Gian Stavin
In this week’s Q&A section, we have selected the following topic from our subscriber:
“I received thousands of backlinks from .xyz domain, while disavowing them taking too much time, what should I do?”
Question from Kevin Palmkvist
“Recently, I discovered that my site has been receiving spam backlinks from sketchy .xyz domains. Disavowing them taking too much time as there are thousands of them and bunch of new batch keeps appearing the next day. Should I be worried? Will this affect my Google rankings?
Are you noticing a sudden influx of low-quality backlinks from spammy domains and wondering if they could negatively affect your SEO? You’re not alone — this is one of the most common concerns for website owners and SEOs alike.
By the end of this article, you’ll understand exactly how Google treats these links, whether you need to disavow them, and how to protect your website from negative SEO.
We all know that spammy backlinks usually come from low-trust sources — think auto-generated .xyz/.top/.club domains, PBNs, expired or compromised sites, and anything scraped or spun with zero editorial oversight.
You already know they don’t help rankings. At scale, they might even signal a negative SEO attempt.
However, here’s where things get interesting:
In the past, spammy backlinks could directly harm your site. Before Google Penguin 4.0 (2016), unnatural links could lead to penalties or suppressed rankings.
But now, in most cases, Google simply ignores them.
If Google detects that backlinks are:
- Irrelevant
- Spammy
- Coming from clearly low-trust sites
…it will devalue them, meaning they don’t pass authority and don’t count against you.
“Google Is Good at Ignoring Spammy Links” — What Does That Mean?
This is a direct reference to how Google’s algorithms have evolved.
According to multiple statements by Google Search representatives (including John Mueller and Gary Illyes), Google’s systems now:
- Detect and ignore spammy or low-quality backlinks
- Focus on trustworthy, editorially earned links
- Are less reliant on manual penalties for unnatural links
So if you’re seeing a flood of bad backlinks (e.g., from .xyz domains), it’s likely Google already recognizes them as spam and doesn’t factor them into your rankings.
That Said – There Are Exceptions to Disavow.
Google’s official documentation says disavow should only be used if:
- You’ve received a manual action for unnatural links.
- You suspect you’re the target of a negative SEO attack.
- You’ve built or bought bad links in the past and want to clean up before reconsideration.
In your case, Kevin — if the .xyz spam is massive, persistent, and new — and especially if your site is in a sensitive niche like health, finance, or legal — it’s smart to disavow proactively.
It shows you’re maintaining a clean link profile and not ignoring potential threats.
Bonus: Why So Many Spam Links Come from .xyz Domains
The .xyz TLD is often abused by spammers because:
- It’s extremely cheap (sometimes less than $1/year)
- It’s rarely monitored or moderated
- It’s frequently used by bots, fake AI sites, or scraper tools
That’s why many SEOs (myself included) often filter .xyz domains during backlink audits — and why they’re a common source of toxic links.
Final Thoughts: Should You Worry About Spammy Backlinks?
Kevin, your situation is common, especially in competitive industries or sites that have recently grown in visibility.
Is it something to panic about? No.
Is it something to monitor and take action on? Absolutely.
While Google is quite good at ignoring obvious link spam, taking ownership of your backlink health is still important — especially if the scale becomes overwhelming or if you’ve received a manual penalty.
If you’re getting thousands of spammy .xyz backlinks but your rankings and traffic are still fine, you probably don’t need to disavow them. Google is usually smart enough to ignore low-quality, obvious spam links like that.
When you don’t need to disavow:
- Your rankings haven’t dropped.
- There’s no manual action in Google Search Console.
- The links are clearly spam and not part of any link scheme you’re involved in.
When you should disavow:
- You got a manual penalty.
- You’ve seen a noticeable drop in rankings right after the spam started.
- You’re worried Google might misinterpret the links as manipulative.
So unless you’re seeing actual negative effects, don’t waste your time disavowing thousands of links. Just keep an eye on your Search Console and rankings — and act only if something changes.