Fix Toxic Backlinks: Steps to Clean Your Link Profile

Toxic backlinks, what Google calls "link spam", can destroy your site's rankings faster than you can say "manual penalty." SEMrush research found that PBN links were the third most common reason for link penalizations among sites they studied. Even though Google is better at spotting and ignoring spammy links, they don't catch everything. However, you can measure your site's toxicity score on a scale of 0-100, with 0 being clean and 100 being extremely toxic. 

Your goal should be to keep this score as low as possible. While Google can ignore individual spammy links, having a significant number of toxic backlinks can trigger a manual penalty. If you want to clean up your link profile before it's too late, this blog covers tips on exactly how to identify, remove, and fix toxic backlinks from sabotaging your SEO efforts.

What Are Toxic Backlinks and Why Do They Matter

Find toxic backlinks, as they are harmful incoming links from external websites that tank your site's search engine rankings. While quality backlinks boost your visibility, toxic ones work like poison for your SEO.

How toxic backlinks affect SEO

Toxic backlinks can wreck your site's performance, and Google penalties are the biggest threat. The consequences can be brutal. Google might completely remove your site from search results, making it invisible no matter how great your content is. These come in two types:

1. Manual actions: Google's reviewers catch your site violating their spam policies and slap you with a penalty. You'll get notified through Google Search Console if this happens.

2. Algorithmic penalties: Google's algorithms automatically detect violations and penalize you. No notification here, but you'll see your rankings and traffic drop.

Common Misconceptions About Toxic Links

To fix toxic backlinks, understand some misconceptions about them:

• All low-quality links are toxic: Not true. Google targets manipulative links designed to game their system, not every random low-quality link.

• You need to disavow every spammy link you find: Google's systems have gotten much better at identifying and ignoring random spam.

• Low Domain Authority automatically means toxic: Domain Authority scores don't tell the whole story. The context and intent behind the link matter more than metrics alone.

• Competitors are always behind your toxic links: While negative SEO happens occasionally, most toxic links come from your questionable link-building practices.

How to Find Toxic Backlinks Before They Kill Your Rankings

Finding toxic links pointing to your site isn't as complicated as it sounds. You just need the right tools and to know what red flags to look for. Here's exactly how to identify and fix toxic backlinks that could be dragging down your SEO performance.

Start with Google Search Console (It's Free)

Google Search Console gives you basic insights into your backlink profile without costing you a dime. Here's how to check your links:

1. Sign in to your Google Search Console account

2. Navigate to the "Links" section in the left sidebar

3. Click "More" under "Top linking sites"

4. Export the list for detailed analysis

Use Professional Tools for Deeper Analysis

Professional SEO tools give you a much clearer picture of your link profile. SEMrush measures backlink toxicity directly, while Ahrefs excels at identifying broken links that need fixing. To get the most from these tools:

• Enter your domain into the tool's interface 

• Review the toxicity metrics provided 

• Export suspicious links for further examination

Warning Signs That Indicate a "Toxic Link"

When analyzing your backlinks, watch for these warning signs:

• Unnatural spikes in backlink acquisition (potential negative SEO attack) 

• High volume of keyword-rich anchor text 

• Links from irrelevant domains or countries where you don't do business 

• Sites with low trust scores or authority metrics 

• Websites showing signs of being paid link sources

• Understanding What the Numbers Mean

Semrush's Backlink Audit tool analyzes over 45 markers to assign each backlink a Toxicity Score. The tool breaks down links into three categories:

1. Toxic (60-100): Immediate removal required 

2. Potentially toxic (45-59): Monitor closely 

3. Non-toxic (0-44): Safe to keep

How to Get Rid of Toxic Backlinks 

Here's how to find and fix toxic backlinks: 

Ask website owners to remove the links

Start by reaching out to website owners directly. Here's how to find them:

• Check for "Contact us" pages on the website's homepage 

• Run a WHOIS lookup to find registrant email addresses

• Contact the hosting company as a last resort

When you write your removal request, keep it professional and specific. Tell them exactly which page has the link and which page on your site it points to. 

Create and upload a disavow file

If you can't get links removed, the disavow tool is your backup plan.

To create a proper disavow file:

• Use a simple text file (.txt) with UTF-8 encoding 

• Disavow entire domains with syntax: domain:example.com
  For specific pages, list the complete URL 

• Add comments with # if helpful for organization

Upload this file through Google Search Console's Disavow Links tool. Select your property, click "Disavow Links," and follow the prompts. Processing takes several weeks as Google recrawls affected pages.

