Harmful or toxic backlinks can seriously hurt a website’s SEO, leading to lower rankings or even penalties from Google. To help with this, Google offers a Disavow Tool that lets website owners tell Google to ignore bad links and protect their site’s reputation. However, using this tool the wrong way, like disavowing good links, can harm your rankings.

In this article, you’ll learn how to spot toxic backlinks, make a proper disavow file, and submit it the right way while avoiding common mistakes.

Why Did Google Create the Disavow Tool?

Google’s Disavow Tool is a feature in Google Search Console that allows website owners to ask Google to ignore certain backlinks pointing to their site. This is useful when the site has links from spammy, low-quality, or manipulative websites that could harm its search engine rankings.

Google’s system is designed to automatically filter out many poor-quality links. However, in cases where a site is targeted by negative SEO (like spammy links from bad sources) or if it previously used shady link-building methods, the Disavow Tool gives owners a way to clean up their backlink profile and avoid penalties.

Example: An E-commerce site selling eco-friendly home products noticed a sudden drop in traffic and rankings. On investigation, they found hundreds of backlinks coming from spammy websites. These links were harming their domain authority and SEO performance. After carefully identifying and denying these toxic links using Google’s Disavow Tool, the site gradually recovered its lost rankings and organic traffic over the next few weeks.

Why Is Disavowing Links Important?

Backlinks are a major part of how Google decides which sites should rank higher. While good links help boost your authority, bad ones can hurt your rankings or worse, lead to penalties. Although Google often ignores poor links, some harmful ones can still affect your SEO. That’s why disavowing is important; it tells Google not to count those bad links against your site.

How Can Toxic Backlinks Harm SEO?

Not every backlink is helpful. Some can seriously damage your website’s SEO by:

  • Causing Manual Penalties: Google may flag your site if it finds unnatural or manipulative links.
  • Triggering Negative SEO: Competitors might try to damage your site with spammy backlinks.
  • Hurting Rankings Through Algorithms: Search engines might view your website as less credible, which can hurt your rankings on SERPs.
  • Wasting Link Equity: Low-quality links don’t provide any real value.

When Should You Use the Disavow Tool?

Disavowing links should be a careful decision. Use it in these situations:

  • You’ve Received a Manual Penalty: If Google alerts you about unnatural links, disavow them immediately.
  • Sudden Drop in Rankings from Spam Links: If your site is hit by a flood of bad backlinks, it might be under attack.
  • Past Use of Black-Hat Link Building: If your SEO history includes buying or trading links, a clean-up is wise to avoid future trouble.

Be cautious, as using the Disavow Tool at the wrong time can hurt your site. And accidentally disavowing good, trusted links can reduce your visibility. Always make sure there’s real damage before taking action.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using Google’s Disavow Tool

Step 1: Find Toxic Backlinks

  • Before you begin, carefully review your website’s manual actions.
  • Google Search Console → Security & Manual Actions →  Manual actions.
  • If you see “No issues detected,” you’re probably fine (but make sure the audit stays on track).
  • If you have a manual action mentioning “unnatural links to your site,” address it immediately.

Step 2: Analyze Your Backlink Profile

  • It’s important to analyze your backlink profile thoroughly. Use a combination of these tools:

Google Search Console – Go to Links > Top linking sites to see who links to you.

  • SEO tools like SEMrush, Moz, or Majestic – These tools offer deeper insights, spam scores, and anchor text distribution.

Signs of Toxic Backlinks:

  • Backlinks originating from outside or irrelevant initiatives.
  • Links using artificial or spam-filled anchor text.
  • Backlinks from websites with low domain authority (DA).

Step 3: Create a Disavow File in the Correct Format

Ensure your disavow file is in .txt format, listing one URL per line. You may disavow individual URLs or entire domains as needed.

Formatting Guidelines for Your Disavow File:

  • Use one line per entry.
  • To disavow an entire domain, use: domain:example.com
  • To disavow a specific URL, use: https://example.com/spam-page
  • Add comments using the # symbol.
  • Keep the file clean—avoid typos, extra characters, or formatting errors.
  • Maximum URL length is 2,048 characters.
  • Maximum file size is 100,000 lines.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

  • Accidentally disavowing high-quality, valuable backlinks.
  • Submitting the file in the wrong format (only .txt files are accepted—no .doc, .pdf, or others).
# Example disavow file for Google Search Console
# Last updated: 2025-08-08
# Disavowing specific spammy links and entire domains.

# Disavow a single URL
http://spamwebsite.com/bad-link-page.html
https://another-spam-site.com/unwanted-link.html

# Disavow an entire domain
domain:lowqualitysite.com
domain:spammyblog.net
domain:badlinksdirectory.org

# End of file

Step 4: Submit Your Disavow File via Google Search Console

Follow these easy steps to upload your disavow file:

  • Go to Google’s Disavow Tool
  • Select your website from the dropdown menu.
  • Click on “Upload Disavow File” and choose the .txt file you’ve prepared.
  • Confirm the upload to complete the process.

Step 5: Track Your Site’s Progress

Disavowing harmful links won’t deliver instant SEO results, but it sets the stage for long-term improvement. Regularly monitor your keyword rankings and check the Manual Actions report in Google Search Console. Be patient, changes may take several weeks or even a few months to reflect in your site’s performance.

The Disavow Tool is a powerful resource, but it should only be used when truly necessary. While disavowing harmful or toxic backlinks can protect your site from penalties and improve your SEO health, mistakenly disavowing high-quality, relevant links can do more harm than good. That’s why a careful, well-informed approach is required.

Regularly auditing your website’s backlink profile is essential to maintaining strong search performance. Over time, this trust can translate into better visibility, higher keyword rankings, and a stronger digital presence.