What Are Toxic Backlinks and Should I Disavow Them?

TL;DR

“Toxic backlinks” is a term invented by SEO tools, not Google. Google’s algorithm already ignores most low-quality links rather than penalizing you for them. The disavow tool exists for specific situations: recovering from manual actions or cleaning up links you bought or built through schemes. For most sites, aggressively disavowing links based on third-party “toxicity scores” does nothing helpful and might accidentally remove links that were actually helping you. Don’t disavow unless you have a manual action in Search Console or you personally participated in link schemes you’re now trying to clean up.

Do This Today (3 Quick Checks)

Check for manual action: GSC → Security & Manual Actions → Manual Actions. “No issues detected” = no penalty, stop worrying about toxic links.

Review your actual links: GSC → Links → Top linking sites. This shows what Google actually sees, not third-party guesses. Look for obvious spam patterns you recognize (did YOU build these?).

Verify agency claims: If an agency says you have “toxic links,” ask them: “Do we have a manual action? If not, what specific evidence shows these links are hurting us versus being ignored?”

Disavow File Format (If You Actually Need It)

When to create a disavow file:

You have a manual action for unnatural links, OR
You personally bought/built spammy links you want to clean up

File format (plain text, .txt):

# Disavow file for example.com
# Created [date] - reason: [manual action recovery / cleanup of purchased links]

# Disavow entire domains (recommended for spam sites):
domain:spammysite.com
domain:anotherbadsite.net

# Disavow specific URLs (only if domain has some good links):
https://example.com/bad-page-linking-to-me

How to submit:

Go to: search.google.com/search-console/disavow-links
Select your property
Upload your .txt file
Wait (processing takes weeks, not days)

Critical: Only disavow links you’re certain are problematic. When in doubt, leave them out.

“Obvious Attack” Thresholds

Normal fluctuation (don’t worry):

10-50 new spammy links per month from random scrapers
Links from foreign language sites you’ve never heard of
Low DR sites linking with generic anchors

Suspicious pattern (monitor but probably fine):

100-500 new links in a week from similar-looking sites
Unusual anchor text patterns appearing

Obvious attack (consider disavowing):

1,000+ links appearing overnight
All links using same manipulative anchor text (e.g., “cheap viagra” pointing to your cooking blog)
Links from obvious link farms with identical templates
Pattern clearly designed to trigger spam filters

Even with obvious attacks: Google usually handles these automatically. Only disavow if you see actual ranking drops correlated with link timing AND no other explanation.

Disavow Decision Framework

Should you disavow? Follow this path:

Step 1: Check Google Search Console for manual actions
→ Go to Security & Manual Actions → Manual actions
→ Manual action for “unnatural links to your site”? → Yes: Disavow is appropriate
→ No manual action? → Continue to Step 2

Step 2: Did YOU participate in link schemes?
→ Bought links, participated in link exchanges, used PBNs, hired someone who did these things? → Yes: Disavow those specific links
→ Never engaged in link building? → Continue to Step 3

Step 3: Are you just worried about “toxic” links from a tool?
→ Tool flagged links as toxic but you didn’t build them? → Do NOT disavow
→ Google ignores these automatically
→ Disavowing wastes time and might hurt you

When to disavow:

Active manual action for unnatural links
You bought links and want to clean up
You used PBNs or link schemes
Obvious attack (thousands of spammy links appeared overnight targeting you)

When NOT to disavow:

SEO tool says you have “toxic” links
Random low-quality sites link to you naturally
You’re nervous because competitors have “cleaner” profiles
Someone told you disavowing helps rankings (it doesn’t, unless manual action exists)

The Conversation

Omar, local HVAC company, 8 employees, $1.2M revenue, basic website on Wix, hired an SEO agency last year, basic knowledge, agency recommended disavowing links, skeptical: Our SEO agency just sent us a report showing we have 847 “toxic backlinks” with a toxicity score of 73%. They want to charge us $2,000 to disavow these links and “clean up our backlink profile.” This seems like a lot of money. Is this even real?

SDC SEO Brain: The concept of “toxicity score” was invented by SEO tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz. Google has never used this term or confirmed that such scores mean anything. These tools created their own formulas to guess which links Google might not like, but they’re guessing. Google’s own representatives have said they ignore low-quality links rather than penalizing sites for receiving them.

Omar: So the 847 toxic links aren’t hurting us?

SDC SEO Brain: Almost certainly not. Random low-quality links pointing to your site happen to every website on the internet. Spam sites scrape content and automatically link places. Bots crawl and create links. These aren’t attacks on you; they’re just noise. Google’s algorithm has been handling this noise automatically for over a decade. If every site got penalized for receiving spammy links, Google’s index would be empty.

Omar: But the agency showed me sites linking to us that are definitely spam. Like casino sites and weird foreign language sites.

