Unexpected links to your website can be worrying, especially when they appear around a traffic drop. That coincidence does not prove an attack or identify who caused it. Start by recording what changed and investigating possible causes before deleting content or rejecting links in bulk.
Build a timeline first
Record when the decline began and recent changes: a migration, redesign, content update or server problem. Keep examples of affected pages and separate observations from theories. A backlink report from a third-party tool is not a Google penalty notice.
In Search Console, compare periods and check whether impressions, clicks or both have changed. Narrow the data by page, query, country and device. Google’s traffic-drop guidance covers causes including search-system changes, technical incidents and shifts in demand; it does not treat every decline as evidence of interference.
Check notices and affected pages
Read the Manual actions and Security issues reports separately. The first reports certain policy violations assessed by Google; the second may flag hacked content, malicious software or other security problems. An empty report does not, by itself, settle every possible cause.
Make a diagnosis sheet with five columns: page, symptom, date, evidence and next check. For example, if a page returns an error after a migration, investigate that error before rewriting the copy. If you discover an unfamiliar redirect, arrange a technical investigation and preserve evidence.
Disavowing links is not routine maintenance
Google says most websites do not need the disavow tool. It is intended for substantial artificial or low-quality linking that has caused, or is likely to cause, a manual action. Incorrect use can harm your website. A supplier’s “toxicity” warning alone does not establish those conditions.
If you have a link-related manual action, follow its specific instructions and document your response. Do not submit an automatically generated list without reviewing its contents. Avoid publicly blaming a competitor based only on when unfamiliar links appeared.
When should you get help?
Seek appropriate assistance for unauthorised changes, substantial unexplained losses or a manual action you cannot resolve. Give the specialist your timeline and examples instead of commissioning an undefined “cleanup”. Agree which changes will be made and how the outcome will be checked.
Our guide to comparing SEO providers can help you assess the proposal.
Editorial correction: the earlier advice to disavow links as a routine defence has been removed. The image is conceptual and provides no evidence of an actual attack.
Sources consulted on 23 September 2026: Google’s guidance on traffic drops, manual actions, security issues and disavowing links.
