I’ve been noticing something strange in my Ahrefs reports lately and was hoping someone could shed some light on it. There are backlinks appearing in my reports that seem to piggyback on real sites, but when I investigate, there’s nothing there. These must be really short-lived pages since they disappear so quickly.
Can someone please explain what advantage people gain by creating these non-existent backlinks? I’m puzzled by why anyone would go through the trouble of making these temporary links. Is it some kind of SEO tactic or something else entirely?
You’re not alone in dealing with phantom backlinks; they can indeed be confusing. These are often called “spammy backlinks” or “low-quality backlinks.”
Why Do People Create Them? Here are a few potential reasons:
Black Hat SEO Tactics: Some individuals use these backlinks to manipulate search engine rankings. While this may provide short-term gains, it generally harms your website’s reputation over time.
Data Collection: Tools or services scraping the web for data might inadvertently create these backlinks.
Technical Errors: Occasionally, website glitches or errors can lead to broken or non-existent links being created.
How to Handle Them:
Ignore Them: These backlinks usually have minimal impact on your search rankings.
Disavow Them: If you believe these backlinks are damaging your site’s reputation, you can use Google Search Console’s disavow tool. Use this feature carefully and only for links that are genuinely harmful.
Monitor for Patterns: Regularly check your backlink profile for recurring patterns. This can help you identify and address potential sources of spammy backlinks.
Focusing on acquiring high-quality, relevant backlinks from reputable sources will more effectively improve your search rankings and overall site health.
I’ve come across these fake backlinks that spammers create, and let me tell you, they’re designed to manipulate search engines and confuse website owners. It’s really frustrating to deal with. I find that they don’t really contribute to SEO and only show up briefly in reports. I find it best to ignore or disavow them if they become a problem.