Link Detox Rules

What is Link Detox?

Link Detox is software that automatically rates links based on automated rules we develop. In addition, we calculate and estimate the probable risk for your domain receiving a Google Penalty or Google Filter.

We do not pretend to have access to Google‘s algorithms and evaluation methods, as they are not published and not publicly accessible to any third parties. We use material published by Google, and draw personal conclusions from our long experience in Search Engine Optimization, client feedback, observations from thousands of reports, and ongoing testing and configuration of our systems according to our best effort and knowledge.

SEO is not an exact science. Therefore, we only give you opinions and recommendations. We ask you to review and double check the automated results. Make your personal decisions for any actions based on your own experience and direct viewing of the nature and content of websites displayed as potentially harmful to your backlink profile and website. The links evaluated by the program as harmful do not always affect your search engine ranking.

Link Detox is not a product of Google.

Link Detox Genesis, DTOXRISK, and Domain DTOXRISK algorithms are based on our personal research, experience, and estimations. The algorithms and reports created by the programs, Link Detox and LinkResearchTools, do not reflect the official policy or position of Google or other Search Engine operators.

What is DTOXRISK (or Link Detox Risk, Link DTOXRISK)?

Refer to Link Detox Risk in the SEO Metrics chapter.

What is Domain DTOXRISK?

Refer to Domain DTOXRISK in the SEO Metrics chapter.

Calculation of Spam Signals

All of the Link Detox rules are signals derived from the data analysis. All rules their own weight that contribute to the overall risk of a link. All of Link Detox rules have their own risk rating value. We configure all these weights and rating values based on experience and personal opinions of several internal and external SEO experts.

For example: If for a a link triggers the rules SUSP1, TOX1, and TOX2, this equals 50 + 400 + 700. Therefore, the Rating Value = 1150 and your Risk Level = High DTOXRISK. Therefore, the Domain-Wide Link Detox Risk (Domain DTOXRISK) is a risk estimation for the overall website analysis report. This means even if you see a somewhat low average risk, you should still double-check to see if there are a few high-risk links in your profile.

Link Detox Rules: The Difference between Classic and Smart

Both Link Detox and Smart use rules to help explain the reason why a link might be problematic.

LRT Classic

In Link Detox Classic the rules are shown in the results table:

In the example above, the first link actually triggers three rules. The most severe TOX3 is shown in the column and a 3 indicates that three rules are triggered. By hovering over the 3 a pop up shows more details about the rules.

LRT Smart

In Link Detox Smart there are "issues" that are shown which simplify the understanding of the rules. Issues do use more than the rules though. Take a look at this example:

Here the issue highlighted says that there are "Links with very high risk found". If we click the "Review" button, results similar to the classic version are shown:

At the top of the image you can see how the filter is set to show this particular issue. In this case we are looking at:

Link Detox Rules = TOX1 or TOX3
Source Page Power*Trust < 4
Link is not rated as Good
Page, Domain or Root Domain are not disavowed

This filter helps you to look at the links that really are problematic. Below this you can see the Link Detox Rules column that is very similar to Link Detox Classic.

TOX1

Domain is not indexed in Google - often a sign for a Penalty

The TOX1 rule means that the link is not indexed in Google. This could mean that Google has de-indexed the site due to a Penalty. Keep in mind that a non-indexed link could also mean that it’s a new domain nobody has linked to yet. It might also have problems in the robots.txt or META robots tag. Make sure you double-check these things before removing the link. On the other hand, a domain that is not indexed in Google won’t help you SEO-wise so removing it is the better option if in doubt.

TOX2

Linking domain’s theme is listed as dangerous (Malware, Malicious or Virus)

The TOX2 rule means that the domains theme is listed as dangerous with possible malware, malicious activity or a virus, which is classified as a bad neighborhood. If this link is pointing to your site, then Google may automatically assume that you are connected to this bad neighborhood. We recommend that you remove these links as soon as possible.

