If You’re Concerned About Your Backlink Profile, We Can Review It Safely

Case Study: How We Repaired a Brand’s Backlink Profile After Their Previous SEO Agency Used Risky Links

Client Overview

A mid-sized US brand came to us after working with another SEO agency that had built several backlinks over a six-month period.
The problem wasn’t the number of links — it was the type of links, and the pattern Google could easily detect.

By the time they reached us, their rankings weren’t improving, impressions were inconsistent, and they were starting to worry about a potential manual action.

They didn’t need “more backlinks.”
They needed someone to unpack what had gone wrong and rebuild a safe foundation.

The Warning Signs We Saw Immediately

When we performed the initial audit, a few red flags were impossible to ignore:

1. Identical keyword anchors on every link

The previous agency had inserted the same commercial anchor text across multiple domains.
This creates an unnatural pattern that Google identifies extremely quickly.

2. Links placed inside irrelevant or low-quality articles

Many placements were on sites that accepted any content — finance links inside pet blogs, SaaS links inside lifestyle articles, and so on.
This signaled context mismatch.

3. Several publishers showed clear network footprints

Identical layouts, same author bios, shared IPs, and templated content patterns — all strong indicators of a link network rather than real editorial sites.

4. Aggressive link velocity within a short window

Most backlinks were built in a 3–4 week burst, which didn’t match the brand’s historical growth.
Google compares patterns, not absolute numbers.

5. No internal alignment with the brand’s actual content strategy

Anchors didn’t map to the brand’s pages, intent, or search journey.

None of these issues alone trigger a penalty —
but collectively, they form a risk profile that Google simply does not trust.

Our Approach: Stabilize First, Then Rebuild Safely

Instead of rushing into “new backlink building,” we followed our standard recovery framework — something we use whenever a brand approaches us after a bad SEO experience.

Step 1 — Identify Which Links Could Stay

We manually reviewed every backlink the previous agency built.
Some weren’t harmful, just poorly placed.
We kept the ones that were at least:

• contextually relevant

• editorially acceptable

• not part of a visible network

Step 2 — Neutralize the Highest-Risk Backlinks

For links that posed a genuine threat, we:

• requested removals where possible

• adjusted anchors internally

• ensured Google saw improved context signals

• prepared a disavow file for the absolute worst offenders

We never rely on disavow alone — it’s just one tool in the process.

Step 3 — Re-align Anchor Text Strategy With Brand Safety

Before building anything new, we corrected the anchor-text profile:

• increased branded anchors

• added contextual anchors that matched editorial tone

• removed repetition patterns

• aligned anchors with page relevance

Anchor text is a risk signal, not a ranking hack — we treat it carefully.

Step 4 — Rebuild Trust Through High-Relevance Editorial Sites

Only after stabilizing the profile did we begin introducing new links.

We focused on publishers where:

• the audience overlapped

• content quality was human and industry-specific

• no footprints existed

• anchors could appear naturally within the article

• the link added real context, not just “SEO value”

These weren’t built in bulk — each one was vetted manually.

What Changed for the Brand

In the months that followed, the brand saw a noticeable shift:

• Rankings stabilized

• Fluctuations reduced

• Pages started gaining impressions again

• Their backlink profile looked natural, not manufactured

• The brand no longer felt “vulnerable” to a Google review

The most important win wasn’t traffic — it was safety and stability.
A safe backlink profile compounds over time, while a risky one collapses suddenly.

Key Lessons From This Recovery

1. More links don’t fix bad links.

Stability comes from removing risk, not adding volume.

2. Anchor text choices affect brand safety.

Repetitive keyword anchors are a bigger problem in 2025 than low DR links.

3. Publisher vetting matters more than metrics.

A DR70 network site is still a network site.

4. Outreach should build trust, not manipulate signals.

Editorial context is the real ranking factor now.

5. SEO isn’t about shortcuts.

A healthy backlink profile is a reflection of judgment, not tools.

How We Helped the Brand Moving Forward

Once their backlink profile was stable, we created a long-term plan focusing on:

• relevance-first link building

• conservative anchor text strategy

• content refinement

• topical alignment

• publisher authenticity checks

The brand now follows a safer, slower, more deliberate SEO model, and they’re no longer afraid of sudden drops or penalties.

Client Feedback

“What we appreciated most was how carefully they handled our situation. We weren’t looking for aggressive growth — we simply needed someone who understood what went wrong and knew how to clean it up properly. Growth Outreach Lab walked us through every decision, explained the risks, and rebuilt our backlink profile in a way that finally felt safe. For the first time, we’re not worried about what our SEO agency might be doing behind the scenes.”
— Marketing Manager, US Consumer Brand

No obligations. We’ll simply tell you what’s safe, what’s risky, and what to fix first.