How to Disavow Backlinks in SEMrush: Complete Step-by-Step Guide for 2026

Learn how to disavow backlinks in SEMrush with our expert guide. Protect your site from toxic links and improve rankings. Start analyzing free at buildlinks.ai

Understanding the Backlink Disavow Process and Why It Matters

Managing your backlink profile is one of the most critical aspects of modern SEO, and knowing how to disavow backlinks in SEMrush can protect your website from algorithmic penalties that devastate rankings. Toxic backlinks—links from spammy, irrelevant, or manipulative sources—can signal to Google that your site participates in link schemes, even when you're not at fault.

SEMrush has become the go-to platform for identifying harmful backlinks and creating disavow files that tell Google which links to ignore. This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of the process, from identifying toxic links to submitting your disavow file successfully.

Before diving into the technical process, it's worth understanding that disavowing should be approached strategically. Not every low-quality link needs disavowal—Google's algorithms are sophisticated enough to ignore many naturally occurring spam links. However, when you've been hit by a manual penalty, experienced a sudden ranking drop, or inherited a domain with a questionable link history, the disavow tool becomes essential.

Identifying Toxic Backlinks Using SEMrush's Backlink Audit Tool

Accessing the Backlink Audit Feature

SEMrush's Backlink Audit tool provides the foundation for your disavow strategy. To begin, navigate to your SEMrush dashboard and select "Backlink Audit" from the left sidebar under the "Link Building" section. If you haven't set up a project for your domain yet, you'll need to create one first.

Once inside the Backlink Audit tool, SEMrush automatically begins analyzing your backlink profile. The platform evaluates each linking domain against over 45 toxicity markers, including:

• Link networks and Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
• Sites with manipulative anchor text patterns
• Domains flagged for distributing malware
• Sites with unnaturally high outbound link ratios
• Pages with thin or duplicate content
• Domains penalized by Google

Understanding the Toxicity Score

SEMrush assigns each backlink a toxicity score ranging from 0 to 100. Links scoring above 60 are flagged as potentially toxic and warrant closer examination. However, don't automatically disavow every link with a high score—context matters enormously.

A high toxicity score might flag legitimate links from:

• International websites with different linking conventions
• Industry forums with high user-generated content
• Press release distribution sites
• Older websites with outdated design

Your job is to review each flagged link and determine whether it genuinely poses a risk to your site's standing with Google. Before making these decisions, it helps to understand what makes a quality backlink—our Domain Evaluation for Backlink System (D.E.B.S.) can help you assess domain quality across multiple metrics.

Manual Review Best Practices

Don't rely solely on automated toxicity scores. Perform manual reviews of flagged domains by asking these questions:

1. Is the linking site relevant to your industry? A tech blog linking to your SaaS company is natural; a pharmaceutical site linking to your bakery is suspicious.

2. Does the site appear to exist solely for link building? Look for signs like hundreds of outbound links per page, irrelevant content, and no social presence.

3. What's the anchor text pattern? If dozens of links use exact-match commercial keywords, that's a red flag even from otherwise decent sites.

4. Is there editorial context? A link naturally embedded in relevant content is far more valuable than a random link in a sidebar widget.

5. Can you identify legitimate ownership? Sites without contact information, about pages, or any business identity often exist purely for manipulation.

Step-by-Step Process to Create Your Disavow List

Step 1: Configure Your Backlink Audit Settings

Before generating your disavow list, ensure your Backlink Audit settings are optimized. Connect Google Search Console to your SEMrush project for the most complete backlink data. SEMrush will combine its own extensive database with Google's data to provide comprehensive coverage.

Set your brand terms and target keywords so SEMrush can properly analyze anchor text distribution. This helps identify unnatural optimization patterns that might indicate manipulation.

Step 2: Review and Categorize Flagged Links

SEMrush presents flagged links in three categories:

• Remove: Links you've identified as genuinely harmful
• Whitelist: Links that appear toxic but are actually legitimate
• To Review: Links requiring further investigation

Work through the "To Review" list systematically. For each link, visit the actual page (use a browser extension to prevent accidentally passing link equity) and evaluate whether it meets the criteria for a toxic link.

Step 3: Attempt Manual Removal First

Google's official guidance recommends attempting manual link removal before using the disavow tool. SEMrush helps automate this process through its outreach feature:

1. Select links you want removed manually

2. Use SEMrush's template system to generate removal request emails

3. Track which webmasters respond and remove links

4. Document your removal efforts (important if you're addressing a manual penalty)

Give webmasters 2-4 weeks to respond before adding unresponsive sites to your disavow list. Keep records of all outreach attempts—this documentation proves to Google that you made good-faith efforts to clean up your link profile.

Step 4: Generate the Disavow File

Once you've completed your review and exhausted manual removal options, it's time to create your disavow file. In SEMrush:

1. Navigate to the "Disavow" tab within Backlink Audit

2. Review the list of domains and URLs you've marked for disavowal

3. Choose whether to disavow at the domain level or specific URL level

4. Click "Export to Disavow File"

Pro tip: Disavow at the domain level (using the `domain:` prefix) when the entire site is problematic. Use URL-level disavowal only when you want to preserve some links from a domain while rejecting others.