TOX3

High DTOXRISK score for this link calculated, classified by Link Detox Genesis algorithm as unnatural

The TOX3 rule means that Link Detox Genesis algorithm classified this link as very unnatural.

This automatic evaluation and calculation of our DTOXRISK score is based on a large number of data signals and user ratings.

We recommend that you review these links very carefully. If you agree with our opinion and the link risk estimation expressed in our calculated DTOXRISK score, you should disavow these links as quickly as possible, and then try to get them removed.

The higher the calculated DTOXRISK score, the more attention you should give it during your review.

Please note that especially this rule can also be triggered for NoFollow links if you decide to calculate the DTOXRISK for NoFollow links as well. Please also read our explanations on NoFollow links here.

We took technical measures to make it impossible for competitors or malicious users to influence our algorithms in a negative way. We weight user ratings based on the trust we assign to a particular user. The trust level depends on a number of criteria. We also reserve the right to ignore user ratings altogether if we believe we cannot trust that user at all.

If you rate a link yourself, only your own opinion will be taken into consideration and will not be influenced by other users in any way.

SUSP1

Link from a page without external links on a weak domain

The SUSP1 rule means that the link coming from a page on a very weak domain that has no external links. This is often the case for links from forums or when the link is coming from some special automated spamming activity or listing in a link directory.

SUSP2

Link coming from a probably new or very weak domain

The SUSP2 rule means that it is a link coming from a very weak domain. This domain could also be a very new domain.

SUSP3

Possible Link Network - link coming from a weak page but has more than 10 backlinks from the same network

The SUSP3 rule means that this link comes from a page that has more than 10 backlinks from 1 C-Class IP address and also has a Domain Power*Trust value below 5 and LRT Power*Trust below 5. This could mean that this link is possibly coming from a spammy link network.

SUSP4

Link from possibly penalized page

The SUSP4 means that the homepage of the site the link comes from does not rank for the title of the page, which usually indicates that the page or domain has been penalized. However, special cases like pages with generic titles like “Partners” or “Home” have a hard time ranking #1 most of the times, so please make sure that you double-check special cases like these.

SUSP5

Linking domain’s theme is listed as suspicious (Hacking, Suspicious or Pornography)

The SUSP5 rule means that the theme of the domain has been listed as Hacking, Suspicious or Pornography. For most webmasters, links from these types of websites are not what they want.

SUSP6

Possible Link Network - same registrant as other linking domains

The SUSP6 rule means that it has detected links coming from the same domain name registrant (REG) as other linking domains. This normally means that the links are possibly from a link network. Always be aware of your neighborhood.

SUSP7

Possible Link Network - Domain has the same IP as other linking domains

The SUSP7 rule means that it has detected links coming from the same IP address as other linking domains. This normally means that the links are possibly from a link network. Always be aware of your neighborhood.

SUSP8

Possible Link Network - Domain has the same Class-C as other linking domains

The SUSP8 rule means that it has detected links coming from the same C-Class IP address as other linking domains. This often means that the links are possibly from a link network. Many links from domains in the same C-Class block often indicate that these domains are part of a link network.

SUSP9

Possible Link Network - Domain has the same DNS as other linking domains

The SUSP9 rule means that it has detected links coming from the same DNS (Domain name server) as other linking domains. Many links from domains with the same DNS often mean that these domains are part of a simple setup link network. This rule might also be triggered if you have links from many small websites that by coincidence share the same public or very large hosting company. Please double-check for generic DNS providers or shared hosting sources.

SUSP10

Linking domain has very negative Link Velocity Trend

This domain is maybe part of an Expired Domain link network or a domain that the public has lost interest in.

The SUSP10 rule means that it has a link velocity trend that dropped by 70%. We analyze the link growth of every domain and understand that in this case the link growth of the last 4 months is significantly smaller than it was in the last 12 and 24 months. Usually, that’s a sign that the domain has been abandoned by the current owner (as many expired domain link networks are, especially after a Google Penguin update).

