Best Ways To Find And Remove Backlinks That May Be Negatively Affecting Your Business

The popular notion that a website that links back to you can do no harm to you is fast changing with the advent of Google Penguin Update. Many websites that have been linked by unnatural backlinks profile are in trouble because Google spam alarm starts buzzing when it detects aggressive use of exact match anchor text.

Are you also one of those affected? If yes then what next? Well, what you can do is either pay somebody to single out the worst offenders or set out doing it yourself. Here is an insight into the best ways to find and remove backlinks that may be negatively affecting your business.

For those of you who are not very tight on budget and wish to use the first option, here are some popular tools that are very effective in tracing unwanted backlinks that are harming your site.

1. Deletebacklinks.com

This is a cheap service available between $0.15 to $0.99 per link. The subscription also depends upon the number of links that you need to remove. They promise to finish the entire process in one day. It is known for being cheap and fast.

2. Removeem.com

This websites has two programs running; the self service and the full service option, both varying in fee structure and services offered. Both the services create a bad link list and spider the sites to find their contact information. It offers you an easy to use interface to enable you to contact all those websites. This interface displays the anchor text and the options available to you. This is credited for using multiple sources to get backlinks and for having an easy interface for slicing/dicing and exporting data.

3. Linkdelete.com

This takes full charge of the process and the only thing that you need to do is register for the process. What linkdelete does for you includes collecting links, analyzing them to home on to the bad ones and then removing those identified as unwanted. Subscription price depends on the number of domains and requests.

If you are DIY enthusiasts, here are a few things that you can do yourself

1. Turn over the backlink Trash

First you will have to go through the herculean task of digging through the backlinks and categorizing them into good and bad. Then you shall set out to remove them. The most feasible and acknowledged way is to ask to have them removed. Once you have requested them to remove the unwanted backlink, they will do one of these four activities; remove the link and inform you which is most desirable, remove it and not inform which still acceptable, do not do anything or ask you for some payment to remove them. If you do not get results from your request there are other ways too to remove bad backlinks.

2. Cut the Page

If all or most of those links are landing on low value pages, it is recommended to make those pages disappear. You can completely remove the page and return a 404 error. The penalty may not be too severe and you may be able to shake loose the bad link by 301-redirecting the page to another relevant page. This is only helpful if you are lucky enough to get a backlink that is directed towards low value pages. Most such bad links are directed at the website’s home page in which case you cannot make a disappearing act.

3. Appeal to Google

If you have done your level best to address the issue of removing negative backlinks but not reached anywhere, it is a good idea to appeal to Google straightaway. This essentially means filling a reconsideration request through the Google Webmaster Tools. In your request you need to be honest, detailed but yet specific and the effort that you have made to remove such links yourself should be clearly brought out.

Google has a semi-automated process for such requests and they receive 1000s of such requests. Hence take into consideration the fact that the application is going to land up in the hands of an employee and if it lacks detailed homework on your part, there is a huge likelihood that your request gets tossed and not considered.

Equipped with these DIY and paid methods to get rid of unwanted links that point to your website, you will be better armed to combat against such spam links that bring bad name to your business.

Robert Bryant is a blogger and works with CJ Pony Parts – cj pony mustang clutch. He likes blogging about Online Marketing Strategies, SEO Tips, Social Media Tips and Blogging Strategies.