SDC SEO Brain: Those links existing doesn’t mean they’re hurting you. Google’s link evaluation is sophisticated. When they see a casino site with no relevance to HVAC linking to your homepage, they don’t think “this HVAC company is spammy.” They think “this casino site is spamming links everywhere” and ignore it. The link doesn’t help you, but it doesn’t hurt you either.

Omar: Then why does the disavow tool exist?

SDC SEO Brain: The disavow tool was created for a specific situation: sites that received manual penalties for unnatural link patterns. If someone bought thousands of links or participated in link schemes and got caught, Google would issue a manual action. The site owner would then need to prove they cleaned up. Since you can’t always get spammy links removed, Google created the disavow tool to say “I know these links exist but please ignore them.”

Omar: How do I know if I have a manual action?

SDC SEO Brain: In Google Search Console, go to Security & Manual Actions, then Manual Actions. If there’s a problem, it’ll be listed there explicitly. What does yours say?

Omar: It says “No issues detected.”

SDC SEO Brain: Then you don’t have a manual action. Google hasn’t flagged your link profile as problematic. There’s nothing to “clean up” from Google’s perspective. The agency is selling you a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

Omar: Could the toxic links be hurting our rankings without a manual action though?

SDC SEO Brain: Google has explicitly stated that their algorithm ignores links they don’t trust rather than penalizing sites for them. John Mueller, Gary Illyes, and other Google representatives have said this repeatedly. The algorithmic approach is to not count suspicious links, not to punish sites that receive them. A manual action is different because a human reviewer decided the link pattern showed intentional manipulation. But that requires a manual action, which you don’t have.

Omar: The agency also mentioned we had a “negative SEO attack.” What’s that?

SDC SEO Brain: Negative SEO is the theory that competitors can hurt your rankings by pointing spammy links at your site. It was a real concern around 2012. Google has since made their algorithm robust enough that this basically doesn’t work anymore. If you could tank competitors by buying spammy links to their sites, every major company would be doing it to each other constantly. The fact that this doesn’t happen tells you Google handled it.

Omar: So I shouldn’t worry about the casino links at all?

SDC SEO Brain: For a local HVAC company with presumably a normal link profile, no. You should worry about building good links, not fighting irrelevant spam. How many total backlinks does your report show?

Omar: Around 2,400 total. They said 847 are toxic, so 35% of our profile is bad.

SDC SEO Brain: 35% “toxic” is typical for most websites when measured by these tools. They flag anything that looks low-quality: foreign language sites, low domain authority sites, sites with certain patterns. But low domain authority doesn’t mean harmful. A local newspaper with DA 25 linking to your HVAC business is valuable even though the tool might flag it. The scoring is crude.

Omar: Wait, could the disavow actually hurt us if it removes helpful links?

SDC SEO Brain: Yes. If you upload a disavow file telling Google to ignore certain links, Google will ignore them. If any of those links were actually passing value, you lose that value. The tool doesn’t just remove bad links; it removes whatever links you tell it to. Overly aggressive disavowing can strip away links that were helping you rank.

Omar: The agency said they’d review each link manually before disavowing.

SDC SEO Brain: That’s slightly better than automated mass disavowing, but they’re still making judgment calls based on incomplete information. They don’t know Google’s actual algorithm. They’re guessing which links Google likes based on tool metrics that Google doesn’t use. And you’re paying $2,000 for those guesses when Google has already told you there’s no problem.

Omar: What should I do then? Just ignore the agency’s recommendation?

SDC SEO Brain: Ask them directly: “Do we have a manual action in Google Search Console? If not, what specific evidence suggests these links are hurting us rather than being ignored?” If they can’t point to a manual action or actual ranking drops correlated with link acquisition, they’re selling fear.

Omar: We have had some ranking drops over the past year.

SDC SEO Brain: Ranking drops happen for many reasons: algorithm updates, competitors improving, content becoming outdated, seasonal changes, local pack changes. Attributing drops to “toxic links” without evidence is convenient for selling link cleanup services. Did the drops happen when new spammy links appeared?

Omar: I have no idea. I don’t track that stuff.

SDC SEO Brain: That’s the problem with the toxic link narrative. It sounds technical and scary, and most business owners can’t verify it themselves. They trust the agency’s tools and recommendations. But the tools aren’t measuring what Google actually does, and the recommendations might be solving a non-problem.

Omar: Is there any situation where I should disavow for a local business like mine?

SDC SEO Brain: Only two scenarios. First, if you personally bought links or hired someone who did, and you want to proactively clean up before Google catches it. Second, if you receive an obvious attack: like waking up to 10,000 new links from porn sites overnight specifically targeting anchor text to trigger spam filters. That’s rare and obvious when it happens.

Omar: We’ve never bought links. The agency we hired does “link building” but they said it’s all white hat.

SDC SEO Brain: Ask them exactly what their link building involves. “White hat link building” is vague. If they’re doing outreach to get genuinely earned coverage, that’s fine. If they’re using private blog networks, guest post farms, or link exchanges, those are the links that could eventually cause problems. Understanding what they’re building is more important than worrying about what random spam sites are doing.

