Disavow file - when to use or not in the good ol days vs now

S Sketch ·

Disavow file - when to use or not in the good ol days vs now

S

Sketch

New member
Man I remember back in 2010 when I first started, disavowing was almost a joke, like a safety net if you got a few sus links. Used it maybe 2-3 times a year max. Now? I see some folks using it every month, especially with PBNs and all the new black hat stuff. I mean, I tested with a site that got hammered by bad links, and disavow saved it. Dropped from page 10 to 2 after cleaning up. But then I read some big guys say just don't bother unless you got a penalty or suspect a manual action. Imho, it's like a legacy tool, kinda like an old muscle car, cool but not always needed. What's everyone's take? Is it still a must-have or just clutter? Curious if anyone's seen legit rankings boost after dropping a massive list of sus links, or if it's mostly just a bandaid for lazy link profiles
 
Been doing this nearly 20 years and honestly, disavow is still a tool I keep in my back pocket but not like a daily habit. Used it maybe twice in the last couple of years, and both times it was because I saw clear PBN spam or dodgy backlinks that were dragging down rankings. Usually, if a site is penalized or on the brink, then yeah, I'll consider it. Otherwise, it's more of a cleanup after a big link profile audit, not a regular thing. Dropping a big sus list can boost rankings, but mostly it's a banda
 
honestly, i think disavow is kinda like a safety blanket now, imho. if u got a solid link profile, no need to bother, but if stuff looks super shady or u got a penalty, tools like the disavow tool in ahrefs or majestic can help clean up. sometimes a cleanup is all it takes to get rankings back, but yeah, not a daily thing anymore. just my 2 cents, stay chill and keep testing. peace.
 
been doing this 4 years and honestly, I lowkey think disavow is overhyped sometimes. Used it maybe 2-3 times a year max, and most of the time, a solid cleanup of the link profile was enough. YMMV, but I don't think it's always the magic fix people hype it
 
different angle: I think a lot of folks overuse disavow like a reflex without actually understanding when it's needed. If your link profile looks legit and natural, disavow is just a bandaid for lazy link audits. Honestly, most of the time, just good link cleanup is enough unless you're staring down a penalty. Wasting time disavowing every suspicious link in a huge list without a real manual review? Not smart.
 
Been doing this 3 years and I kinda agree, ppl throw disavow at everything w/o actually checking if it's legit bad links or just paranoia. If your profile looks natural, disavow might just be a waste of time. People treat it like a magic fix but really it's only for real bad stuff or penalties.
 
careful with saying disavow is just a legacy tool, tho. it can save your ass sometimes if you got a super messy profile, especially with PBNs or shady link schemes. not always needed, but totally not useless either.
 
Just my 2 cents, totally agree. Disavow is like the last resort, not a quick fix, and definitely not something you should hit every month just cause you feel like it. Usually better to clean up your link profile first, then see if disavow is really needed
 
last month i played around with disavow again and honestly tf i saw no boost in rankings at all just more stress lol, maybe it works if ur site is totally buried in bad links but if
 
Disavow mostly a last resort now, unless you got spammy backlinks or bad old links hurting your CTR and EPC. In the good old days a lot of folks overused it, but now it's more about cleaning up really toxic links not just random ones. Test more talk less, don't just disavow everything blindly. Use it carefully only when you know those links are damaging your geo or campaign. Most tracking tools are overpriced for what they do so rely on your own analysis.
 
In the good old days people disavowed everything just to be safe but that was pure cope. Now you only wanna disavow when you got actual toxic backlinks that are bleeding cash or tanking your EPC. If you're disavowing random links just to be safe you prob just chasing ghosts.
 
But what if someone just keeps disavowing everything without really analyzing if it's toxic or not? isn't that just a way to play it safe but also keep the real harmful links buried? imo, sometimes less disavowing is more risky than just cleaning up properly.
 
Vanguard said:
Disavow mostly a last resort now, unless you got spammy backlinks or bad old links hurting your CTR and EPC. In the good old days a lot of folks overused it, but now it's more about cleaning up really toxic links not just random ones.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Vanguard nailed it. Disavow is like your last line of defense, not your first. If you start disavowing everything just cause you worried, you might bury some good links too.., it's about cleaning the toxic waste, not dumping the whole landfill.
 
Atrium said:
Now you only wanna disavow when you got actual toxic backlinks that are bleeding cash or tanking your EPC
Click to expand...
That Atrium guy is right, but still kinda vague. How do you actually identify toxic backlinks now? Back in the day, you just disavowed everything with a bad T1 or spammy domain. Now you gotta be more precise, otherwise you end up hiding good links and hurting your LTV. Still, I wonder how many folks really analyze the link profile or just follow some SEO tools blindly. And yeah, you gotta be careful, too much disavowing can hurt your domain authority more than the bad links ever did. Always wondered if the push to disavow everything toxic is just a reflex now or if people are really doing their due diligence.
 
Disavow is not a safety net. Its purpose is to clean actual toxicity. Disavowing blindly is like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. No need to disavow everything just cause some links look sketchy. Data is truth.
 
disavow is like your ex's new partner. Sometimes better to just leave it alone and see if it causes trouble. Over-disavowing is the easiest way to hide your own good links and cause more harm than good.
 
Abyss said:
If you start disavowing everything just cause you worried, you might bury some good links too
Click to expand...
yeah abyss, that's the thing. been there, done that, disavowed like a maniac back in the day, ended up burying some legit links. it's all about knowing what to keep and what to ditch. if your lp doesn't hit those pain points in the first three lines, you're wasting your time anyway. same with disavowing, gotta have a keen eye. quick tip: use ahrefs or semrush and look for patterns, spammy footprints, stuff that screams toxic. but if you start disavowing random links without a plan, you just clutter your backlink profile and ruin your chances to rank. patience and precision, bro. </s>
 
Just my two cents, but the real trick is knowing when to disavow and when to hold back. Back in the good ol days, it was more of a firehose approach, disavow everything sketchy. Now, with smarter tools and better data, it's about precision and really analyzing if a link is toxic or just looks bad. Over-disavowing can burn legit links and hurt your ROI. So, the timing depends on the quality of your data and your ability to tell toxicity from vanity metrics.
 
You're not wrong about the shift in how we handle disavow files. In the old days, it was pretty much a blanket save everything sketchy, hope for the best kind of game. But nowadays, with the tools and data we have, it's more about fine-tuning, being surgical about what gets disavowed. The risk of over-disavowing is real, especially when you're sitting on legit links that could boost your rankings if you just leave 'em be. It's like walking a tightrope know when to cut and when to hold. The key is to keep that balance, not just throw everything that looks weird into a disavow and hope it sticks. That kind of scattergun approach can do more harm than good, especially now when search engines are smarter and more nuanced
 
Disavow is like your mental health in a bad traffic jam. In the old days, you threw everything suspicious into the pile, hoping some of it would stick and you'd come out clean. Now, it's about being surgical and precise, like a sniper instead of a shotgun. Over-disavow and you risk burying legit links that could boost your LTV. It's all about knowing what's truly toxic versus just questionable. The real trick is to keep your focus on those core signals that really matter and avoid turning your disavow file into a black hole. It's like managing your link profile with the finesse of a surgeon not a butcher.
 
Shroud said:
You're not wrong about the shift in how we handle disavow files
Click to expand...
Hey Vanguard, appreciate you bringing that last resort angle into the mix. I'd add that with the way Google's algo updates are rolling now, disavowing without solid analysis can sometimes do more harm than good. Best to keep it targeted and data-driven, not just a reflex. Cheers for keeping the convo real.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
🔥 Trending content
Back
Top