Your exported file will be formatted correctly for Google's requirements:

```

domain:spammysite.com

domain:linkschemedomain.net

https://example.com/spammy-page

```

Submitting Your Disavow File to Google

Accessing Google's Disavow Tool

SEMrush creates the disavow file, but submission happens directly through Google Search Console. Navigate to Google's Disavow Links tool (search "Google disavow tool" to find the current URL, as Google occasionally updates its location).

Select the property you want to disavow links for—ensure you're selecting the correct version (http vs https, www vs non-www) that matches your primary property in Search Console.

Upload and Confirmation Process

Click "Disavow Links" and upload your SEMrush-generated file. Google will process the file and display any formatting errors. If errors appear, return to SEMrush, review the flagged entries, and regenerate a corrected file.

Once uploaded successfully, Google confirms receipt. Note that disavowal doesn't instantly improve your rankings—Google must recrawl and reprocess your site's backlinks, which can take weeks or months.

Monitoring Results and Iteration

After submission, track your progress through multiple channels:

1. SEMrush Backlink Audit: Run regular audits to catch new toxic links

2. Search Console: Monitor for any manual action messages

3. Rankings: Track keyword positions for recovery signs

4. Organic traffic: Look for gradual improvement in Google Analytics

Disavowing is rarely a one-time task. New toxic links can appear monthly, especially for sites that attract negative SEO attacks or exist in competitive niches. Our Link Status Assistant (L.I.S.A.) helps you continuously monitor your backlink profile health and catch problematic links early.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Disavowing Backlinks

Over-Disavowing Quality Links

The most damaging mistake is disavowing links that actually help your rankings. Some SEOs panic at any link with a high toxicity score and mass-disavow without manual review. This can strip away legitimate link equity you've earned.

Remember that not every link from a low-DA site is harmful. A genuine mention from a small local blog is natural and valuable, even if automated tools flag it as low-quality. Context and relevance always matter more than raw metrics.

Under-Documenting Your Process

If you're responding to a manual penalty, Google wants evidence of thorough cleanup efforts. Maintain detailed records of:

• All links you attempted to remove manually
• Email timestamps and content
• Webmaster responses (or lack thereof)
• Your reasoning for each disavowal decision

This documentation becomes crucial when submitting a reconsideration request.

Ignoring Anchor Text Patterns

Many site owners focus solely on domain quality while ignoring anchor text distribution. Even if all your backlinks come from legitimate sites, an unnatural anchor text profile can trigger penalties.

Analyze your anchor text distribution in SEMrush. If you see:

• Over 5-10% exact-match commercial keywords
• Unnatural repetition of specific phrases
• Anchor text that doesn't match your content topics

Consider whether some of those links should be disavowed, even if the linking domains aren't inherently toxic. When building new links, tools like our Anchor Text Integration System (A.T.I.S.) help you maintain natural, penalty-safe anchor text diversity.

Setting and Forgetting

Disavow files aren't permanent solutions that fix your link profile forever. New toxic links appear constantly, and your strategy should evolve. Schedule monthly or quarterly backlink audits to:

• Identify newly acquired toxic links
• Update your disavow file as needed
• Remove disavowed entries if they're no longer relevant
• Track the health of your overall backlink profile

Advanced Strategies for Comprehensive Link Profile Management

Combining Disavow with Proactive Link Building

Disavowing removes negative signals, but it doesn't add positive ones. Effective SEO combines defensive link management with proactive quality link acquisition. Focus on:

• Creating linkable assets that attract natural editorial links
• Building relationships with industry publications and influencers
• Guest posting on relevant, authoritative sites
• Pursuing broken link building opportunities

When evaluating guest post opportunities, quality matters enormously. Our Blogs Evaluation for Link Insertion (B.E.L.I.) helps you assess whether potential link sources will strengthen or weaken your profile.

Analyzing Competitor Link Profiles

SEMrush allows you to analyze competitor backlink profiles, revealing two valuable insights:

1. Link opportunities: Quality sites linking to competitors might link to you too

2. Common toxic sources: If competitors have similar toxic links, those might be industry-wide issues rather than targeted attacks

Understanding the broader link landscape in your niche helps you make smarter disavow decisions and prioritize outreach efforts.

Handling Negative SEO Attacks

If you notice sudden spikes in toxic backlinks, you might be experiencing a negative SEO attack. Respond quickly:

1. Document the attack timeline and scope

2. Use SEMrush's monitoring to track new links daily

3. Immediately disavow obvious spam domains

4. Consider filing a report with Google if the attack is severe

The disavow tool exists partly to protect site owners from malicious link building by competitors. Regular monitoring catches these attacks before they impact rankings.

Taking Control of Your Backlink Profile

Knowing how to disavow backlinks in SEMrush empowers you to protect your site from toxic links that could otherwise destroy your search visibility. The process requires careful analysis, strategic decision-making, and ongoing vigilance—but the payoff is a clean, penalty-resistant link profile that supports sustainable rankings growth.

Remember that disavowing is just one component of comprehensive backlink management. The most successful SEO strategies combine defensive disavow practices with proactive quality link building, creating profiles that not only avoid penalties but actively boost authority.

Ready to take control of your backlink profile? Start by analyzing your current links with our free SEO tools dashboard at Build Links. Our suite of link building and evaluation tools—including D.E.B.S. for domain assessment, B.E.L.I. for blog evaluation, L.I.S.A. for link monitoring, and A.T.I.S. for anchor text optimization—gives you everything you need to build a healthy, powerful backlink profile that drives long-term ranking success.

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