1. What is negative SEO?
Negative SEO is when someone tries to influence Google rankings using harmful tactics like spammy backlinks, duplicate content, or fake reports.
It’s not about poor optimization — it’s a direct attack, often by competitors or angry ex-clients. Common forms include link spam, content scraping, and in some cases DMCA takedowns.
Summary:
Negative SEO is a deliberate effort to influence your site’s search rankings using black-hat tactics.
2. How can I tell if I’m a victim of negative SEO?
Watch for a sudden drop in rankings, unnatural backlinks, or spammy anchor text in your link profile.
Other warning signs: unexpected manual penalties in Google Search Console, copied content across the web, or unusual link velocity spikes. Regular SEO audits can help detect it early.
Summary:
Ranking drops + bad backlinks = signs of an attack. A proper audit is the only way to confirm.
3. Can negative SEO actually hurt my rankings?
Yes — if left unchecked, negative SEO can cause serious ranking losses, especially for competitive keywords.
Google’s algorithms are better than they used to be, but large-scale attacks (especially link spam) still cause real damage if not disavowed quickly.
Summary:
Negative SEO is real and can hurt — but fast action and proper cleanup can reverse the effects.
4. What are examples of negative SEO attacks?
Common examples include spammy backlinks, fake DMCA requests, and site clones that dilute your authority.
Other tactics include anchor text manipulation, fake negative reviews, and injecting malware or redirects into hacked sites to damage SEO.
Summary: Negative SEO uses real-world tactics that Google penalizes — even if you didn’t cause them.
5. How do you recover from negative SEO?
Start with a backlink audit, disavow toxic links, and monitor for repeat attacks.
We also recommend cleaning up duplicate content, securing your site, and submitting a reconsideration request if you received a manual penalty.
Summary: Remove harmful links, secure your site, and document cleanup — recovery is possible.
6. Can you prevent negative SEO?
You can’t stop attacks entirely, but you can monitor and respond quickly to minimize damage.
Use tools like Ahrefs or Google Search Console for link alerts, keep plugins and CMS up to date, and audit your backlinks regularly.
Summary: You can’t control others — but you can detect and respond before it becomes a real problem.
7. How does your service remove toxic backlinks?
We audit your link profile, isolate harmful domains, and file Google disavow requests backed by documentation.
Unlike automated tools, we manually review domains and prepare clean, well-formatted disavow files that Google accepts.
Summary: It’s a hands-on cleanup — not a bulk tool — designed to regain lost rankings fast.
8. Is negative SEO illegal?
It’s unethical, but not illegal — unless it involves hacking, impersonation, or fraud.
Google doesn’t regulate it legally, but courts may step in if someone breaches cybersecurity laws or harms your business reputation intentionally.
Summary: Not illegal by default — but sometimes a legal route exists if there is cybercrime involved.