Most people with even a passing interest in SEO know that backlinks are important. Not just backlinks, but the right backlinks!
The right backlinks?
Yep. 'Natural' Backlinks gain your site credibility with Google and as a result, it'll rank better in search results. Toxic backlinks however are on the other side of the Balance Sheet.
These are links that Google's algorithms calculate as 'unnatural' - in my world, they are 'toxic'
Toxic Backlinks
Toxic backlinks have a counter-productive impact on your website in Google. Get too many toxic backlinks and your website will be penalised by being de-rated in Search results - Yikes!
This is because Google calculates the 'naturalism' of your backlinks, and if it encounters too many of what it thinks are 'unnatural' backlinks, it will flag the site as trying to 'game it' and apply a penalty.
Head over here to read more about Toxic Backlinks, and in particular how to remove them.
'Link-Spam Update'
Google continues to get better and better at sniffing out unnatural backlinks, and their latest announcement relates to a further improvement in their Link Spam detection algorithms.
refer: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/07/link-tagging-and-link-spam-update
What does this mean for you?
If you or your website support team aren't monitoring your site's toxic backlinks and actioning them to reduce the impact on your website's SEO performance then you might find some downward movement in your website's Google rankings.
If no one is monitoring your website's backlink profile then contact us for a complimentary check.
Online marketer with extensive experience in sales, marketing, and web technology. Working with websites and digital marketing since the mid-80s, Peter focuses on practical solutions that drive real results.
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