What are backlinks?
Backlinks or backlinks have been one of the most important factors in Search Engine Optimization for years. Backlinks still play an important role today, but using them can also have a negative impact on a website’s ranking. A majority of all backlinks are still useful today, but some are ignored by Google and a small minority can even cause problems.
Ranking problems – what do backlinks have to do with it?
If your website suffers from ranking problems, you should therefore check carefully whether one of the backlinks used is related to it. Ideally, you will receive an email from Google that clearly describes the problems with the website. As the website owner, you can then simply use the email to fix the problem.
However, the situation is usually a bit more complicated. The reason for the poor ranking is usually unclear. A time analysis can help here. Check when the ranking drop occurred and which Google update could be related to it. For example, if the drop in time is related to Google’s Penguin update, the website could be having problems with backlink manipulation. Here you should check each individual backlink profile completely using the Google Search Console.
How can I remove unwanted backlinks?
There are three ways to reduce backlinks:
1. Remove links completely
2. Change links to nofollow
3. Invalidate links
The Disavow Tool, which can be found in the Google Search Console, is used to declare backlinks. If instead you would like the link removed or changed to nofollow, you will need to contact the relevant webmaster.
