Google's disavow tool allows you to tell Google to ignore specific backlinks when evaluating your site. It is designed for situations where your backlink profile contains links that may be harming your rankings — links you did not ask for and cannot remove through normal outreach. Used correctly, it is a powerful recovery tool. Used incorrectly, it can disavow valuable links and actively hurt your rankings.
Before reaching for the disavow tool, understand clearly when it is appropriate and when it is not.
When to Use the Disavow Tool
After a manual action for unnatural links. If Google Search Console shows a manual action penalty specifically for "unnatural links to your site", you must address the link issue before submitting a reconsideration request. Disavowing the problematic links is part of the cleanup process. As we covered in our guide to checking for Google penalties, manual actions are clearly communicated in Search Console.
After a suspected algorithmic Penguin impact. If your rankings dropped coinciding with a known Penguin update, and your backlink audit reveals a large volume of clearly spammy links, disavowing the worst links may help recovery.
After a negative SEO attack. If a competitor has pointed thousands of spam links at your site in an attempt to trigger a penalty, disavowing them quickly prevents the damage from taking effect.
When NOT to Use the Disavow Tool
Google's John Mueller has repeatedly advised that most sites should not use the disavow tool at all. Modern Google is much better at ignoring low-quality links naturally — links that do not pass equity do not need to be disavowed.
Do not disavow links just because they come from low-DA sites, foreign language sites, or sites you do not recognise. Do not disavow links out of an abundance of caution if you have no specific penalty or ranking drop to attribute to them. Disavowing legitimate links — even low-quality ones — risks removing equity unnecessarily.
How to Create a Disavow File
The disavow file is a plain text file with one entry per line. You can disavow individual URLs or entire domains:
# Disavow specific URLs
https://spamsite.com/links/your-link
# Disavow entire domains (recommended for obvious spam sites)
domain:spamsitenetwork.com
domain:linkfarm-example.net
Lines beginning with # are comments and are ignored by Google. Domain-level disavows are more efficient for sites that have linked to you multiple times from different pages.
The Disavow Process
Step 1 — Attempt manual link removal first. Contact the webmasters of spammy linking sites and request removal. Document these attempts — you will need to show this in a reconsideration request if applicable.
Step 2 — Compile your disavow list from your backlink audit. Focus on clearly spammy domains — link farms, PBNs, adult sites with no relevance, sites that are obviously selling links at scale.
Step 3 — Upload to Google Search Console at search.google.com/search-console/disavow-links. Select your property and upload the text file.
Step 4 — If addressing a manual action, submit a reconsideration request explaining what you found, what you removed, and what you disavowed.
Keep your disavow file backed up and maintained. If you build new links in the future, ensure none of them end up being inadvertently disavowed. Monitor your backlink profile using our anchor text analyser to maintain a healthy distribution going forward.
Summary
Use the disavow tool only when you have a confirmed penalty, a suspected algorithmic impact from clearly spammy links, or a negative SEO attack. Do not disavow links pre-emptively. Create a domain-level disavow file for obvious spam sites, attempt manual removal first, and keep your disavow file maintained and backed up.
Missed the previous article? Read: What Is a Backlink Profile and How Do You Audit It?