Skip to content
    Moz logo Menu open Menu close
    • Products
      • Moz Pro
      • Moz Pro Home
      • Moz Local
      • Moz Local Home
      • STAT
      • Moz API
      • Moz API Home
      • Compare SEO Products
      • Moz Data
    • Free SEO Tools
      • Domain Analysis
      • Keyword Explorer
      • Link Explorer
      • Competitive Research
      • MozBar
      • More Free SEO Tools
    • Learn SEO
      • Beginner's Guide to SEO
      • SEO Learning Center
      • Moz Academy
      • MozCon
      • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
    • Blog
    • Why Moz
      • Digital Marketers
      • Agency Solutions
      • Enterprise Solutions
      • Small Business Solutions
      • The Moz Story
      • New Releases
    • Log in
    • Log out
    • Products
      • Moz Pro

        Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

      • Moz Local

        Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

      • STAT

        SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

      • Moz API

        Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

      • Compare SEO Products

        See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

      • Moz Data

        Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

      Turn SEO data into actionable content briefs

      Turn SEO data into actionable content briefs

      Learn more
    • Free SEO Tools
      • Domain Analysis

        Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

      • Keyword Explorer

        Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

      • Link Explorer

        Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

      • Competitive Research

        Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

      • MozBar

        See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

      • More Free SEO Tools

        Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

      Let your business shine with Listings AI

      Let your business shine with Listings AI

      Get found
    • Learn SEO
      • Beginner's Guide to SEO

        The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

      • SEO Learning Center

        Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

      • On-Demand Webinars

        Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

      • How-To Guides

        Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

      • Moz Academy

        Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

      • MozCon

        Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

      Access 20 years of data with flexible pricing
      Moz API

      Access 20 years of data with flexible pricing

      Find your plan
    • Blog
    • Why Moz
      • Digital Marketers

        Simplify SEO tasks to save time and grow your traffic.

      • Small Business Solutions

        Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

      • Agency Solutions

        Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

      • Enterprise Solutions

        Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

      • The Moz Story

        Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

      • New Releases

        Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

      Surface actionable competitive intel
      New Feature

      Surface actionable competitive intel

      Learn More
    • Log in
      • Moz Pro
      • Moz Local
      • Moz Local Dashboard
      • Moz API
      • Moz API Dashboard
      • Moz Academy
    • Avatar
      • Moz Home
      • Notifications
      • Account & Billing
      • Manage Users
      • Community Profile
      • My Q&A
      • My Videos
      • Log Out

    The Moz Q&A Forum

    • Forum
    • Questions
    • Users
    • Ask the Community

    Welcome to the Q&A Forum

    Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

    1. Home
    2. SEO Tactics
    3. Link Building
    4. Moz API Spam Score - Backlinks

    Moz Q&A is closed.

    After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

    Moz API Spam Score - Backlinks

    Link Building
    wordpress backlinks website optimization
    6
    6
    251
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as question
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
    • RejinKayastha
      RejinKayastha last edited by

      Hi, everyone I am trying to get my website DA up. I have analyzed my competitors and thanks to Moz I have idea and insights of how my competitors get backlinks. But, some of them are old school techniques. Also my website has some PBNs no follow backlinks does it affect my website ranking? Their spam score is 10-40. But other competitors has them as well.

      Does anyone know indepth on this topic?

      johnsmithappdev Sandrawright23 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • Sandrawright23
        Sandrawright23 @RejinKayastha last edited by

        @RejinKayastha said in Moz API Spam Score - Backlinks:

        Hi, everyone I am trying to get my website DA up. I have analyzed my competitors and thanks to Moz I have idea and insights of how my competitors get backlinks. But, some of them are old school techniques. Also my website has some PBNs no follow backlinks does it affect my website ranking? Their spam score is 10-40. But other competitors has them as well.
        Does anyone know indepth on this topic?

        PBN backlinks, especially those with higher spam scores, can potentially harm your rankings if search engines view them as manipulative. If competitors are using similar strategies and haven't been penalized, it doesn't guarantee safety—it may just be a matter of time.

        1. Modern Link-Building Strategies
          Instead of relying heavily on old-school methods or risky PBNs, focus on building high-quality, natural backlinks:

        Content Marketing: Create valuable, shareable content (e.g., blogs, infographics, or videos).
        Outreach: Build relationships with industry-specific bloggers, influencers, and publications for guest posts or mentions.
        Broken Link Building: Find broken links on relevant websites and suggest replacing them with your content.
        Directory Submissions: Ensure you're listed in relevant, high-quality directories.
        4. Competitor Analysis
        While learning from competitors is great, prioritize strategies that align with Google's guidelines. High-risk techniques might provide short-term gains but could backfire long-term.

        Would you like a step-by-step guide to creating a diverse backlink strategy?

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • jamesrobert43
          jamesrobert43 last edited by

          @RejinKayastha said in Moz API Spam Score - Backlinks:

          Hi, everyone I am trying to get my website DA up. I have analyzed my competitors and thanks to Moz I have idea and insights of how my competitors get backlinks. But, some of them are old school techniques. Also my website has some PBNs no follow backlinks does it affect my website ranking? Their spam score is 10-40. But other competitors has them as well.