When to disavow vs. when to ignore

Only disavow links if you have "a considerable number of spammy, artificial, or low-quality links" and they have caused or likely will cause a manual action.

You should disavow when:

• You have a manual action for unnatural links

• Your site has a widespread manipulative link-building history

You can ignore:

• Random spam links

• Attempts at negative SEO

Tips to Fix Toxic Backlinks 

Instead of waiting for toxic backlinks to damage your rankings, you can stop them from happening in the first place by:

Avoid Shady SEO Services

Don't trust the "guaranteed first page rankings" promises. Private Blog Networks (PBNs) are dangerous, and Google explicitly prohibits these networks that artificially inflate rankings. Also, if you pay for links without proper attribution, it violates Google's spam policies. Watch out for these red flags:

• Services promising hundreds of backlinks overnight.

• Excessive link exchanges ("Link to me and I'll link to you").

• Contracts requiring backlinks as part of the Terms of Service without allowing proper link qualification.

Monitor Your Backlinks Regularly

Use a toxic backlink checker and set up automated alerts through Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Semrush to catch problematic links before they multiply. Scheduled quarterly link audits help you catch issues and maintain a healthy profile. These tools will notify you when:

• New backlinks appear (good or bad).

• Existing links change status.

• Toxicity scores shift.

Build Links from Relevant, High-Authority Sites

To fix toxic backlinks, focus on creating valuable resources that trusted sources want to reference and attract quality backlinks. Links from sites covering similar topics carry significantly more weight than those from unrelated domains. Tools like Backlink Gap Analyzer help you identify potential sites among your competitors.

Use Proper Link Attributes

Google explicitly states that buying and selling links is acceptable only when qualified with appropriate attributes. This practice protects your site from potential manual actions while maintaining transparency with search engines. Hence, properly tag your links to stay on Google's good side:

• rel="sponsored" for paid placements and advertisements.

• rel="ugc" for user-generated content in comments and forums.

• rel="nofollow" for links you don't want to endorse.

How to Keep Your Link Profile Clean 

To clean up and fix toxic backlinks, you need ongoing maintenance to keep your link profile healthy and penalty-free. Here's a reality check: 66.5% of links built in the last 9 years have disappeared (around 7% annually). That means proper backlink management is essential for long-term SEO success.

• Set up backlink alerts: Stop checking your backlinks manually every week. Set up automated notifications instead, with tools like Ahrefs or SEO SpyGlass for email alerts whenever your site gains or loses backlinks. 

• These tools spot negative SEO attacks: Sudden influxes of suspicious links are easy to catch when you're monitoring regularly.

• Track competitor moves: See what new backlinks your competitors are getting for potential opportunities.

• Vet guest post opportunities carefully: Examine domain strength metrics like Domain Authority or Domain Rating, check the ratio of outgoing vs. inbound domains and review traffic history for any sudden drops.

• Red flag alert: Sites requesting payment for guest posts violate Google's guidelines. Focus on sites with authentic engagement and social sharing instead.

• Avoid link exchanges and PBNs: Link exchanges and PBNs show quick results, but ruin SEO in the long run. Google considers them spam, potentially resulting in complete de-indexing.

Conclusion 

To fix toxic backlinks, identify the bad links, remove what you can, disavow what you can't, and prevent future problems. Most toxic backlinks come from your own questionable link-building choices, not competitor attacks. Use Google Search Console and tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to spot toxic links before they cause damage. 

Also, avoid shady SEO services, monitor your backlinks regularly, and build relationships with relevant, high-authority sites. The effort you put into cleaning and maintaining your link profile pays off through better rankings, increased traffic, and protection from penalties. More importantly, it builds a sustainable foundation for long-term SEO success.

FAQ

How to get rid of toxic backlinks?

Toxic backlinks can harm your SEO rankings. These come from spammy, irrelevant, or low-quality sites. Steps to Remove Toxic Backlinks:

• Try to Remove Them Manually

• Use Google’s Disavow Tool 

• Avoid shady services

How do you fix a broken backlink?

Broken backlinks happen when a site links to a page on your site that no longer exists. Identify Broken Backlinks:

• Ahrefs (Broken Backlinks report)

• SEMrush

• Google Search Console (Coverage report)

• 301 Redirect the broken page to a relevant, live page.

• Recreate the missing content (if still useful).

• Contact the referring site and ask them to update the link to the correct URL.

How to find out toxic backlinks?

To find toxic backlinks, use SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz, which analyze your backlink profile and highlight potentially harmful links. These tools identify links from spammy, low-authority, or irrelevant sites, as well as those with suspicious anchor text or unnatural link patterns. Google Search Console also shows your backlinks, though without toxicity scores.