SUSP11

Sitewide Footer Link detected - a typical way how paid links or “friend”-links are artificially placed

The SUSP11 rule means that a sitewide footer link has been detected. While sitewide links have been popular in the past, they have really lost most of their power in recent times. Today, there’s more risk and reward because SEO experts and Google likewise can easily spot these links and most industries have been cleaned up from such links. We recommend that you inspect this link carefully as it could potentially be cross-linking between your own sites. Cross-linking between own sites is tolerated for some big brands if on topic (think of Amazon, Ebay, big publishers), but usually not accepted for the average webmaster.

SUSP12

Possible Link Network - Linking domain has the same Google Analytics code as other linking domains

The SUSP12 rule means that the linking domain has the same Google Analytics code as other linking domains. If multiple domains have the same Google IDs, then it is a strong signal of a possible link network. We recommend examining these domains manually because many agencies manage the Google accounts of their clients and this could be the reason for the same Google ID. In addition, even if there is a link network, it is not necessarily classified as “poor.”

SUSP13

Possible Link Network - Domain uses the same Google Adsense Publisher ID as other linking domains

The SUSP13 rule means that the domain name has the same Google Adsense Publisher ID as other linking domains. If multiple domains have the same Google IDs, then it is a strong signal of a possible link network. We recommend examining these domains manually because many agencies manage the Google accounts of their clients and this could be the reason for the same Google ID. In addition even if there is a link network, it is not necessarily classified as "poor".

SUSP15

Link Directory Links

The SUSP15 means that these links are coming from typical Web link directory footprints, which were often just setup to artificially inflate link popularities and/or sell links. While for many SEOs filling up link profiles with this type of links used to be common practice for years, this approach can no longer be recommended these days.

SUSP16

Article Directory Links

The SUSP16 means these links are coming from typical article directories, which were the successor of link directories and often also automatically filled with useless articles just to get a link from as many as possible domains. Often these article directory pages were furthermore linked with spam links to increase their inbound links and thus make those otherwise useless pages more helpful. While this was practice for years for many SEOs it cannot be recommended these days.

SUSP17

Massive Number of outgoing Links

The SUSP17 rule means that this page has more than 1,000 outgoing links. This could be a sign for a spammy blog or directory. Please make sure you review these links carefully.

SUSP18

*Young domain with low LRT PowerTrust**

The SUSP18 rule means that it’s a link from a page that is coming from a young domain (less than 6 months old) that has a low LRT Power*Trust Domain value below 3.

SUSP20

Above Average DTOXRISK score calculated for this link

The SUSP20 rule means that Link Detox Genesis algorithm rated this link as suspicious based on its DTOXRISK score. The automatic evaluation and calculation of our DTOXRISK score is based on a large number of data signals and user ratings.

We recommend that you review these links carefully. If you agree with our opinion and the link risk estimation expressed in our calculated DTOXRISK score, you should disavow these links as quickly as possible, and then try to get them removed.

The higher the calculated DTOXRISK score, the more attention you should give it during your review.

Please note that especially this rule can also trigger NoFollow links if you decide to calculate the DTOXRISK for NoFollow links as well. Please also read our explanations on NoFollow links here.

If you rate a link yourself, only your own opinion will be taken into consideration and will not be influenced by other users in any way.

SUSP21

Linking domain found on Blacklist

The SUSP21 rule means that the domain linking to your website has been found on one or more blacklists that we cross-reference. You should consider removing this link.

SUSP22

Possible Link Network - Domain has the same website footprints as other linking domains

The SUSP22 rule means that Link Detox Genesis footprint detection found this domain to be closely related to other domains that link to you. This is often the case with link networks. This footprint rule is different to SUSP23, SUSP24. Please understand that for competitive reasons we cannot disclose more details here.

Please review if this link is spammy or unnatural and then consider removal or disavow.

