Google's John Mueller criticized the concept of toxic links, stating on Reddit that it is a notion created by SEO tools to ensure recurring payments. He reiterated his stance against link selling, buying, and removal services, including tools suggesting link removal.
A Reddit user inquired about disavowing links without manual actions, citing a site with 25% toxic and 50% potentially toxic backlinks according to Semrush. They expressed concern about damaging their site's authority by disavowing many domains.
John Mueller responded that the idea of toxic links is fabricated by SEO tools. He later edited his response to emphasize that nothing has changed, and users can save themselves the effort of disavowing links.
Mueller has consistently opposed disavow services, stating in February that disavowing links won't improve rankings and suggesting that Google might eventually remove the disavow link tool. Google has repeatedly advised SEOs not to use the disavow tool, arguing that it often does more harm than good. They have also recommended ignoring toxic link reports and disavowing based on third-party metrics.