Omar: They said they do “guest posting on relevant sites” and “local citation building.”

SDC SEO Brain: Local citations (directories, chamber of commerce, industry associations) are standard and safe. Guest posting depends heavily on execution. Guest posts on legitimate sites with editorial standards are fine. Guest posts on obvious “we accept all guest posts” link farms are the problem. Ask to see examples of where they’ve placed guest posts.

Omar: I’ll ask for that. But what about the $2,000 disavow cleanup? Should I skip it entirely?

SDC SEO Brain: Skip it. Use that $2,000 for something that actually helps: improving your website content, getting customer reviews, building genuine local partnerships that result in links. The disavow service is solving a problem you don’t have based on metrics that don’t reflect how Google works.

Omar: What if the agency pushes back and says I’m taking a risk?

SDC SEO Brain: Tell them you checked Search Console and have no manual action. Ask them to explain, specifically, how links that Google is already ignoring algorithmically are hurting your rankings. If they can’t provide evidence beyond tool scores, they’re speculating. You’re not obligated to pay for speculation.

Omar: This makes me question what else the agency might be overselling.

SDC SEO Brain: Healthy skepticism is appropriate. Ask for clear cause and effect on any recommendation. “We’ll do X, which should improve Y, and we’ll measure it by Z.” If recommendations are vague, unmeasurable, or rely on proprietary metrics that don’t connect to Google’s actual systems, push back.

FAQ

Q: What is a toxic backlink?
A: “Toxic backlink” is a term invented by SEO tools, not Google. These tools use their own formulas to flag links that look low-quality, spammy, or suspicious. However, Google has stated they algorithmically ignore links they don’t trust rather than penalizing sites for receiving them. A link flagged as “toxic” by a tool is usually just irrelevant noise that Google already disregards.

Q: When should I use the disavow tool?
A: Use the disavow tool only when: (1) You have a manual action for “unnatural links to your site” in Google Search Console, or (2) You personally participated in link schemes (buying links, PBNs, link exchanges) and want to proactively clean up. For random spammy links you didn’t create or solicit, disavowing is unnecessary and potentially harmful.

Q: Can competitors hurt my rankings by pointing spammy links at my site?
A: This is called “negative SEO” and was a concern around 2012. Google has since made their algorithm robust enough that this essentially doesn’t work. Google ignores suspicious links rather than penalizing the sites they point to. If this attack vector worked, every major company would be using it against competitors, which clearly isn’t happening.

Q: How do I check if I have a Google manual action?
A: In Google Search Console, navigate to Security & Manual Actions → Manual Actions. If Google has flagged your site for unnatural links or any other policy violation, it will be explicitly listed there. “No issues detected” means you have no manual action and likely no link-related penalty to address.

Q: Could overly aggressive disavowing hurt my rankings?
A: Yes. The disavow tool tells Google to ignore the specified links entirely. If any of those links were actually passing positive ranking signals, you lose that value. SEO tools can’t perfectly identify which links help versus hurt, so aggressive disavowing based on tool scores can accidentally remove beneficial links.

Q: I bought a website with existing backlinks. Should I disavow the old links?
A: Only if the previous owner clearly engaged in link schemes. Check the backlink profile for obvious patterns: hundreds of links from PBNs, paid guest post farms, or link exchange networks. Natural-looking links from real sites, even low-authority ones, should be left alone. If you’re uncertain, leave links in place and only disavow if you receive a manual action or see clear evidence of problems.

Summary

“Toxic backlinks” is an SEO tool concept, not a Google metric. Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz created toxicity scores based on their own formulas guessing which links Google might dislike. Google has never confirmed these scores correlate with how they actually evaluate links.

Google’s stated approach is to ignore, not penalize. Representatives have repeatedly confirmed that their algorithm discounts links they don’t trust rather than punishing sites for receiving them. Random spam links pointing to your site are noise that Google already filters out algorithmically.

The disavow tool serves a specific purpose: helping sites recover from manual actions or clean up links they personally built through schemes. It was not designed for prophylactic cleanup of every low-quality link that happens to point at your site.

Manual actions are the signal that matters. Check Google Search Console under Security & Manual Actions. “No issues detected” means Google hasn’t flagged your link profile as problematic. Without a manual action, there’s nothing to “fix” from Google’s perspective.

Overly aggressive disavowing carries risk. If you tell Google to ignore links that were actually helping you rank, you lose that benefit. SEO tools can’t perfectly distinguish helpful from harmful links, so mass disavowing based on toxicity scores can backfire.

Legitimate disavow scenarios for businesses: You bought links or used link schemes and want to clean up. You received an obvious spam attack (thousands of links overnight with manipulative anchor text). You have an active manual action. If none of these apply, focus your budget on building good links rather than fighting imaginary threats.

Sources

Google Search Central: Disavow links – https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/guidelines/disavow-backlinks
Google Search Central: Link schemes – https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies#link-spam
Google Search Central Help: Manual actions – https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9044175

SDC SEO