How to Reduce Website Spam Score: Fix Links and Spam pages

Spam score is usually a third party number from tools, not a Google score. Google does not rank sites using spam score. So the real fix is simple. Remove spam signals and clean website form bad links. It improve trust and safety of a website.

What is Spam Score?

Spam score is a risk guess from a tool, based on patterns it thinks look spammy. It does not mean Google penalized you. Google does not use that score in ranking.

Spam score vs Google spam policies

Google cares about spam behaviors, not a tool score. These include hidden text, link spam, hacked content, and user spam. Worry when you see real warnings like a manual action, security issues, or strange new pages.

First Check If Google Is Actually Warning You

Do this first, before you change links or delete pages.

Manual actions check

Open Google Search Console. Look for a manual action message about unnatural links or spam.

Security issues check

If Google flags hacked pages or malware, fix that first. It is the fastest way to stop damage.

Index coverage check

If many pages drop from index, there may be a block, a hack, or low value pages. Fix the cause, not the number.

Main Causes of a High Spam Score

Most high scores come from these areas.

Issue	Description
Toxic backlinks and link schemes	Paid links and link schemes can trigger problems. Google treats these as spam tactics.
Over used anchor text	Too many exact match anchors can look forced. Tools often flag this pattern.
Thin, duplicate, or doorway pages	Many weak pages can make your site look low trust. Spam policies warn about deceptive tactics.
Spammy outbound links	Links to risky niches or paid link pages can hurt trust. So keep your outbound links clean.
User generated spam	Comment spam and profile spam are common. Google calls this spam behavior.
Hacked or injected content	Hackers often add spam pages. Fix security before anything else.

Fix Backlinks First

Bad links are the main reason many tools show a high score.

How to do a backlink audit

Export your backlinks from your tool set and group them by domain. Check top anchors, targeted urls and link types.

What are toxic links?

These links come from:

Spam directories
Auto blogs
Link farms
Strange foreign pages with no topic match
Sitewide footer links on random sites

Anchor text cleanup plan

Do not try to “fix” old anchors fast. Instead:

Stop building exact match anchors now.
Build more brand and URL anchors in new links.
Earn links from real sites in your niche.

Prevent new bad links

Set simple rules:

No paid link lists.
No sitewide deals.
No link exchanges at scale.
No spam comments for links.

Fix On Site Signals That Look Spammy

Tools and people both judge what they see on the site.

Thin content pages

If a page has no clear use, improve it or remove it.

Improve: Add real answers, examples, and clear purpose.
Remove: Return 404 or 410 for junk pages.

Duplicate pages

Common sources are tags, filters, and near copies.

Use canonicals where needed.
Noindex low value archives if they add no value.

Doorway pages and location spam

Do not make many pages that only swap a city name. Make pages with real local proof.

Hidden text, hidden links, keyword stuffing

Remove any hidden content. Google lists hidden text and hidden links as spam behavior.

Outbound link cleanup

Audit your outgoing links.

Remove paid or unnatural links.
Remove links to spam sites.
Keep only helpful references.

Stop Comment Spam and Forum Spam

User spam can grow fast. It also makes your site look unsafe.

How to spot user spam

Look for:

Comments with random links
Profiles with money keywords
Forum threads made only for links
Strange usernames and repeated text

Simple protection steps

Turn on comment approval.
Use CAPTCHA.
Block common spam words.
Limit links in comments.
Close old posts if needed.

When noindex helps

If you have many low value profile pages, noindex can help reduce junk pages in search.

Fix Security and Hacked Pages (If Needed)

If your site is hacked, clean it first.

Common hacked signs

New pages you did not publish
Titles in Search Console you do not recognize
Weird redirects
Spam links added in footer

Cleanup checklist

Update CMS, themes, plugins.
Change all passwords.
Remove unknown admin users.
Scan files for injected code.
Check server logs if possible.

Google spam policies cover hacked content as a serious issue.

Build Trust Signals That Lower Risk over Time

Trust signals help both users and crawlers.

Add or improve key pages

About
Contact
Privacy policy
Terms

Show real authors

Add author names and short bios and also a real way to reach the business.

Keep content fresh

Update important pages. Remove old junk posts that get no traffic and add no value.

Spam Score Myths vs Reality

Myth	Reality
Google uses spam score	Google does not use third party spam score metrics.
Disavow fixes everything	Disavow is for serious link issues, after removal attempts.
A high score means a penalty	A high score means the tool sees risk patterns, not a penalty.
More links will “balance” bad links	More low quality links can make it worse. Google targets link spam.

How Long Does It Take to Lower the Score?

Some tools update fast and some update slowly. UGC cleanup and outbound link cleanup can show change in weeks. Backlink profile changes take longer, since links must get removed or re crawled.

Common Mistakes People Make

Disavowing good links by mistake

This can hurt rankings. Use disavow only when it fits Google’s guidance.

Deleting important pages

Do not delete key pages without checking traffic and links first.

Buying links to fix a score

This often adds more risk. Google treats link schemes as spam.

Ignoring modern spam policy risks

Avoid tactics like scaled low quality content and site reputation abuse. Google updated spam policies to target these abuses.

Article Summary

Spam score is a tool metric, not a Google score. Start with Search Console checks for manual actions and security issues. Then clean bad backlinks, reduce spam signals, and stop UGC spam. Use disavow only when it truly fits the case. Build trust pages and keep your site clean going forward.

FAQs

What is spam score in SEO?

It is a third party score that estimates spam risk.

Does Google use spam score?

No, Google does not use it.

How can I reduce spam score quickly?

Clean user spam, remove bad outbound links, and start a backlink audit.

Should I disavow links to reduce spam score?

Only if you cannot remove links and you have real unnatural link risk.

Can spam score affect rankings?

The score itself does not. The problems behind it can.

What is a safe spam score range?

Tools differ, so do not chase a “perfect” number. You just need to focus on real fixes.