Links are a non-negotiable part of every website, whether you’re focused on sales, building a good reputation for your company, or just want to connect with a specific audience. These guys are how you can connect what you’re offering to the rest of the world. Also, Google uses more than 200 factors to rank websites, and links are a prominent one.
There is a lot that goes into planning links, but many of us forget that simply adding as many links to your site as possible can be highly detrimental. In fact, having unnatural links, as these ‘bad’ links are known, can result in penalties that completely destroy even the most polished SEO strategy.
But what are unnatural links and why are they punished by Google? Glad you asked! Stick around because we’ll discuss exactly that and everything else you need to know about these sneaky villains.
Understanding Unnatural Links
Essentially, unnatural links are links that are meant to manipulate search engine rankings. There’s nothing natural or organic about them, as you may guess, which means they don’t really add any true value to website content.
These links aren’t ‘earned’ through genuine endorsements, typically aren’t even relevant, and they don’t contribute anything positive. Search engines like Google are able to sniff them out and dish out penalties.
Penalties for unnatural links will significantly impact your website’s search rankings, and you’ll have to dedicate time and effort to rectify the situation.
Of course, since we’re human and humans make mistakes, unnatural links can happen without there being any intention of being dishonest. That’s why it’s so important to regularly check your site’s links and make sure everything is above board.
Keyword stuffing is one of the ways that unnatural links end up on websites, and Google does not approve
Identifying Unnatural Links
The first step in managing unnatural links is finding them. To do that, you have to understand how to spot them. As briefly touched on earlier, these links can sneak into your website without you meaning to have them.
Sometimes, the links were created so long ago that they’re no longer relevant and were just forgotten. In other cases, sponsored content sites or sudden spikes in backlink profiles are to blame.
While some unnatural links stick out like a sore thumb, others are a bit tougher to find.
Identifying unnatural links can be a behemoth task if you have an established website, so using the right tools is usually the best way to go. Even if your site is still growing, it’s more effective and efficient to use tools.
Options like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Majestic are a few that can make managing unnatural links easier.
Before discussing how to remove unnatural links and the best ways to prevent them, let’s briefly go over the many kinds of these links there are.
Types of Unnatural Links
There are nine categories that unnatural links fall into, and it’s best to avoid all of them if you can.
1. Circular link schemes
This kind of link creation has been around for decades, and as the name suggests, sites link to each other in a circular ‘formula.’ Site A links to Site B, Site B links to Site C, and Site C links to Site A. Very basic and also one of the first link schemes that Google took note of because creating an unnatural link this way is really easy.
You’ll find that the links involved usually have nothing to do with each other and they offer no value whatsoever. Sometimes, there are more branches to the scheme, which lowers the quality of the links even more.
There’s no reason to keep these links, and if your site has any of them, they must be addressed immediately.
2. Link exchanges done solely to boost PageRank
Link exchanges aren’t inherently bad, and they’re often a great way for people to find similar sites, which means they can offer great value.
For example, a website about knitting can have links to other sites with knitting patterns or forums that answer relevant community questions. These links are useful and relevant, increasing their worth to users.
When links are exchanged only to manipulate page ranks, however, that’s when Google starts to get unhappy. Typically, these links go to random websites that make no sense and are easy to spot.
3. Injected links
Automated software or services that provide backlinks can be thanked for injected links that are frowned upon by Google. Website hosts can allow ad services to automatically inject links into a specified area of a page.
Not only does this result in a page that looks ugly, it’s also a quick way to get links up that won’t benefit your website. It can be tempting to earn a little extra money with ads this way, but it really isn’t worth the penalties.
4. Links from low-quality directories and bookmarking sites
There are countless directories on the internet, and many of them are fantastic and niche-specific. Others are spammy and as you may guess by now, offer no value to users.
The only reason these links even exist is to manipulate search engines, and that’s always bad practice. As such, they should be avoided at all costs. Google hates links to them, and your visitors will likely feel similarly.
5. Over-optimized links in press releases and syndicated content
Links that are over-optimized are probably the easiest of the bunch to spot. They look and feel completely unnatural and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see them a mile away: phrases like ‘best sushi restaurant new york’ and ‘cheap pre owned car 2024’ in a paragraph tend to stand out. Especially when used repeatedly in a block of text.
How these unnatural links even became a thing in the first place is puzzling, they’re an eyesore and will rarely spark true interest. Normal press releases and syndicated content aren’t a problem, as long as they’re handled well.
Don’t resort to keyword stuffing and use branded anchor texts and you should be fine. Oh, and make sure the content itself is of the highest quality, of course.
