How I Disavowed Spam Backlinks to Protect My Blog’s SEO

How I Disavowed Spam Backlinks to Protect My Blog’s SEO

While reviewing the backlink profile of my website, annakoh.com, I noticed several suspicious domains linking to my content. Domains like gentefloww.xyz, italyyt.xyz, and maxibeats.xyz appeared with unnatural links that I had never requested or approved. These kinds of links can negatively impact a site's SEO or even trigger a manual penalty from Google. So I decided to take proactive steps using the Disavow Tool.

Why Use the Disavow Tool?

Although Google is good at ignoring spammy backlinks, an excess of them can potentially harm your site’s reputation or search rankings. If you can’t manually remove such links (for example, by contacting the webmasters), Google allows you to "disavow" them—essentially telling its algorithm, "Please don’t count these."

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Step-by-Step: How I Disavowed the Links

1. Backlink Audit
   Using SEO tools like Ubersuggest, I reviewed my site’s backlink profile and flagged questionable domains that seemed irrelevant or suspicious.
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2. Creating the Disavow File
   I created a simple .txt file listing each domain I wanted to disavow, using the proper format:

1. Accessing Google Search Console
   I went to the official Disavow Tool, selected my verified property (https://www.annakoh.com/), and proceeded to upload the file.
   
   
2. Uploading the File
   I uploaded my disavow list (saved as disavow_annakoh_com.txt). Once submitted, the file is processed by Google and helps ensure that these links won’t count against my site.
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3. Final Check
   The tool confirms the successful upload and the list is now associated with my site’s property.

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Final Thoughts

As bloggers or website owners, we don’t always have control over who links to us. While not every backlink is harmful, links from suspicious or low-authority domains can dilute your SEO efforts over time.
This was my first time using the Disavow Tool, and I’m glad I took the time to clean up my backlink profile. It’s a small but meaningful step in maintaining the integrity of my blog and its long-term growth.
If you’ve encountered similar spammy links or are unsure about the quality of your backlinks, I highly recommend performing a quick audit and considering the disavow option if needed.