Navigating Toxic Backlinks: What to Do With Legitimate Links?
As an owner of a professional services website in Canada, maintaining a robust SEO strategy is crucial for success. I rely on tools like Semrush and Rankmath to keep my website optimized, but my expertise leans more toward basic knowledge learned from helpful videos rather than in-depth understanding. Recently, an interesting situation arose that I believe many other website owners might also encounter: a legitimate backlink—a link from a trusted source—has suddenly been flagged as toxic.
The Situation
After the recent update to my local board of trade and chamber of commerce website, my backlink audit on Semrush indicated a concerning development. The website now holds a high toxicity score of over 80, which could potentially harm my site’s SEO rankings. Normally, my instinct would be to use the disavow tool to eliminate any association with harmful links. However, this particular link is important to my site’s credibility and should be preserved.
A Dilemma with Real Implications
This scenario raises an important question for website owners: What should you do when a legitimate backlink is classified as toxic? Disavowing the link may seem like a straightforward solution, but it risks losing beneficial connections that contribute positively to your website’s authority and reputation.
Steps to Consider
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Evaluate the Backlink Context: Before making any changes, delve deeper into why the backlink was flagged as toxic. Is it due to the sudden drop in the authority of the linking site, spammy content surrounding the link, or something else? Understanding the context can inform your next steps.
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Contact the Linking Site: If possible, reach out to the site that provided the backlink. They may not be aware their site has experienced changes that could impact linked sites. Open a dialogue about their recent updates and express your concerns professionally.
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Monitor the Situation: Keep an eye on the toxicity score of this backlink in subsequent audits. Sometimes, temporary fluctuations can occur following a site update. If the score drops over time, you may not need to take drastic steps after all.
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Consider a Disavow as a Last Resort: If the backlink remains toxic and significantly hinders your SEO efforts, using the disavow tool might be necessary. However, do this only after careful consideration and, if possible, backup your decision with data on how it affects your rankings.
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Continue to Build Quality Backlinks