What a Negative SEO Attack Looks Like

I wanted to highlight a common tactic other competitors or other SEO agencies will use against your website that works really well if you're not looking out for it. It's called a Negative SEO Attack – and what it is essentially is some unscrupulous operator pointing thousands of irrelevant spammy links to your website.

What is a Negative SEO Attack?

A negative SEO attack occurs when a competitor or malicious actor attempts to harm your website's search engine rankings by pointing thousands of low-quality, spammy backlinks at your site. Google's algorithms can interpret an unnatural influx of poor-quality links as a sign that your site is engaging in black-hat SEO practices.

How to Detect a Negative SEO Attack

The first sign of a negative SEO attack is often a sudden and unexplained drop in search rankings. You may also notice a sharp increase in your backlink profile, particularly from low-quality or irrelevant websites. Regularly monitoring your backlink profile using tools like Google Search Console can help you detect attacks early.

How to Respond to a Negative SEO Attack

If you suspect you're under a negative SEO attack, the first step is to document the suspicious links. You can then use Google's Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore these links when assessing your website. Acting quickly is crucial, as the longer the attack continues, the more damage it can do to your rankings.

Prevention Strategies

While you cannot completely prevent negative SEO attacks, you can minimise their impact by regularly monitoring your backlink profile, setting up Google Search Console alerts, and maintaining a strong, high-quality link profile that gives Google confidence in the legitimacy of your website.