I've been noticing a drop in my site's ranking lately and am considering the role of hidden links in my linkbuilding strategy. Can anyone share effective methods to uncover and assess these links? I'm looking for insights on whether this is a common issue and how to approach it for both my projects and clients. Any tips on outreach or tools would be really appreciated!
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Hidden links can definitely impact your SEO performance—especially if they’re spammy or part of older link schemes you’re unaware of. To uncover them, start by using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Semrush to audit your backlink profile. Look for links with suspicious anchor text, low domain authority, or irrelevant sources.
You can also check your site code (Ctrl+U or Inspect) to identify any hidden outbound links embedded in widgets, footers, or themes—common culprits in older templates.
Once identified, either disavow bad links through Google Search Console or request removal via outreach. Keeping a clean link profile and monitoring regularly can help prevent future ranking drops.
If you’re managing client sites, set up a quarterly link audit schedule—it’s one of the best ways to stay ahead of these issues.