What Does Disavow Mean?
A site owner can use the Google Disavow Links Tool to ‘disavow’ harmful links. This term means they request that Google disregard certain backlinks to their site when determining its ranking.
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More About Disavow
Typically, site owners request to disavow links because they are victims of unethical link schemes.
For example, suppose a spammer keeps dropping a credible site’s link in its own comment section as a fraudulent backlinking tactic. In that case, these links can make the credible site appear questionable. When a spam page links to a legitimate website, this can also put an innocent site in jeopardy.
These ‘black hat’ linking strategies can cause Google to think that a site isn’t complying with its terms of agreement. When this happens, a website can be hit with a penalty. This can have serious adverse effects on a site’s SEO, causing it to drop in the rankings.
You can disavow links through the Google Search Console. This process is straightforward but requires a few steps. Therefore, it should only be used when it is truly necessary.