          Hi there! I’m facing a similar issue with my website. I've noticed some PBN no-follow backlinks with spam scores between 10-40, just like your situation. It’s tricky since competitors also have similar backlinks, but I'm focusing on diversifying my link profile with more high-quality, organic links to avoid any potential risks. Let’s keep an eye on it and aim for natural link-building strategies moving forward!

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Alex1aqq
            Alex1aqq last edited by

            It’s great that you’re analyzing competitors to improve your website’s DA! Regarding PBNs and no-follow backlinks, while they might not directly pass link equity, their presence can still impact rankings if seen as spammy or manipulative by search engines. As for Nulls Brawl PC, much like SEO, it's essential to maintain a clean and fair environment for a game’s growth. Just as manipulating backlinks can hurt a website, unfair tactics in gaming can negatively affect the community and experience. Focus on sustainable, organic strategies for both!

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • johnsmithappdev
              johnsmithappdev @RejinKayastha last edited by

              Hey RejinKayastha!

              Great that you're focusing on improving DA.

              PBNs & No-Follow Links:
              PBNs: Google can detect PBNs, and using them can lead to penalties, especially if they’re low-quality.
              No-Follow Links: They don’t directly affect rankings but still help diversify your backlink profile.
              Spam Score (10-40):
              A score in this range could be risky. It’s important to focus on high-quality backlinks to improve your profile over time.

              Tips:
              Disavow harmful backlinks via Google’s tool.
              Build white-hat links through guest posts and content marketing.
              Monitor your backlink profile regularly with Moz, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
              Hope that helps! Let me know if you need more info.@RejinKayastha

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • Mudasir_Qayyum01
                Mudasir_Qayyum01 last edited by

                Regarding your question, nofollow backlinks, including those from PBNs, don’t directly pass link equity to your site, but having too many spammy links, even nofollow ones, can still hurt your overall trustworthiness in search engines.

                Here’s the breakdown:

                Spam Score Impact: While Moz’s spam score doesn’t directly affect rankings, a high concentration of backlinks from sites with spam scores in the 10-40 range can raise red flags. Search engines might view your site as risky if the pattern seems unnatural.

                Competitor Strategies: Some competitors might be getting away with PBNs or spammy links now, but this is risky. Algorithms like Google’s Penguin are designed to catch such tactics, and penalties can follow.

                What You Can Do: Focus on acquiring quality, natural backlinks from authoritative sources through guest posting, content marketing, and relationship building. Also, review and clean up your link profile regularly—use Google’s Disavow Tool for any toxic links that could harm your SEO.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • 1 / 1
                • First post
                  Last post

                Got a burning SEO question?

                Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                Start my free trial


                Browse Questions

                Explore more categories

                • Moz Tools

                  Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                • SEO Tactics

                  Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                • Community

                  Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                • Digital Marketing

                  Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                • Research & Trends

                  Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                • Support

                  Connect on product support and feature requests.

                • See all categories

                Related Questions

                • Morries8888

                  How does indexing backlinks affect SEO and search engine rankings?

                  backlinks

                  Indexing backlinks plays a crucial role in the overall SEO strategy and search engine rankings. When search engines like Google crawl and index a website, they also consider the quality and relevance of the backlinks pointing to that site. Here's why indexing backlinks is important: Visibility in Search Results: Indexing ensures that search engines recognize and attribute value to the backlinks you have acquired. When indexed, these backlinks contribute to the overall link profile of your website and can positively impact your visibility in search results. Faster Indexation: By submitting your backlinks for indexing, you can speed up the process of search engines discovering and recognizing those links. This helps search engines recognize the relevance and authority of your website sooner. Enhanced Crawling and Ranking: Indexing allows search engines to crawl and evaluate the backlinks pointing to your site. These backlinks are considered as signals of trust and authority, which can influence your search engine rankings. Improved Domain Authority: When high-quality backlinks pointing to your site are indexed, they contribute to your website's Domain Authority (DA). A higher DA indicates a more authoritative and reputable website, which can positively impact your rankings and organic search visibility. Competitive Advantage: Indexing your backlinks gives you a competitive edge by ensuring that the value and authority of those links are properly recognized and taken into account by search engines. This can help you outrank competitors who may have unindexed or low-quality backlinks. It's important to note that not all backlinks may require manual indexing, as search engines can discover and index them naturally. However, for specific or newly acquired backlinks that may not be indexed quickly, manual submission or using indexing services can help ensure they are recognized by search engines and contribute to your overall SEO efforts.

                  Link Building | | Morries8888
                  0
                • JJKM55

                  How to handle pre-existing backlinks on new site.

                  backlinks

                  Hi - We built a new site on a URL that had previously been used. We are noticing a lot of spammy backlinks pointing to our current site and ending up on a 404 page. Any recommendations on how to handle this?

