In 2012, Google launched the Disavow tool and since then, it has been quite a dilemma for marketers — to disavow or not to disavow. This tool has been a mystery to many marketers ever since. But unlocking the power of this tool is essential to any SEO campaign. Here are 6 reasons why you need to disavow URL’s and why it is helpful for your website.

1. It tells Google what to ignore on your website

SEO has changed so much in the last decade that your SEO strategies must have taken a complete 180. As a result of this, there might be some URLs that previously helped your SEO rankings but now are hurting it. Thus, you need to tell Google to ignore those URLs. The Disavow tool lets you do this. If you previously engaged in link schemes which you are penalised for, you can use this tool to redeem yourself and control how Google ranks your website.

2.  A victim of algorithm updates

Google periodically updates its algorithm to make sure that users do not abuse it. Gone are the days where you can easily rank your website with low-quality content. Because of these algorithm updates and frequent changes, you may fall victim and get low ranking. With the help of the Disavow tool, you can rectify your situation and disavow URLs that have been deemed by Google as a bad link. Thanks to this tool, you can fix all the mistakes you made in the past.

3. You can bounce back from a negative SEO attack

Let’s face it, some digital marketers can play dirty. They launch negative SEO attacks on their competition in order to come out on the top. If you’ve fallen prey to such attacks, you can easily shake off spammy links and make your site safe again. By submitting the disavow file to Google, you can pinpoint the links that are part of the attack and remove them from hurting your website.

4. Victim of malware attacks

Even though webmasters prepare for it, malware attacks cannot be completely avoided. When this happens, Google penalises the website and blacklists it. If you have backlinks placed on such website, this will greatly hurt your SEO rankings. To prevent it from hurting your SEO rankings, you can have the URL disavowed until such time that the website is cleaned and safe again.

5. Victim of spammy links

If the website you are linking to has been hacked, most likely, it will have a massive amount of outgoing links. Google views this as bad links and penalises the website. If you have backlinks on this website, you will be penalised as well and it will hurt your SEO rankings. Until such time that the website owner fixes his website, you can disavow links to the website so that it will not cause any harm to your ranking.

6. Part of a link network

If the site you are linking to is part of a link network, Google may view this as a scheme and penalise the whole network. If the sites have the same owner, same server, and same IP, most likely, it will be blacklisted by Google. You can easily remove their website from your portfolio by adding them to your disavow file. Once the website has moved to a different server or a different IP, you can add them back into your backlinks.

SEO is not an exact science. As a webmaster, you’ll make mistakes as you try to get your website to rank. Fortunately, Google’s Disavow tool will help in fixing those mistakes and give you a fresh start. Now, if only we have this tool in real life.

Get in touch with MRS V if you need help with your SEO campaign.