What is Unnatural Link?

An unnatural link is a backlink that violates Google’s Webmaster Guidelines by existing primarily to manipulate search rankings rather than to genuinely reference or recommend content. These links are created through schemes, paid arrangements, or automated systems instead of being earned through content quality and merit.

Google identifies unnatural links through pattern recognition, manual review, and algorithmic signals. Sites with significant unnatural link profiles risk manual actions, algorithmic devaluation, or complete removal from search results. The Penguin algorithm, integrated into Google’s core ranking system since 2016, automatically devalues unnatural links without requiring manual penalties in most cases.

What Characteristics Define Unnatural Links?

Google evaluates multiple signals to classify links as natural or manipulative.

Anchor text patterns: Natural link profiles contain diverse anchor text including branded terms, generic phrases, naked URLs, and occasional keyword-rich descriptions. Unnatural profiles show excessive exact-match anchor text repetition. If 40% of your backlinks use identical keyword phrases, Google flags this as manipulation.

Link placement: Editorial links appear within main content where writers reference sources naturally. Unnatural links cluster in footers, sidebars, or author bios across multiple sites. Sitewide links from unrelated websites serve no user benefit and exist solely for SEO manipulation.

Source relevance: Links from topically related sites indicate genuine endorsement. A veterinary clinic linking to pet food suppliers makes sense. Random links from gambling sites, pharmaceutical blogs, and foreign-language directories to that same clinic signal paid or automated link schemes.

Traffic patterns: Natural links come from pages that receive organic traffic and user engagement. Unnatural links often originate from pages with zero visitors, no social signals, and no other signs of genuine readership.

Velocity anomalies: Acquiring 500 new backlinks in one week after months of minimal growth suggests artificial intervention. Natural link building shows gradual acceleration as content gains exposure, not sudden unexplained spikes.

Natural Link Indicators	Unnatural Link Indicators
Varied anchor text across links	Repetitive exact-match keywords
Editorial placement in content	Footer/sidebar sitewide links
Links from relevant industry sites	Links from unrelated or sketchy domains
Gradual link acquisition over time	Sudden spikes in backlink velocity
Links from pages with organic traffic	Links from zero-traffic pages

What Types of Links Does Google Consider Unnatural?

Several specific link-building tactics violate Google’s guidelines and qualify as unnatural.

Purchased links: Paying for backlinks, whether directly or through “sponsored content” without proper disclosure, manipulates rankings. This includes buying posts on private blog networks, paying for directory submissions beyond the listing fee, or compensating influencers for dofollow links without nofollow attributes.

Link exchanges: “You link to me, I’ll link to you” arrangements exist solely to inflate link counts. Small-scale relevant link exchanges rarely trigger penalties, but systematic reciprocal linking across dozens of sites constitutes manipulation.

Automated link generation: Software that automatically submits your site to thousands of directories, creates forum profiles with signature links, or posts blog comments with backlinks produces unnatural link patterns at scale. These programs create obvious footprints Google easily detects.

Article spinning networks: Distributing slightly rewritten versions of the same article across hundreds of low-quality sites with embedded links generates unnatural patterns. Google recognizes duplicate content patterns and link schemes operating across these networks.

Widget and embed links: Offering free widgets, badges, or embeddable content with required attribution links creates artificial link growth. While some widget links are acceptable, requiring dofollow links as a condition of use violates guidelines.

Guest posting abuse: Publishing thin, promotional content on multiple sites primarily to gain backlinks rather than provide value crosses into manipulation. Legitimate guest posting on relevant, high-quality sites remains acceptable when content genuinely benefits readers.

How Does Google Penalize Unnatural Links?

Google applies both algorithmic devaluation and manual penalties to sites with unnatural link profiles.

Algorithmic response: The Penguin algorithm automatically identifies and ignores unnatural links without human intervention. Sites relying on these links see gradual ranking declines as Google discounts the manipulative links. This happens during algorithm updates when Google recalculates which links to trust.

Manual actions: Google’s webspam team reviews sites reported for manipulation or flagged by automated systems. Manual actions appear as notifications in Google Search Console specifying “Unnatural links to your site” or “Unnatural links from your site.” These penalties require active resolution before Google removes them.

Recovery requirements: Sites with manual actions must identify and remove unnatural links or submit disavow files listing links they cannot remove. Google reviews reconsideration requests after seeing genuine cleanup efforts. Recovery timelines range from weeks to months depending on how thoroughly you address the problem.

Sitewide impact: Link penalties can affect your entire domain, not just pages with problematic links. A manual action tanks rankings across all pages until resolved. Algorithmic devaluation proportionally reduces ranking potential based on what percentage of your link profile consists of unnatural links.

How Can You Identify Unnatural Links?

Proactive link audits help identify problems before Google penalizes your site.

Use backlink analysis tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to export your complete link profile. Analyze these quality indicators for each linking domain:

Domain metrics to check:

Domain authority and trust scores
Organic traffic estimates
Content quality and relevance to your niche
Language and geographic targeting
Site age and indexing status

Link-level red flags:

Anchor text uses your exact target keywords
Link appears in footer, sidebar, or author bio
Linking page has zero organic traffic
Linking site covers unrelated topics
Link appears alongside dozens of other external links
Page content is thin, spun, or obviously low quality

Manual review remains necessary because automated spam scores generate false positives. A low domain authority doesn’t automatically mean unnatural. New legitimate sites link to valuable content despite lacking established authority metrics.

Focus your audit on links you didn’t earn through content quality. If you paid for links, participated in link exchanges, or used automated tools, those links likely qualify as unnatural regardless of current metric scores.

What Should You Do About Unnatural Links?

Taking action depends on whether you face a manual penalty or want to clean your profile proactively.

With manual action:

Export all backlinks from Google Search Console and third-party tools
Categorize links as good, questionable, or clearly unnatural
Contact webmasters requesting removal of unnatural links
Document all removal requests and responses
Create disavow file for links you cannot remove
Submit reconsideration request explaining cleanup actions

Without penalty: Most sites don’t need aggressive link removal. Google’s algorithm ignores low-quality links automatically. Focus energy on building new high-quality links rather than obsessing over every questionable backlink.

Remove links only when they’re clearly manipulative and you participated in creating them. Natural link profiles contain some weird links from random sites. These don’t hurt you unless they represent systematic manipulation.