                  Link Building | | JJKM55
                  1
                • Fashion22

                  Unsolved Backlinks issues.

                  backlinks

                  I am hoping this is the right forum to ask this question. But, I was looking at my backlinks and noticed that I had some go to a page that resembles my site, but had porn words on it. however, it would link to a place on my site. Under more information it has a real link to my site. What is this? I noticed the domain authority was in I believe the 70's; but PA was in 40's. I am new, so can someone explain this. Thank you. example below:

                  Moz Pro | | Fashion22
                  0
                • David5675

                  Can Foreign Language Backlinks Be Valuable?

                  backlinks link building

                  I've done a lot of searching on this subject, but I keep seeing conflicting answers. Are backlinks from foreign language websites valuable? For example, a travel website in English picks up a couple backlinks in Indonesian language (and other languages) from foreign sites that have a DA of 60-70 or higher. The topic is partially related, but the language is totally different. Would those links still be valuable for the English website's DA? Has this ever been answered conclusively? Thanks

                  Link Building | | David5675
                  1
                • L_F

                  Do backlinks which contain parameters pass value

                  For some of our partners, we use our own tracking string in the url i.e. www.mysite.com/landingpage.html?partner=123456 . This has caused backlinks to be created to our site containing the partner string. I was wondering if these links would pass value to www.mysite.com/landingpage.html and the tracking parameters would be ignored or would Google treat www.mysite.com/landingpage.html?partner=123456 as its own page. If it did treat it as a seperate page, could you reclaim some of it using the canoncial tag?

                  Link Building | | L_F
                  0
                • CleanEdisonInc

                  Ways to remove spammy backlinks

                  Hello everyone, I got hit with an algorithm penalty and need to start removing old backlinks ASAP. Does anyone have any good resources on how best to ask webmasters for removal? Are there any other ways to remove bad back links besides the disavow tool? (An SEO consultant I talked to said that they had a proprietary software that can remove them - is that possible?) Thanks all,

                  Link Building | | CleanEdisonInc
                  1
                • Dynaread

                  Backlinks: What are they really and how can I create them.

                  I am relatively new to the SEO world, and I want to build backlinks linking to our main site. My preferred way to create backlinks is by adding them in my blog comments or forum responses. I am an active participant in a large number of blogs/forums related to our field and I would like to add relevant backlinks in the comments/answers I post. I originally thought that a backlink was just a link, but none of the links that I have added to blogs like that have been recognized as backlinks. https://www.dynaread.com/ Why is this so? I know now that good backlink would be something like: Dynaread is a science based dyslexia remediation program for older struggling readers. However I have no idea how to add this types of links to blog comments or forum pages where there is no link tool. Do I have to do something with HTML? Please explain briefly what a backlink really is and most importantly how I can create them. Thank you in advance for your help! Joy P.S if you have suggestions about some resources where I can learn more about the subject please let me know. I love to learn more.

                  Link Building | | Dynaread
                  0
                • brianmcc

                  Should I Just Copy A Competitor's Backlinks?

                  Forgive the newbie question, but now that I have found SeoMoz and OpenSiteExplorer, should I just piggy back on my competitors backlinks? What would be the downside? By way of explanation, I've never had the need to explore SEO before. Our site, Widgets.com has always ranked highly for all Widgets keywords because we have the keyword in our domain and our site has been around since 1998. But out of the blue this summer, a site, let's call them WidgetsCircus.com suddenly began outranking us on widgets keywords, and pretty much every keyword we can imagine in our little widget universe. Now that I have run OpenSiteExplorer, I can see how they've done it. They've pretty much spent the last year commenting on blog posts all over the place, editing wiki pages, etc., and built thousands of links for all these widget keywords. So, I'm wondering: why shouldn't I just go down the list of links and do exactly what they've done? Where they commented on a blog, why don't I just comment right along side them. Obviously, this has worked for them! Wouldn't it work for us too? Or is that too simple?

                  Link Building | | brianmcc
                  0

                Get started with Moz Pro!

                Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                Start my free trial
                Products
                • Moz Pro
                • Moz Local
                • Moz API
                • Moz Data
                • STAT
                • Product Updates
                Moz Solutions
                • SMB Solutions
                • Agency Solutions
                • Enterprise Solutions
                • Digital Marketers
                Free SEO Tools
                • Domain Authority Checker
                • Link Explorer
                • Keyword Explorer
                • Competitive Research
                • Brand Authority Checker
                • Local Citation Checker
                • MozBar Extension
                • MozCast
                Resources
                • Blog
                • SEO Learning Center
                • Help Hub
                • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                • How-to Guides
                • Moz Academy
                • API Docs
                About Moz
                • About
                • Team
                • Careers
                • Contact
                Why Moz
                • Case Studies
                • Testimonials
                Get Involved
                • Become an Affiliate
                • MozCon
                • Webinars
                • Practical Marketer Series
                • MozPod
                Connect with us

                Contact the Help team

                Join our newsletter
                Moz logo
                © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                • Accessibility
                • Terms of Use
                • Privacy

                Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.