6. Paid links that pass PageRank
It’s almost laughably easy to drop some money and inauthentically boost your page rankings/search engine visibility. That’s why Google isn’t a fan of paid links. They come in many forms: banner ads, text ads, and even sponsored blog posts.
As is the case with all other unnatural links, paid links are spammy (obviously so) and offer zero value.
7. Links from Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
PBNs don’t sound like a terrible idea at first. After all, connected sites that link to each other can be SEO beneficial. With that said, Google is against this practice because these links normally don’t have value for users/visitors.
This manipulative SEO tactic violates Google Search Essentials (formerly Google’s Webmaster Guidelines) and is very likely to result in a penalty. Simply put, this kind of link is unnatural and you’re better off focusing on organic SEO strategies.
8. Spammy links
If you’ve spent any amount of time online, you’re familiar with these unnatural links. They come in so many flavors that using the blanket term is quite vague. So, let’s quickly discuss the various kinds of these links so you’ll know exactly what you’re dealing with (and how to avoid being guilty of creating them).
Followed links in comment sections
Comment sections are the most common place for spammy and unnatural links to hide. A few years ago, this was something that almost everyone did if they had the opportunity to ‘infiltrate’ blog comments.
Nowadays, spammers misuse these opportunities and have ruined honest attempts at sharing links.
Unfortunately, websites can’t know who would leave these links and when, so monitoring blog comments can be a daily task.
Blog posts and product pages
Once again, paid links snake their way into the discussion of unnatural links. Although many SEO campaigns are built on links of this kind, referring spammy domains can result in a penalty.
When working on a campaign, always ensure you’re not going down the dark path of spam, lest your website suffer the wrath of the Google penalty.
Forum posts, profiles and signatures
Forums have become a hotbed for spam links, and Google has taken notice. If you’ve ever visited a forum, you’ll know all about the user profiles who never post anything and seem to have been created solely for the purpose of stuffing their profile bios with as many keywords as possible and making the most of the backlink field.
Even signatures aren’t spared from optimized links, becoming part of the reason spam is so hated by typical internet users.
This may have looked like a cool idea a few years ago, but if you’ve used any of these methods, you need to remove all of the links as soon as possible.
Don’t misunderstand—forums can be wonderful for boosting brand awareness, but caution must be taken. If you share links, do so wisely. If in doubt, rather avoid them.
Guest posts and sponsored content
Guest posts used to look like a great way to add value to your website without creating new content yourself. Unfortunately, all that glitters isn’t gold, and this kind of content quickly became spammy in nature, especially when it came to unnatural links.
Guest contributors have been known to include irrelevant and spam links in their posts, dragging down the websites they wrote for. On top of that, the quality of these posts isn’t always the best—all the more reason to avoid them.
If you do invest in guest posts, make sure the writers avoid bad links and bring something valuable to the table that is your website.
Service sites
In the journey to finding the perfect SEO strategy, you may have stumbled across service sites that offer free SEO tools and the like. While they might seem useful, they often come with hidden baggage.
These sites tend to load up on unnatural links. They might sell ads that manipulate PageRank, require users to link back to them, or be guilty of irrelevant link exchanges.
The best (worst) part is, if you’re using their services, you usually don’t get a say in the backlinks they attach to you. And once those links are out there, they can be tough to get rid of.
If you own one of these sites, you need to re-examine your link-building strategy and old practices. Get rid of any spammy practices to avoid penalties.
Sitewide links
Your website itself may be host to unnatural links that can tick off the powers that be at Google. If you’re not using your sidebar, blogroll, and footer links for valid reasons, you’re bound to end up with penalties.
Links in your navigation menu and the website footer can also be guilty of being spammy and can be flagged and penalized.
This is what a typical footer link may look like.
Widget links
While free widgets can seem like a great deal (and sometimes they actually are), they can come with linkware usage terms that force you to link to a service. In many cases, these links come without a nofollow tag, making it really hard to get rid of them.
It’s best to avoid these kinds of widgets, and if you’ve already invested time in adding them to your site, you’ll have to address the situation as soon as you can.
9. Unnatural links from redirected domains
Many website owners will be surprised to discover that backlinks to an old domain that now redirects to their new one can look unnatural and get a penalty.
People also like to buy expired domains that have good link profiles and redirect them to their domains. Because this has become so common, Google learned how to detect this kind of behavior, making these links worthless.
How to Remove Unnatural Links
Now that you know what kinds of links to be wary of, you can move on to the next step, which is getting rid of them.
You can start by contacting the owners of the sites that link to you and request that they remove those links. In many cases, it will be as simple as that.
Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world so you may have to consider other options when site owners are stubborn or unreachable.
Google’s Disavow Tool is just what you need to decouple your site from these spammy links. You’ll basically be asking Google to not consider these links when it assesses your website.
