What is Unnatural Links?
Unnatural links are backlinks that violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines by attempting to manipulate search rankings through artificial link schemes rather than being earned through quality content. These links include paid links without proper disclosure, excessive link exchanges, automated link building, and links from low-quality or irrelevant sites that exist solely to pass PageRank.
Ecommerce SEO Glossary > Off-Page SEO > Unnatural Links
What You Need to Know about Unnatural Links
Google Penalties and Algorithm Detection
Google’s algorithms automatically detect most unnatural link patterns, and manual reviewers can issue penalties that severely damage rankings. Sites with significant unnatural links risk losing search visibility entirely.
Common Unnatural Link Patterns
Paid links without nofollow attributes, excessive exact-match anchor text, sitewide footer links, and links from private blog networks are red flags. Links from irrelevant sites or pages with no editorial context also qualify.
Manual Actions vs. Algorithmic Devaluation
Google can issue manual actions requiring reconsideration requests, or algorithms can simply devalue suspicious links without notification. Algorithmic devaluation is more common and harder to diagnose since rankings gradually decline.
Link Audit and Cleanup Process
Identifying unnatural links requires analyzing your backlink profile for suspicious patterns and low-quality sources. Use Google Search Console and disavow tools to remove or nullify harmful links that can’t be manually removed.
Recovery Requires Documentation
Manual action recovery requires removing as many unnatural links as possible and submitting a detailed reconsideration request. Document every removal attempt and explain the link building mistakes that led to the penalty.
Prevention Through Editorial Standards
Focus on earning links through quality content, digital PR, and genuine relationships rather than shortcuts. Links should come from relevant sites where your content provides value to their audience.
Frequently Asked Questions about Unnatural Links
1. What’s the difference between unnatural links and low-quality links?
Unnatural links intentionally manipulate rankings and violate guidelines, while low-quality links may be naturally occurring but provide little value. Google penalizes unnatural links but typically ignores low-quality ones.
2. Can competitor negative SEO harm my site with unnatural links?
Google claims its algorithms account for negative SEO attempts, but building hundreds of spammy links to competitors rarely works. If you notice suspicious link patterns, monitor rankings and use the disavow tool if necessary.
3. How long does it take to recover from an unnatural links penalty?
Recovery from manual actions typically takes weeks to months after submitting a reconsideration request, depending on the severity and your cleanup efforts. Algorithmic recovery can take multiple algorithm updates to fully restore rankings.
4. Are all paid links considered unnatural?
Paid links without proper nofollow or sponsored attributes violate Google’s guidelines and are considered unnatural. However, paid links with appropriate attributes that disclose the commercial relationship are acceptable and won’t cause penalties.
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