Restoring SEO Rankings After a Spammy Backlink Attack

Introduction: The Importance of SEO for Business Success

For businesses that rely on organic search traffic, maintaining strong SEO is essential to staying competitive. Search engines view backlinks as a key factor in ranking, but spammy backlinks can harm a website’s credibility and lead to significant drops in search rankings. When one of our clients, an Australian FMCG company with a high-performing WordPress website, experienced an influx of spammy backlinks, they saw their SEO rankings start to suffer. As a Digital Agency specializing in SEO and WordPress Development, NetON quickly identified and mitigated the attack, helping the client recover their SEO performance in record time.

The Challenge: Addressing a Negative SEO Attack

Our client, a leading business with high visibility in search results, was attacked by spammy backlinks seemingly intended to lower their rankings. With hundreds of low-quality, irrelevant links pointing to their WordPress site, their SEO dropped by 5%, impacting their visibility in key markets like Melbourne and across Australia. Spammy backlinks can signal manipulative practices to search engines, which may penalize sites with sudden surges in low-quality links.

As a trusted SEO agency in Australia, we recognized the importance of acting swiftly to protect our client’s rankings. Our task was to neutralize the attack, restore SEO performance, and implement safeguards to prevent future spam-related issues.

Our Approach: A Multi-Step SEO

NetON’s SEO experts deployed a multi-step approach to counter the negative impact of the spammy backlinks and restore the client’s SEO standing. Here’s how we tackled the issue:

  1. Backlink Audit and Analysis: On Day 1, we performed an in-depth audit of the client’s backlink profile. By identifying the volume and type of recent backlinks, we quickly isolated the spammy links that were hurting their SEO. Regular backlink audits are a key component of SEO maintenance for any business, especially those with a large digital footprint.

  2. Spam Score Evaluation: We used advanced SEO tools to assess the spam scores of each newly added backlink. High spam scores indicated harmful links, which we flagged as priorities for removal or disavowal. For businesses operating in competitive markets like Melbourne, keeping spam scores low is essential to maintaining SEO health.

  3. Identifying Spam Sites Individually: Each spammy link was analyzed to identify its source, and we cataloged every suspicious site linking to our client. By understanding where these links originated, we could better address the overall impact on the client’s SEO profile.

  4. Requesting Link Removal: Where possible, we contacted the webmasters of spammy sites, requesting removal of backlinks to our client’s WordPress website. Though not all webmasters responded, this step helped reduce the volume of harmful links, which is essential in SEO recovery.

  5. Disavowing Harmful Links: For links that couldn’t be removed manually, we created a disavow file for submission to Google. This file informed Google to disregard these links when evaluating the site’s SEO profile, helping to prevent further SEO penalties.

  6. Implementing Real-Time Monitoring: To prevent future attacks, we set up real-time monitoring for the client’s backlink profile. This proactive measure enabled us to detect any unusual link spikes immediately, allowing us to respond quickly and safeguard the site’s SEO.


Results: Successful Recovery of SEO Rankings

The targeted actions taken by NetON’s Digital Agency resulted in a swift recovery of the client’s SEO performance. Within a few weeks, their rankings returned to pre-attack levels, allowing them to regain visibility in competitive search results across Melbourne and Australia. Key outcomes of our SEO intervention included:

  • Fast SEO Recovery: The client’s rankings, which had dropped by 5%, were restored promptly with no lasting damage to their online presence.
  • Increased SEO Security: With monitoring systems in place, the client’s WordPress site now has added protection against future spam attacks, ensuring stable SEO performance.
  • Boosted Client Confidence: Our seo melbourne team’s rapid response and effective resolution have reinforced the client’s trust in NetON as a reliable Digital Agency in Australia for all SEO and WordPress Development needs.

NetON’s SEO and WordPress Services

As a leading Digital Agency in Australia, NetON provides comprehensive SEO and WordPress Development services tailored to help businesses maintain strong, secure online presences. Whether you’re a Melbourne-based business or have a nationwide audience, our SEO offerings are designed to help you thrive in the digital landscape.

Ready to Strengthen Your SEO? Contact NetON

At NetON, we’re committed to delivering SEO solutions that drive results and protect your online presence. Whether you’re based in Melbourne or anywhere across Australia, we offer tailored SEO and WordPress Development services that help you rank higher, engage customers, and increase conversions.