How long does disavow take?
How long does disavow take?
These are some typical questions we hear about the disavow file:
- Will I get an email notification when Google is done applying the disavow file?
- How long will I have to wait to see the result after uploading a disavow file?
Google needs to recrawl links for the disavow to work
Google takes disavows only into account after crawling the disavowed URLs.
The Disavow File has a delayed effect because Google takes the disavowed links into account when they crawl them again.
The effect of disavow can take up to 9 months without Link Detox Boost, as per industry observations.
One reason for that is that Google crawls spammy links typically less often than good links.
Google confirms receipt of file
Google only confirms that they received your uploaded file.
They give a confirmation that you have uploaded the disavow file successfully right after upload. But at this point the disavowing inside the “Google systems” only started.
Google does not confirm the actual processing by crawlers.
Google does not confirm recrawl
Google does not provide you with a confirmation mail when all the links in a disavow file were recrawled.
All the links you disavowed still need to be crawled again by Google bots.
The process of disavowing as recommended by LinkResearchTools
Using LRT technology with Link Detox Boost allows you to speed up the recrawling of links.
The overall process of disavowing links looks as follows:
- Identifying all toxic links and domains that you want to disavow in your link audit
- Exporting and Uploading the disavow file to Google Search Console
- Starting Link Detox Boost after 48 hours
- Checking for all links to be crawled by Google as reported by Link Detox Boost, which usually takes a few days instead of months
Getting confirmation or recrawl from Link Detox Boost
While Google does not give you an information when said links were recrawled, Link Detox Boost can measure that.
Based on the feedback from Link Detox Boost you can see precisely how many and which links were recrawled, hence the disavow command active.
Disavowing without this crucial information is like flying blind.
Size matters, or not?
The size of the disavow file has no impact directly on the uploaded time - it’s there with Google in an instant.
However, the content (and length) of the disavow file is very relevant to the recrawling time as it defines how much crawling is required.
The more links you disavowed, the more need to be crawled.
Time for total backlink audit needed
Other influence on time needed to disavow links are as follows:
- The process of crawling a complete backlink profile. This can be substantial if you have hundreds of millions of links
- The human work involved in reviewing the system suggestions on which links to disavow. While some SEOs claim that they can decide only by looking at the domain name, this is not recommended for a variety of reasons.
- If the complete backlink audit is deleted or lost has to be redone in a new turn. We always recommend and support to keep a history of all link audits and disavows done in LinkResearchTools.