I oversee a website that has over 500,000 pages dedicated to insects spread across two subdomains in English and Spanish. Since 2018, the English homepage (https://en.insects.example.com) has been receiving 500,000 nofollow backlinks from a Wikipedia site in a minority language ('xx.wikipedia.org') due to a bot copying content and placing these nofollow links. Recently, there has been a decrease in Google traffic starting in 2023, raising concerns about whether these nofollow links could be triggering Google's spam algorithms due to their significant and unnatural volume. Besides utilizing Google's Disavow Tool, I am looking for additional measures to address any potential harm.
Answer: A large number of nofollow backlinks, even from a seemingly reputable source like Wikipedia, can potentially harm search engine rankings if they are deemed unnatural or manipulative. While nofollow links don’t directly pass PageRank, search engines still analyze link patterns to assess a website’s legitimacy. 500,000 backlinks, even with the nofollow attribute, from a single source represent an extraordinarily unnatural link profile. This scale suggests a potential issue, regardless of the nofollow status, because it flags an unnatural link building activity. Such a high volume could trigger spam filters as search engines prioritize organic and diverse link acquisition. This unnatural link profile, coupled with a recent decline in Google traffic, strongly suggests a correlation, warranting action beyond simply using the Google Disavow Tool. Additional steps might include:
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Identifying and resolving the root cause: Investigate how the bot is creating these links and implement measures to prevent further link generation on the Wikipedia site. This is crucial to preventing future link accumulation.
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Content analysis: Review the copied content to ensure it’s not violating copyright or encouraging duplicate content issues. Addressing duplicate content issues on your site will aid in overall SEO.
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Website structure improvement: Improve your website architecture and content quality to ensure it aligns with Google’s search quality guidelines. A strong website naturally attracts high-quality backlinks, reducing reliance on potentially problematic links.
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Diversifying backlinks: Focus on obtaining natural, high-quality backlinks from diverse and relevant websites. This will help balance your link profile and counteract the impact of the unnatural backlinks from Wikipedia.
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Monitoring link profile: Regularly monitor your backlink profile using tools like Google Search Console and other SEO monitoring platforms to identify and address any other potential link-building issues.
In short, while nofollow backlinks don’t directly transfer ranking power, the sheer volume and unnatural nature of 500,000 backlinks from a single source pose a significant risk to your website’s rankings. A multi-pronged approach addressing the root cause, website structure, and backlink diversity is essential to mitigating the potential negative impact. Simply disavowing the links might not be sufficient; the underlying issue of the bot-generated links needs immediate attention.