# Link farm A link farm is a network of sites that sell or trade links to boost rankings. For a small site, these links are worthless at best and risky at worst. Learn how to recognise pitches, check your link profile, and fix past mistakes without making new ones. Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/glossary/link-farm ## What a link farm is and why it harms A link farm is a set of websites created mainly to link to other sites and pass ranking signals. Pages exist to host paid posts, guest spots, roundups or “resources” on any topic. As of 2026, Google’s spam policies class link farms as link spam. Systems like SpamBrain try to detect and neutralise them. Links may be ignored, or your site may face a manual action if you buy or sell links that pass ranking. For a small site, paying for these links burns time and cash. You do not gain trust, you risk a hit during spam updates, and recovery can take months and wait for a later core update. > Rule: do not buy links that pass ranking. Paid links must use rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored". ## How to spot a link farm pitch - Bulk offers: “50 DA 40+ links this week”, one price for any niche. - Irrelevant sites: fashion, crypto and plumbing, all selling “guest posts”. - Footprint networks: same WordPress theme, same author bios, spun “news” and listicles. - Guaranteed rankings: promises tied to link counts, not your pages or intent. - No real audience: near-zero organic traffic on their own pages, fake social proof. - Outbound-heavy pages: endless “partners”, “sponsors” or “resources” with exact-match anchors. If a vendor says links will be “do-follow” by default, that is a red flag. Reputable publishers set rel values as they see fit and sell reach, not PageRank. ## How to check your site’s links Start with Search Console’s Links report. You will see top linking sites, top linking text and top linked pages. Export the domains and scan for patterns. 1. **Look for networks** Do many domains share the same layout, categories and author names, and link to you with commercial anchors like “buy widgets”? That hints at a farm. 2. **Check relevance** Do the sites cover your topic at all? A SaaS at yourproduct.com linked by dozens of casino blogs is not natural. 3. **Inspect anchor text** Long chains of exact-match anchors signal manipulation. Natural profiles mix brand, URL and varied phrases. 4. **Review timing** Spikes of dozens of links on the same day from unrelated blogs point to a campaign, not coverage. 5. **Watch enforcement signals** Check Search Console’s Manual actions and Security issues reports. A manual action lists the type and affected pages. Track clicks and impressions on /pricing or /blog/how-we-built-x in the Performance report. If links rise but search clicks do not, those links are likely ignored. Drops after a spam update can signal risky links were discounted. ## What to do if you used or received link farm links - Stop buying links. Cancel the campaign and keep a record of what was placed where. - Ask for removals. Email publishers to delete paid posts or add rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". - Clean your site. Remove any pages made only to sell or swap links. - Use the disavow tool only when needed. Google says most sites do not need it. Reserve it for a manual action for link spam or a legacy history of paid links you cannot remove. - File a reconsideration request after fixes if you have a manual action. Reviews take days to weeks. - Ignore “toxic score” panics. These are tool metrics, not Google’s. Do not bulk disavow on that basis. If rivals point spammy links at you, do nothing in most cases. Google says systems ignore such links nearly always. Focus on your content and product pages instead. A fixed page looks like this: your /pricing earns links from reviews that actually test your product, with brand anchors and context that matches your topic. ## Common traps for small sites - Paying for “editorials” on expired domains rebuilt as blogs. These are often part of farms. - Joining large-scale link exchanges. Swap rings count as link spam in Google’s policies. - Building private blog networks. Owning the sites does not make the links safer. - Confusing traffic with value. If no qualified clicks reach /signup, the links did nothing. - Expecting fast recovery. Core updates roll out several times a year. Recovery often waits for a later update. ## Questions ### What is a link farm in SEO terms? It is a network of sites built to sell or swap links that pass ranking. The pages exist to host outbound links, not to serve real readers. Google treats this as link spam. ### Are link farms illegal or just risky? They breach Google’s spam policies, not the law. Google can ignore the links, or, after review, apply a manual action. Either way, you waste money and time. ### How do I tell a link farm from a real publisher? Check topic focus, audience and intent. Real sites have consistent coverage, reader engagement and no blanket promises of “do-follow” placements. Farms pitch any niche and sell bulk spots. ### Should I use the disavow tool if I see spammy links? Usually no. Google says most sites do not need it, and systems already ignore bad links. Use it when you have a manual action for link spam or an old paid-link footprint you cannot remove. ### Can competitors hurt me with spam links? Google says it ignores such links in nearly all cases. Monitor in Search Console. Act only if you receive a manual action or can remove obvious paid placements you control. ### How long does recovery take after link spam issues? If you had a manual action, fix the issues and request reconsideration, which takes days to weeks. Ranking recovery from broad reassessments often waits for later core updates. ## Read next - [Backlink](https://porteur.ai/glossary/backlink): A backlink is a link from another site to yours. See what counts, how to check links, dofollow vs nofollow, and what a small site can expect. - [Referring domain](https://porteur.ai/glossary/referring-domain): A referring domain is a unique site that links to yours. Here is why the count matters more than backlink totals, how to check it, and what to do. - [Private blog network](https://porteur.ai/glossary/private-blog-network): What a private blog network is, why Google treats it as link spam, how to spot PBN links, what to do if you bought them, and the traps to avoid. - [Google spam updates: the policies they enforce and how to stay clear](https://porteur.ai/guides/google-spam-update): See what a Google spam update enforces, the policies that trip small product sites, how to check your risk, and how to recover if you’re hit. - [The disavow tool: what it is for, and why you almost never need it](https://porteur.ai/guides/disavow-tool): You almost never need the Google disavow tool. Use it only for a link manual action or unremovable paid links. Here is how to decide and proceed. - [Manual actions and the reconsideration request](https://porteur.ai/guides/manual-actions-and-reconsideration): Tell a Google manual action from an algorithmic drop, fix the cause, use disavow only when needed, and write a clear reconsideration request. Want a quick read on your link landscape without guesswork? Paste your URL and get a free Porteur check in about thirty seconds with three findings. Free check: https://porteur.ai/