SUSP23

Possible Link Network - Domain has the same website footprints as other linking domains

The SUSP23 rule means that Link Detox Genesis footprint detection found this domain to be closely related to other domains that link to you. This is often the case with link networks. This footprint rule is different to SUSP22, SUSP24. Please understand that for competitive reasons we cannot disclose more details here.

Please review if this link is spammy or unnatural and then consider removal or disavow.

SUSP24

Possible Link Network - Domain has the same website footprints as other linking domains

The SUSP24 rule means that Link Detox Genesis footprint detection found this domain to be closely related to other domains that link to you. This is often the case with link networks. This footprint rule is different to SUSP22, SUSP23. Please understand that for competitive reasons we cannot disclose more details here.

Please review if this link is spammy or unnatural and then consider removal or disavow.

SUSP25

Hidden image link detected

The SUSP25 rule means that a hidden image link has been detected. This is often a sign of bad linking tactics. Please review if this link is spammy or unnatural and then consider removal or disavow.

SUSP26

Links coming from typical link voting directories

The SUSP26 rule means that it’s a link coming from link voting directories, a common way to inflate link popularities and/or sell links. Such techniques are no longer recommended.

SUSP27

Links from possibly penalized Domain

The SUSP27 rule means that we assume that the link comes from a penalized domain. This is the case if we don’t see any rankings, but still count some LRT Power*Trust for a particular domain. This means the domain should have some rankings, but doesn’t. We can, therefore, assume that Google penalized the domain.

Please review if this link is spammy or unnatural and then consider removal or disavow.

SUSP28

Money keyword anchor text appears in more than 5% of all backlinks

The SUSP28 rule means that a money keyword anchor text was found in more than 5% of the backlinks in your link profile. This is usually a sign of “overdone” SEO and is highly problematic as Google could also detect it easily. Please check if the keyword phrase of this anchor text has been classified correctly and if you find high-risk links that you should consider removing. You might also want to change links from “Money Keywords” to “Brand Links”.

Please note that the 5% in this rule only serve as a simple filter for “really overdone” anchor texts, and lower percentages could also cause issues.

SUSP29

Compound keyword anchor text appears in more than 5% of all backlinks

The SUSP29 rule means that the anchor text has been marked as a "Compound Keyword" and appears in more than 5% of all backlinks anchor texts. It’s highly recommended to review this link to ensure it is not spam.

SUSP30

Link from a potentially spammy forum

The SUSP30 rule means that you have links coming from forums that are typically targeted by link spamming tools. We recommend reviewing these links before removal.

SUSP31

Anchor text placement looks suspicious

The SUSP31 rule means that the anchor text placement looks suspicious. We recommend reviewing these links before removal.

SUSP32

The Domain has a lot more LRT Power than LRT Trust

Low Trust and High Power links aren’t necessarily the best ones. You have to look deeper at the individual LRT Power and LRT Trust metrics to see the true quality of the link. Links like these are typical examples of the “gambling and adult entertainment” niche – very strong links from untrusted sites.

Such discrepancies between LRT Trust and LRT Power can usually be attributed to low quality or automated link building.

SUSP33

The Page has a lot more LRT Power than LRT Trust

Same as SUSP32, but this time at a page level.

SUSP34

Link from a Top-Level-Domain that is often used by spammers

The SUSP 34 rule means that the link is coming from a Top-Level-Domain that is often used by spammers like .xyz. Additionally, it has a LRT Power*Trust Dom under 30. You should review this link if it is spammy.

SUSP35

Anchor Text looks suspicious - possibly Negative SEO

The SUSP 35 rule detects suspicious looking anchor texts that could be part of a negative SEO attack. You should carefully review this link, but look at the overall influx of toxic links, redirects and rel-canonicals, just like other negative SEO aspects.

SUSP36

Redirect chain looks suspicious - possibly Negative SEO

The SUSP 36 rule detects redirects chains that contain suspicious patters that could hint at a negative SEO attack. You should carefully review this link, but look at the overall influx of toxic links, redirects and rel-canonicals, just like other negative SEO aspects.