What Backlinks Are the Worst for SEO?

Backlinks remain one of the most influential factors in search engine optimisation, but they’re also one of the most misunderstood. While the right backlinks can boost your authority, drive organic traffic, and strengthen your visibility in Google, the wrong ones can quietly sabotage your efforts. In Australia’s competitive digital landscape, businesses often chase quick wins by buying or exchanging links, only to face penalties or declining rankings. Understanding the difference between high-quality, natural backlinks and harmful, toxic ones is essential if you want to build a sustainable SEO strategy that stands the test of time.

Why Are Backlinks Important in SEO?

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to yours. They act like votes of confidence, signalling to Google that your content is valuable. The higher the quality of backlinks, the stronger your domain authority and ranking potential. But not all backlinks are good. Some can harm your visibility and even trigger penalties.

Example:
A Brisbane law firm gained strong rankings after earning backlinks from reputable legal directories. But when they bought cheap links from irrelevant blogs, their rankings dropped within weeks.

What Are Toxic or Low-Quality Backlinks?

Toxic backlinks are links that come from spammy or irrelevant websites. Instead of helping your SEO, they make your site look suspicious. Google’s algorithms, especially Penguin, are designed to identify and devalue such links.

Example:
A Melbourne café receiving hundreds of backlinks from gambling websites signals manipulation rather than authority.

Which Types of Backlinks Should You Avoid?

1. Paid Links from Irrelevant Sites

Buying links is against Google’s guidelines. Links from unrelated or low-quality sites are easy for algorithms to detect.

Example:
A Sydney plumber buying backlinks from beauty blogs won’t gain trust or relevance, and risks a penalty.

2. Links from Link Farms

Link farms are networks of websites created solely for link-building. They often have thin content and no real audience.

Example:
An Adelaide florist appeared on a “top sites” list alongside hundreds of random businesses. Google ignored the link, and it provided no traffic.

3. Spammy Forum or Blog Comments

Dropping your URL in unrelated forums or comments is an outdated tactic. Most of these links are no-follow and can damage credibility if abused.

Example:
A Perth fitness trainer posting their website link under dozens of tech blog articles looked spammy and irrelevant.

4. Irrelevant Guest Posts

Guest posting is still a strong way to build backlinks, but only when it’s done on relevant, high-quality sites. The idea is to share your expertise with a new audience while earning a link back to your website. However, many businesses misuse this tactic by posting on low-quality, irrelevant blogs that exist purely for link-building.

Google’s algorithms are smart enough to detect when content is unrelated or written solely for links. Instead of helping your rankings, these posts can actually weaken your authority or even trigger manual actions if they’re seen as manipulative.

What makes a guest post irrelevant?

• The site has no connection to your industry or audience.
  
  

• The content is generic and doesn’t provide real value.
  
  

• The blog publishes hundreds of unrelated guest posts with outbound links in every article.
  
  

• The article doesn’t match your business expertise.
  
  

Risks of irrelevant guest posting:

• Wasted time and effort with no SEO benefit.
  
  

• Possible algorithmic devaluation of the link.
  
  

• Loss of credibility if customers find your brand on irrelevant or spammy sites.
  
  

Expanded Example:

A Gold Coast real estate agent published articles about “dog grooming” and “best smoothie recipes” on random lifestyle blogs to get backlinks. The posts had no connection to property, housing, or the local market. As a result, Google didn’t pass authority through those links, and potential clients who came across the posts saw the brand as unfocused. Contrast this with the same agent writing for a reputable Australian property investment blog, where they discussed “Top 5 Growth Suburbs on the Gold Coast.” That post not only earned a high-quality backlink but also drove targeted traffic and positioned the agent as a trusted local expert.

5. Sitewide Footer Links

Having your link appear on every page of another website’s footer can look unnatural unless it’s a genuine partnership.

Example:
A Canberra marketing agency placed sitewide footer links on unrelated client websites. Rankings dropped after Google flagged them.

6. Links from Penalised or Low-Domain Sites

If a site is penalised by Google or has a history of spam, links from it can harm you. Always check domain authority and reputation.

Example:
A Hobart e-commerce store bought links from sites flagged for malware. Their traffic dropped, and they had to disavow the links.

How Can You Protect Your Website from Bad Backlinks?

It’s not enough to simply avoid building bad links; you also need a proactive strategy to monitor, clean, and strengthen your backlink profile. Here’s how:

• Regularly audit your backlinks
  Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Search Console to review all the sites linking to you. Look for patterns of irrelevant, low-quality, or foreign-language domains that don’t match your industry.

• Evaluate link quality carefully.
  Ask: Is this site relevant to my business? Does it have genuine traffic? Is the content trustworthy? If the answer is no, the backlink may be toxic.

• Reach out for removals first.
  If you find a harmful backlink, contact the webmaster and request removal. This shows Google you’ve taken action before resorting to the disavow tool.

• Disavow harmful links when necessary.y
  If removal isn’t possible, use Google’s Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore those links. This should be done with caution and only for truly harmful links.

• Focus on earning quality backlinks.
  Build relationships with industry blogs, local directories, and community websites. Sponsoring events, contributing expert articles, or partnering with local organisations are sustainable ways to earn natural, relevant links.
  
  

Expanded Example:

A Sydney accountant noticed dozens of toxic backlinks from unrelated overseas gambling sites. First, their team contacted webmasters but received no response. They then used Google’s Disavow Tool. At the same time, they worked on earning quality backlinks from Australian financial directories and industry associations. Within a few months, their rankings stabilised and organic traffic began to grow again.

FAQ

Do all paid links harm SEO?

Not all. Paid links that exist only to manipulate rankings can harm SEO and may lead to penalties. However, genuine sponsorships or partnerships are acceptable if marked with the rel="sponsored" attribute.

Are no-follow links bad?

Not at all. While no-follow links don’t pass direct authority, they can bring valuable referral traffic and help create a more natural, diverse backlink profile.

Can I recover from toxic backlinks?

Yes. Many sites have recovered by identifying harmful backlinks, removing or disavowing them, and then focusing on building high-quality, relevant links.

How do I know if a backlink is bad?

Look at the linking site. If it’s irrelevant, thin on content, spam-heavy, or has no real traffic, that backlink is likely harmful. Trusted, relevant sites with genuine content are usually safe.

Do I need to disavow every low-quality backlink?

Not always. Google’s algorithms ignore many spammy links automatically. Disavowing is best reserved for clear patterns of harmful or manipulative links.

Are directory links still useful?

Some niche directories are valuable if they’re reputable and relevant to your industry. Generic or spammy directories, however, should be avoided.

How often should I check my backlink profile?

It’s best to monitor regularly, at least quarterly, to catch toxic links early and ensure your backlink strategy stays healthy.

Do backlinks still matter as much in 2025?

Yes, backlinks remain a strong ranking factor. However, quality, relevance, and context are now more important than sheer quantity.

Summary

Not all backlinks are equal. While high-quality links can boost authority, toxic links from link farms, irrelevant sites, spammy comments, or penalised domains can damage your SEO. Protect your site by auditing regularly, removing or disavowing bad links, and focusing on earning backlinks from trusted, relevant sources. By doing this, Australian businesses can build a strong backlink profile that drives rankings and long-term success.