Are Poor Quality Backlinks Hurting Your SEO? Here’s How to Fix It

Common Backlink Problems and How to Fix Them

Let’s explore some of the most frequent backlink issues that affect website health — and how to resolve them with proper strategy and care.

1. Spammy or Low-Quality Websites

Why It’s a Problem

Backlinks from spammy, low-quality, or irrelevant sites can damage your SEO performance. These links often come from link farms, automated directories, or irrelevant foreign domains, signaling manipulative practices to Google.

Such links reduce your domain’s trust score, increase spam toxicity, and can even cause manual penalties under Google’s “Unnatural Links” guidelines.

What the Data Says

A Backlinko analysis shows that websites with strong backlinks from credible domains consistently outperform those with high volumes of poor-quality backlinks.

How to Fix It

• Identify spammy links using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
• Create a disavow fileand upload it via Google’s Disavow Tool to inform Google to ignore those links.
• Avoid automated link exchanges or mass directory submissions.
• Focus on earning organic linksthrough guest posts, digital PR, and content collaborations.

At DGTLmart, our experts conduct comprehensive backlink audits to isolate harmful links and strategically disavow them. Simultaneously, we build new, high-quality backlinks from relevant and authoritative sources, restoring your site’s SEO health.

2. Link Schemes and Manipulative Tactics

Why It’s a Problem

Participating in link schemes — such as buying backlinks, excessive link swaps, or using private blog networks (PBNs) — is one of the biggest red flags for search engines.
These tactics may offer short-term visibility, but they often lead to severe ranking drops when detected by Google’s Penguin algorithm, which penalizes manipulative link patterns.

What the Data Says

Since Penguin’s integration into Google’s core algorithm, millions of websites have lost up to 80% of their organic traffic due to link scheme violations.

How to Fix It

• Avoid any paid or reciprocal link exchanges.
• Build genuine relationships with authoritative websitesin your niche.
• Publish value-driven content that naturally attracts links — such as data studies, case analyses, and expert insights.
• If penalized, clean up your backlinks and submit a reconsideration requestvia Google Search Console.

DGTLmart’s white-hat SEO services ensure that every backlink acquired follows Google’s guidelines. Our team focuses on long-term brand authority and trust — not short-term ranking tricks.

If your business operates globally, our International SEO Services can help you build legitimate backlinks across different languages and regions.

3. Irrelevant or Off-Topic Backlinks

Why It’s a Problem

Relevance is one of the most critical ranking factors in Google’s link evaluation system. A backlink from a site completely unrelated to your industry looks unnatural and provides little to no SEO value.

For example, if a fashion brand gets backlinks from a cryptocurrency blog, search engines find that connection suspicious.

What the Data Says

Studies show that contextual backlinks — links placed within relevant, industry-related content — have significantly higher ranking influence than non-contextual ones.

How to Fix It

• Conduct a relevance audit of your existing backlinks.
• Identify and remove links from off-topic domains.
• Prioritize niche-relevant outreach— reaching out to blogs, publications, and influencers within your industry.
• Develop high-value content such as industry insights, whitepapers, and how-to guidesthat attract natural backlinks from relevant sources.

DGTLmart specializes in content-driven link building. Our team ensures that your backlinks come from industry-aligned websites to maximize both authority and topical relevance.
For growing businesses, our Startup SEO Services are designed to build a clean and credible backlink foundation from day one.

4. Low Domain Authority Backlinks

Why It’s a Problem

Backlinks from websites with low domain authority (DA) or low domain rating (DR) can weaken your site’s overall trustworthiness. These sites may lack traffic, have poor content, or exhibit spam-like link behavior.

While not all low-DA sites are bad (new, growing sites can be exceptions), an abundance of such links dilutes your link equity and affects your overall SEO authority.

What the Data Says

According to Backlinko, high-DA backlinks have a strong positive correlation with improved rankings and organic traffic.

How to Fix It

• Use tools like Moz, Ahrefs, or Majesticto evaluate the DA or DR of linking domains.
• Build backlinks from high-authority publications, industry blogs, and reputable media outlets.
• Engage in guest bloggingor press features on high-DA platforms relevant to your business.

DGTLmart uses a proprietary outreach process to secure backlinks from high-authority, relevant websites, improving not just rankings but also your brand credibility.
For eCommerce brands, our eCommerce SEO Services ensure that backlinks are optimized for both conversion and visibility across search engines.

5. Unnatural Link Patterns

Why It’s a Problem

An unnatural backlink pattern — such as a sudden spike in links, identical anchor text across multiple domains, or an uneven link distribution — can trigger Google’s algorithmic red flags.

Such patterns often indicate manipulation and can lead to partial or full manual penalties.

What the Data Says

Google’s algorithm updates since 2022 have become more sensitive to “unnatural velocity” — meaning sudden link surges that don’t match typical user or brand activity.

How to Fix It

• Monitor your backlink profile regularly for growth trendsand anchor text diversity.
• Build links gradually over time rather than in sudden bursts.
• Encourage organic backlinksthrough content marketing, PR coverage, and collaborations.

At DGTLmart, we help businesses maintain a natural backlink growth curve by combining technical SEO, content strategy, and ethical outreach. Our goal is to keep your link profile strong, organic, and fully compliant with Google’s quality standards