Disavow or ignore: what a local business should actually do about spammy backlinks

By Keith Motte, Topofmind.AI. Former AWS Enterprise Support Manager (Healthcare and Life Sciences). Last updated Nov 4, 2026.

Short answer: most local businesses should ignore spammy backlinks. Google says "most sites will not need to use" the disavow tool. [1] Consider disavowing only when you have a lot of spammy or paid links, usually ones you or an SEO you hired built, that have caused a manual action or likely will, and you can't get them removed. A red score in an SEO tool is not that situation. [1][2]

What is the disavow tool?

The disavow tool is a page in Google Search Console where you upload a text file listing links or whole domains you want Google to leave out when it looks at your site. Think of it as telling Google, "I don't vouch for these." [1]

Google is blunt about the risk. It calls disavow "an advanced feature" that "should only be used with caution," and warns that if used incorrectly it "can potentially harm your site's performance in Google Search results." [1] That's not a button to press because a report looks scary.

What does Google actually say about when to disavow?

Here's the core of Google's guidance, paraphrased closely. [1]

Start with removal. If you have a manual action for unnatural links, or think one is coming "because of paid links or other link schemes," Google says you should first try to get those links removed from the other sites.
Disavow only what you can't remove. If you can't remove the links yourself or get them removed, then disavow the questionable pages or domains.
Most sites don't need it. "In most cases, Google can assess which links to trust without additional guidance."
Two conditions, both required. Google says to disavow only if (1) you have "a considerable number of spammy, artificial, or low-quality links" pointing to your site, AND (2) those links "have caused a manual action, or likely will cause a manual action."

Google also names the usual situation: "you or an SEO that you've hired may have built bad links to your site via paid links or other link schemes." [1] Its spam policies list buying links, excessive link swaps, and automated link-building as link spam. [3]

Search Console's Links report help says the same thing from another direction: "For known spam sites, Google typically will ignore the links." [4]

When should I just ignore spammy backlinks?

Ignore them, meaning note them and move on, when:

You never bought links, swapped links, or hired anyone who promised "guaranteed backlinks."
Search Console's Manual actions report shows no issues. Google notifies you there and in the Search Console message center if a reviewer takes action. [2]
The junk is random: foreign sites, scraped copies of pages, gibberish directories. That's background noise most sites get.
The only warning is a third-party "toxic" or "spam" score. That score is the tool vendor's estimate, not something Google sent you.

For an HVAC shop, a med spa, a realtor or a contractor who has never paid for links, that usually covers it.

When should I consider disavowing?

Consider it, carefully, when all of these are true:

You or someone you hired was involved in building paid or scheme links. [1][3]
There are a lot of them, not a handful. [1]
You have a manual action for unnatural links, or a realistic reason to expect one. [1][2]
You've asked the linking sites to remove the links, or to mark them nofollow (a tag that tells Google not to count the link), and it didn't work for some of them. [1][2]

Google's manual action guidance is clear that disavow doesn't replace cleanup. "Blindly adding all backlinks to the disavow file is not considered a good-faith effort," it says, and you should "make sure that you don't disavow organic links." Organic links are the real, earned ones. [2]

What's the practical order for a local business?

Here's the order I'd follow. Each step only happens if the one before it calls for it.

Ignore one-offs. A single strange domain, or a batch of obviously random spam, doesn't need any action. Log it and move on. [4]
Check for a manual action. Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual actions. Write down the date and what it shows. [2]
Fix what you control. End any paid link deals. Remove link swaps or "partner" pages that exist only to trade links. If you paid for links on other sites, ask for them to be removed or marked nofollow or sponsored. Google says links bought for advertising are fine when qualified with rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored". [3]
Consider disavow only for links you were involved in and couldn't remove, and only under the conditions above. [1]
Build the file carefully. Google's format is a plain .txt file with one URL or one domain:example.com entry per line. Lines starting with # are comments. [1] Don't paste in your entire link export. Remove anything you don't want disavowed. [1]
Know how uploads work. One list per property. If you still have separate http:// and https:// properties in Search Console, upload the same list to each. A new upload replaces the old list, so keep a master copy. Only property owners can upload, and the tool doesn't support Domain properties. Google says it can take "a few weeks" to take effect. [1]
Keep dated notes. Save every export, every removal request (who, when, reply), and every version of the disavow file. If you do have a manual action, Google asks you to include "documentation about the links you've had removed and an explanation of any links you were unable to remove" with your reconsideration request. [2]

Why dated notes matter more than the tool

In 30 years in corporate America, the last 7 at AWS, I learned that the incident log is what saves you, not the dashboard. Backlinks work the same way. A dated record of what you saw, what you asked for, and what you changed lets you, or anyone you hire later, make a calm decision. It also means you'll have the documentation ready if Google ever asks for it. [2]

Frequently asked questions

Will disavowing spammy links improve my rankings?

Don't count on it. Google says most sites don't need the tool, and that it typically ignores links from known spam sites already. [1][4] Disavow is for cleaning up link problems that caused, or likely will cause, a manual action. It isn't a growth tactic.

Can using the disavow tool hurt my site?

Yes, if you use it wrong. Google warns that incorrect use "can potentially harm your site's performance in Google Search results." [1] The common mistake is disavowing real, earned links along with the junk.

How do I undo a disavow?

Upload a new file to replace the old one, or use "Cancel Disavowals" in the tool to remove the list for that property. Google says changes can take a few weeks to take effect. [1]

My SEO tool flagged hundreds of toxic links. What now?

Check the Manual actions report. If it's clean and you never bought links, document the export and keep an eye on it. Google's guidance ties disavow to manual actions and link schemes, not to third-party scores. [1][2]

Sources for this page

Google Search Console Help: Disavow links to your site. https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/2648487
Google Search Console Help: Manual actions report (Unnatural links to your site). https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9044175
Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search, Link spam (last updated Aug 28, 2026). https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies
Google Search Console Help: Links report. https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9049606

Next step

For most local businesses, the time is better spent on the profile customers actually see. Run the free Google Business Profile audit, or book a 30-minute Growth Call if you're looking at a manual action or an old paid-link mess and want help sorting it. See how we approach local SEO and Google Maps. Want to build your own link monitoring? Join TopofmindAI Builders on Skool.