John Mueller: Use Disavow Files Only If You’re Unsure
Google’s John Mueller recently addressed a question about the Disavow Tool, emphasizing that most sites don’t actually need to use it—but if you feel uncertain, it’s fine to proceed.
Scenario: Links That Aren’t Technically Links
An SEO asked Mueller about a situation where a client seemed to be receiving a steady stream of links—about 50 per week—that redirected to other sites rather than directly linking to the client’s site.
Technically, these URLs don’t create a link to the client’s domain. Mueller explained that the situation could involve one of three methods:
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The spam site links to an internal tracking URL first.
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JavaScript rewrites the link dynamically.
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A link wrapper is used.
In all three cases, no actual link points to the client’s site. However, there is a possibility that the spam site is cloaking content for Googlebot, which could show a legitimate link to search engines. That potential risk is likely why the SEO considered using a disavow file.
The Question Asked
The SEO wrote (without including the spam URLs):
“@johnmu.com
I know you’re not a fan of disavow files, but bear with me. A client is getting about 50 links/week redirecting to this kind of page. Should I include them in a disavow file, or nah? They technically don’t link to the site.”
Mueller’s Advice: When in Doubt, Disavow
Mueller didn’t dive into the technical specifics of whether Google could detect these links. Instead, he addressed the SEO’s desire to be safe:
“If you’re conflicted and just want to be sure, it’s totally fine to set up & use disavow files. If you notice that the bulk of the problems are from a few TLDs, you can also disavow the whole TLD. The disavow file is a tool, not a religion :-). Most sites don’t need it, but that’s not all sites.”
In short: while most websites don’t require a disavow, it can be used “just to be safe” if you have any doubts about potentially harmful links.