your website’s credibility and search engine rankings.
One effective strategy is disavowing toxic links using Google’s disavow tool. It allows you to inform search engines about harmful links that should be ignored, protecting your site from penalties associated with unnatural link patterns.
Leveraging Google Search Console is also essential in managing your website’s backlinks. Regularly review your backlink data to identify patterns of spammy links.
Likewise, you need to make sure you receive link reports to maintain control over your backlink profile and take corrective actions when necessary.
Ongoing monitoring and maintenance are vital to safeguarding against future instances of backlink spam. Implement a routine audit schedule using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to stay on top of changes in your backlinks.
Wrapping Up
Backlink spam is a persistent threat in the ever-evolving world of SEO, and its consequences can be devastating for businesses that rely on organic search traffic.
The key to defending your website against this threat lies in understanding how to identify and avoid spammy links while maintaining a healthy backlink profile.
Vigilance, continuous monitoring, and the strategic use of tools like Google’s disavow feature and Search Console can help you stay ahead of the game.
And don’t forget—maintaining a clean and authoritative backlink profile is not just about avoiding penalties but also about building long-term success and credibility for your brand in the digital landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What exactly is backlink spam, and why is it significant in SEO?
Backlink spam involves acquiring low-quality or irrelevant backlinks to manipulate search engine rankings. It is significant because search engines like Google prioritize high-quality, relevant links in their ranking algorithms. Spammy backlinks can lead to penalties, diminishing your site’s visibility and traffic.
What are some common forms of backlink spam?
Common forms of backlink spam include links from irrelevant or low-quality websites. Links from link farms or private blog networks (PBNs), and automated links generated by bots are spam. Over-optimized anchor text links, and links in comment sections or forums that are not related to the content.
How can I identify backlink spam on my website?
To identify backlink spam, analyze your backlink profile using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Search Console. Look for sudden spikes in backlink acquisition, check for backlinks from low-quality, irrelevant, or foreign-language sites. Identify links with overly optimized anchor text, and monitor for links coming from suspicious sources.
What are the consequences of ignoring backlink spam?
Ignoring backlink spam can lead to severe penalties from search engines. This results in a significant drop in search rankings or even complete removal from search engine results. This loss of organic visibility translates to reduced traffic, fewer conversions, and potential long-term damage to your brand’s reputation.
How can I prevent falling victim to backlink spam?
To prevent falling victim to backlink spam, regularly audit your backlink profile using reliable tools. Disavow harmful links through Google Search Console and focus on acquiring high-quality, relevant backlinks through ethical link-building practices. Stay updated on search engine guidelines and best practices.
What can I do to reduce the impact of existing backlink spam on my website?
To reduce the impact of existing backlink spam, identify and disavow the spammy links through Google Search Console. Submit a reconsideration request to Google, explaining the steps you’ve taken to clean up your backlink profile. Focus on creating high-quality content and building genuine, high-quality backlinks to improve your site’s overall authority and trustworthiness.