Once you have a disavow list, you can create a disavow file that needs to be uploaded to Google Search Console. It’s a good idea to also add an annotation to your Google Analytics so you can keep an eye on changes in your traffic.
While removing unnatural links can be a time-consuming task, it’s a necessary one and will spare you many headaches in the future.
Best Practices for Organic Link Building
When done right, link building is an effective strategy for any business. There are many strategies that can be tapped into, like relationship-based link building and link reclamation, but no matter what you choose, make sure that your focus is on value. It’s not just a buzzword, it’s the core of good link building.
Doing an audit when you notice something is amiss will help you find the reason for the loss in traffic, but it’s best to make audits a regular thing. Use already-mentioned tools like Google Search Console, Semrush, and Ahrefs.
If you’re in need of fresh links, get natural backlinks by reaching out to relevant influencers, webmasters, and bloggers in your industry. They’re the most likely to help you add value to your link-building strategy and website as a whole.
Don’t just jump in, though. A well-designed link-building outreach strategy can take your SEO to a new level but requires loads of planning and effort.
It can be tempting to just get as many links as possible for your website, but that’s an easy way to sabotage your success. Don’t cut corners when it comes to securing links to your site.
Use these best practices and build strategies that are effective and won’t bite you later on. Keep stringent quality control measures at the forefront so no bad links end up being built that will require damage control in the future.
Preventing an Unnatural Links Penalty
To maintain a healthy link profile that won’t tick off Google, schedule regular backlink audits. Keep a finger on the pulse of things and you should be okay. The Semrush backlink audit tool can be very useful for this purpose.
If you’ve found spam in your backlink profile audit, use Google’s disavow tool or remove the links immediately.
While you’re at it, remember to stay away from link schemes, no matter how tempting they can be. Don’t buy links, don’t get involved with excessive link exchanges, and don’t use automated programs to create links.
Also, use the nofollow and sponsored attributes wisely when you link out to other sites from your own content.
Evaluate all anchor texts and edit them should it be necessary. Where possible, vary your anchors and rather opt for related or similar keywords than using the same one everywhere.
Addressing an Unnatural Links Warning
If you’ve been hit with a warning message from Google, you may have started to worry and maybe even panic a little. While this response is normal, you should try to not spend too much time stressing and focus on finding the unnatural links that got you in this position.
Get started with a comprehensive backlink audit to unearth the culprits immediately and start the process of removing these links.
You can use the methods discussed earlier in this article, and once you’re satisfied that you’ve cleaned your website, you can submit a reconsideration request through Google Search Console.
Link Spam and Its Impact
Link spam can seriously hurt your website’s search visibility and greatly impact your business. While linking willy-nilly might seem like a great quick fix, it’s bound to get noticed for all the wrong reasons.
Google’s algorithms are sharp enough to spot and penalize these manipulative links, and the fallout isn’t pretty: think plummeting traffic, a bruised reputation, and penalties that can feel like digital incarceration. Keep it clean, and your site will thank you.
Protecting Your Site from Negative SEO Attacks
All your hard work can be for naught if you get associated with spammy practices because of outside influences. You’ll have to track all new backlinks to make sure they’re legit and won’t make Google think you’re up to no good.
If you think something isn’t right or receive a manual action, act quickly to avoid the situation lingering on for too long.
When it comes to choosing outbound links, always approach them carefully and don’t go for link exchanges and schemes. They hardly ever work, unless planned meticulously and monitored closely.
For best results, use reliable and trustworthy tools (Semrush comes to mind time and again) while you watch and analyze all inbound links.
Common Link Building Mistakes to Avoid
Many agencies and freelancers don’t realize that they make mistakes when it comes to link building, and this often leads to problems like spammy links. Common missteps include the ones we’ve discussed here: buying links, participating in link schemes, or engaging in excessive link exchanges with other websites.
Relying on low-quality directories or private blog networks (PBNs) might seem like a cool idea, but these tactics can harm your website’s credibility. Similarly, using automated programs to generate links might promise quick results, but they often lead to penalties and long-term setbacks.
Sticking to ethical practices is key to building a strong, sustainable link profile.
Over to You
As a website owner, you need to manage unnatural links and protect your site from negative SEO attacks. It’s a crucial part of maintaining a healthy link profile and keeping Google’s penalties away from your hard work.
By having a good understanding of unnatural links, effectively identifying them, and removing them quickly, you can protect your site and enhance its long-term SEO standing.
Ideally, you should focus on creating high-quality content and building natural links to improve your search engine rankings. Doing so will reap far greater rewards than any shortcuts or schemes ever could, and you’ll have a much ‘healthier’ website that doesn’t upset Google.
