In the realm of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), “disavowal” refers to the practice of telling search engines not to consider certain inbound links when assessing a website’s ranking. This process is typically used when a website owner believes that certain backlinks are harming their site’s search engine performance.
Here’s how disavowal works:
- Identification of Harmful Links: The first step involves identifying the inbound links that are considered harmful. These could be links from spammy websites, link farms, or sites with low credibility. Tools like Google Search Console and third-party SEO software can help in identifying these links.
- Compiling a List: Once the harmful links are identified, the website owner compiles a list of these URLs in a specific format provided by search engines, such as Google. This list includes the URLs of the linking pages that the website owner wishes to disavow.
- Creating a Disavow File: Using a text editor, the website owner creates a text file containing the list of harmful links. The file follows a specific syntax provided by search engines, which typically includes instructions and comments to ensure proper processing.
- Submitting the Disavow File: The website owner then logs into the Google Search Console (or equivalent platforms for other search engines) and submits the disavow file. This tells the search engine to ignore the specified links when assessing the website’s ranking.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: After submitting the disavow file, the website owner monitors the site’s performance in search results. It may take some time for search engines to process the disavowal requests and reflect changes in rankings. Continuous monitoring helps ensure that the disavowal is effective and that the website’s SEO performance improves over time.
It’s important to note that disavowing links should be approached with caution. It’s generally recommended to first attempt to remove harmful links through outreach to webmasters or using Google’s “Link Removal” tool before resorting to disavowal. Additionally, disavowal should only be used as a last resort when other methods fail, as it can potentially impact the website’s SEO performance if not done correctly.