This week’s “Ask an SEO question” comes from Merlin at Bethel.
“I paid over $5,000 for SEO link building.
At first, the traffic increased.
But then I lost rankings for those keywords and lost traffic! “
Merlin, I haven’t seen your backlink profile, but I suspect that Google flagged your new links as unnatural, causing your ranking to drop.
In other words, these links are of poor quality.
As you said, it’s not uncommon for it to go up at first and then go down.
For example, a link builder might have gotten good and relevant links in the beginning, but moved on to lower quality links as link opportunities dwindled.
Google gives examples of “unnatural links” in its guidelines.
- Bookmark the site link.
- Low quality directory.
- Forum comments with optimized links.
- Keyword-rich anchor text for articles and press releases posted on sites other than your own.
You can see the full list here: Link Schemes.
Google generally ignores such low-quality or spammy links.
John Mueller confirmed this in January 2022 in this Twitter thread.
you should ignore it. Some tools assume incorrectly about Google.
— 🦙johnmu.xml (personal) 🦙 (@JohnMu) January 6, 2022
Rewinding a few months back to our October 2021 SEO Office Hours with Mueller, we were asked:
“Are Penguin penalties still relevant at all, or are irrelevant, spammy and harmful backlinks more or less ignored by modern ranking algorithms?”
His answer further reveals what happened to your site.
Mueller explained that, similar to his January 2022 tweet, Google typically recognizes problematic ones (i.e. spam links) and tries to ignore them.
Yet he went on to say:
“If you see a very strong pattern there, our algorithms may well be telling you that you’re really losing trust in this website. Right now, based on the big picture on the web, , we most need to do more, there is a conservative side when it comes to understanding the content of this website and ranking it in search results.
And you’re seeing a drop in visibility there. ”
So what do you do now?
What to do if your ranking drops due to poor links
1. Check manual actions
This is what I do first.
You should check if there are any manual actions in Google Search Console.
If a Google representative manually reviews a website and finds that the site violates Google’s webmaster quality guidelines, manual action will be taken.
This means that we take steps to remove what Google considers spam from our search results.
The message indicates a problem and requires immediate action to fix the problem.
To check if you have a manual action, go to Google Search Console > Security and manual actions > manual action To check.
If you don’t see a manual action in Google Search Console, it’s not without problems.
Problematic links should be fixed as they may still be subject to Google’s algorithms.
Which brings us to the next point.
2. Remove low quality links
If you receive a manual action for unnatural links, please review our recommended steps. See unnatural links to your site.
If you determine that your site is affected by a link that ranks poorly, whether through manual action or suspected algorithmic influence, we recommend that you physically remove the link from the site in question. Recommended.
To remove links, you must contact those websites.
This is a cumbersome process and most of the time other websites ignore your request.
If you can’t remove these links, use Google’s disavow tool.
Basically, if these links seem to harm your site, try to clean them up, including disavows.
But be very careful with the disavow tool.
I’ve seen people denying reliable and useful links to sites.
Check Google’s warnings.
“If you use this feature incorrectly, it can cause your site to perform poorly in Google search results.
Disavow backlinks only if you believe there are a significant number of spam, artificial, or low-quality links pointing to your site, and if you are sure the links are causing problems. It is recommended.
At this point, you may be wondering how to determine if a link should be removed.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to reviewing and identifying problematic backlinks. Too Many Links: Denial and Cleanup Strategies.
As I said, it’s a tedious but necessary process if poor links are affecting your rankings.
Once everything is sorted out, it’s time to shift your focus to getting high-quality, relevant links.
3. Focus on high-quality, relevant links
There are many ways to get good links to your website.
Some tactics, such as visiting websites that already mention your company but are not linked (i.e., mentions to unlinked brands), or regaining lost backlinks, are is easier than
Other tactics, such as creating tools and guides, are more complex and time-consuming, but can be worthwhile.
There are many creative, non-spamous ways to attract links.
If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out Search Engine Journal’s Link Building Guide.
Merlin, this is not an easy process, but follow these recommended steps to restore your traffic and rankings.
Other resources:
Featured Image: Mix and Match Studio/Shutterstock
