Disavow tool
Disavow tool: a Google disavow file built from evidence
bklink turns an audit of your backlinks into a disavow list you can defend, then writes the file Google's disavow links tool expects. It suggests only links it has proved are live and followed, shows the case against disavowing each one, and never uploads anything for you.
First: most sites should not disavow
Google's own guidance is that in most cases it can work out which links to trust, and that "most sites will not need to use this tool". The disavow tool is for a site with many spammy, artificial or low-quality links that have caused a manual action, or are likely to. Disavowing links that were helping you removes their value. Google treats them as if they were not there.
So the useful result of an audit is often a short list, or none at all. bklink refuses to export an empty file, because uploading one would wipe every disavow Google already holds for the property.
How the disavow tool works
- Audit the links. Upload a vendor's placement list (CSV, PDF or spreadsheet), or scan your domain for the backlinks already pointing at it. bklink fetches every linking page, records whether each link is followed, and resolves every site to the server it runs on.
- Review the suggestions. bklink puts forward only domains with one of the four signals below, each with its evidence and the argument against acting on it. Nothing goes on the list until you add it.
- Add your own. Add any domain or URL by hand, with a note. When you remove an entry, it is kept in the list's history with your reason, so you can see what was un-disavowed and why.
- Download the file. bklink writes the complete list as a Google-ready .txt, sorted, with duplicates and entries already covered by a
domain:line removed, and a comment recording why each entry is there. - Upload it yourself in Google Search Console's disavow links tool.
The four signals behind a suggestion
Each one is a fact the audit established, not a score. Every suggestion shows the case against it next to the evidence.
Private network hosting
The domain shares one server with at least 10 distinct domains, on an identified host that is not a CDN. That is the pattern of a private blog network. When 5 or more suggestions sit on one address, they are shown as a single finding: one network is one decision, not two hundred.
The case against: Busy shared hosting looks the same from outside. Open a few of the sites before you disavow the domain.
Brand look-alike domains
The domain trades on a major publisher's name without being that publisher (yahoopaper.com is not Yahoo). The test is tuned to avoid false matches: "newsjournal" does not count as WSJ.
The case against: A name match is a string test, not an investigation. Confirm the site is passing itself off as someone else, not merely sounding like them.
DataForSEO spam score of 60 or more
On links found by scanning your domain, DataForSEO reports its own spam score for each backlink. bklink shows it under that name. It is not a "toxicity score", and it is not Ahrefs DR or Moz DA.
The case against: It is a vendor's opinion, not a measurement of harm, and Google may already be ignoring the link at no cost to you.
A repeated commercial anchor
The same anchor text, pointing at you from 5 or more unrelated domains. Generic anchors ("visit", "read more", "source"), your own brand name, bare URLs and syndicated press-release copies never count. One wire release reprinted on 800 sites carries one anchor by design.
The case against: One outreach template can produce the same anchor honestly, and asking the publisher to change it is cheaper than disavowing the domain.
What bklink never suggests
- Nofollow and sponsored links. They pass no ranking signal, so there is nothing to disavow.
- Links that are not there. If the audit found the page but not the link, the link cannot hurt you.
- Pages that could not be loaded. A failed fetch proves nothing either way.
- Dead pages (404, 410, 5xx). A page that is gone passes nothing, and each line spent on it is one of Google's 100,000.
- A search engine's own domains.
You can still add any of these by hand. The rules only govern what bklink suggests on its own.
The disavow file format Google accepts
Google documents the format exactly, and bklink checks every file against it before offering the download:
- A
.txtfile, encoded as UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII, with one entry per line. domain:example.comdisavows the domain and all its subdomains. A full URL disavows that one page.- Lines starting with
#are comments, and Google ignores them. - At most 2,048 characters per URL, 100,000 lines (blank and comment lines included) and 2 MB per file.
- A subpath such as
example.com/blog/cannot be disavowed. Use the pages, or the domain.
A new upload replaces the old list. Google does not append, so a file that leaves an entry out silently un-disavows it. That is why bklink always exports the complete list and never a "what's new" file. A file looks like this:
# bklink disavow file — Vendor Q3 audit
# Property: example.com
# Generated 2026-09-23 · 2 entries
#
# THIS FILE REPLACES YOUR PREVIOUS UPLOAD. Google does not append: whatever
# you upload becomes the entire disavow list for this property. It contains
# every entry added and not since removed — do not upload a partial list.
# Co-hosted with many unrelated domains on one address
domain:network-site.example
# Paid link the publisher would not remove
https://blog.example.org/sponsored-postHow to disavow backlinks in Google Search Console
- Open Google's disavow links tool and choose your property. It must be a URL-prefix property: the tool does not support Domain properties. If you only have a Domain property, add a URL-prefix property for the site first.
- Upload the .txt file. It replaces any list the property already has.
- Wait. Google says it can take a few weeks, because the list is applied as it recrawls and reprocesses the pages.
- Expect disavowed links to keep appearing in Search Console's Links report. Google says so, and it does not mean the file failed.
To undo, remove entries in bklink and upload the new complete file. Or use Cancel Disavowals in Google's tool to clear the property's list entirely.
What about Bing?
There is nothing to upload. Bing removed its Disavow Links tool and API in October 2023, saying it can now tell natural from unnatural links and discount the unnatural ones itself.
Price
The disavow list and the file cost nothing. They are built from a backlink audit, which costs $1.00 for up to 410 domains and never more than $1.92, however long the list. There is no subscription: top up a prepaid wallet from $10 and pay per action, and any unspent balance is refundable.
Frequently asked questions
What is a disavow file?
A plain .txt file you upload to Google Search Console that lists the pages and domains whose links to your site you want Google to ignore. Each line is either a URL or domain:example.com, and lines starting with # are comments.
Do I need to disavow links?
Probably not. Google says that in most cases it can work out which links to trust on its own, and that most sites will not need its disavow tool. It is meant for sites with many spammy or artificial links that have caused, or are likely to cause, a manual action — for example, links bought in the past that you cannot get removed.
Can disavowing links hurt my rankings?
Yes, if you disavow links that were helping you. Google treats a disavowed link as if it were not there, so a disavow list should be short and evidence-led. That is why bklink shows the case against every suggestion and adds nothing to the list on its own.
How long does a disavow take to work?
Google says it can take a few weeks, because the list is applied as Google recrawls the web and reprocesses the pages. Disavowed links keep appearing in Search Console's Links report; that does not mean the file failed.
Can I undo a disavow?
Yes. Remove the entries in bklink and upload the new complete file, which replaces the old list. Google's tool also has a Cancel Disavowals button that removes every disavow for the property at once.
Why doesn't the disavow tool accept my Domain property?
Google's disavow links tool does not support Domain properties in Search Console. Add a URL-prefix property for the site (for example https://www.example.com/) and upload the file there.
Can I disavow links in Bing?
No. Bing removed its Disavow Links tool and its API in October 2023, saying it can now tell natural from unnatural links and discount the latter on its own. There is no file to upload to Bing.
Can I disavow a folder, like example.com/blog/?
No. Google accepts a single URL or a whole domain with its subdomains, but it cannot disavow a subpath. Use URLs for the specific pages, or the domain if every link from it should go.
Does bklink upload the disavow file for me?
No. bklink writes the file and you upload it in Google Search Console. The file replaces whatever Google holds for the property, so the decision to upload stays with the person responsible for the site.
How much does the disavow tool cost?
The disavow list and the file cost nothing. They are built from a backlink audit, which costs $1.00 for up to 410 domains and never more than $1.92. New accounts start with $2.00 of credit and need no card. There is no subscription.
Further reading
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