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.

      Enhance Keyword Discovery with Bulk Analysis
      Moz Pro

      Enhance Keyword Discovery with Bulk Analysis

      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.

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
      Moz Pro

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

      Learn more
    • 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
    203
    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

                • Kritikgarg

                  Strategies for Enhancing Lead Generation from Blog Posts

                  content marketing lead form wordpress

                  Hello Moz Community, I've been running a blog ( www[dot]arrify[dot]com ) for a while, focused on Salesforce. I'm looking to enhance my lead-generation efforts through my blog content. I would appreciate insights and strategies on the following: SEO Best Practices: How can I optimize my blog posts for better search engine visibility to attract more potential leads? Content Engagement: What types of content (e.g., infographics, videos, in-depth guides) have been most effective for engaging readers and encouraging them to provide their contact information? CTA Placement: Where is the most effective placement for calls-to-action within a blog post to maximize lead capture without detracting from user experience? Lead Capture Forms: Are there any recommended practices for designing lead capture forms that encourage sign-ups? Any specific examples or case studies would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

                  Content Development | | Kritikgarg
                  0
                • MarketAPeel

                  Backlinks on Moz not on Google Search Console

                  google search console backlinks

                  Moz is showing thousands of backlinks to my site that are not showing up on Google Search Console - which is good because those links were created by some spammer in Pakistan somewhere. I haven't yet submitted a disavow report to Google of well over 10K links because the list keeps growing every day with new backlinks that have been rerouted to a 404 page. I have asked Google to clarify and they put my question on their forum for an answer, which I'm still waiting for - so I thought I'd try my luck here. My question... If Moz does not match Google Search Console, and backlinks are important to results, how valid is the ranking that Moz creates to let me know how I'm doing in this competition and if I'm improving or not. If the goal is to get Google to pay attention and I use Moz to help me figure out how to do this, how can I do that if the backlink information isn't the same - by literally over 10 000 backlinks created by some spammer doing odd things... They've included the url from their deleted profile on my site with 100s of other urls, including Moz.com and are posting them everywhere with their preferred anchor text. Moz ranking considers the thousands of spam backlinks I can't get rid of and Google ignores them or disavows them. So isn't the rankings, data, and graphs apples and bananas? How can I know what my site's strength really is and if I'm improving or not if the data doesn't match? Complete SEO Novice Shannon Peel
                  Brand Storyteller
                  MarketAPeel

                  Link Building | | MarketAPeel
                  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
                • wcksmith1

                  Nofollow backlinks - are they worth it?

                  As we all attempt to get backlinks for the sites we manage, I have to wonder if it's worth it at all to get a nofollow backlink.  Does Google give and positive credit for a link to a site if it is a nofollow link? Obviously, the follow links are worth pursuing.  I'm just trying to gain some perspective. Thanks,  Wick

                  Link Building | | wcksmith1
                  0
                • JABacchetta

                  Homepage Vs. Inner Page Backlink Building?

                  If I'm trying to rank multiple inner pages, when does strengthening the homepage become more productive than strengthening the inner pages themselves? Is there a strategy to this? For example, maybe you build up a few dozen backlinks to each inner page, and then focus all your efforts on the homepage? Because, from my understanding, strengthening the homepage will go a long way towards helping your inner pages rank. Is that correct?

                  Link Building | | JABacchetta
                  0
                • SecJobs

                  Top 20 sites for backlinking

                  My security jobs website was doing very well in Search engines until the penguin got hold of me.  I don't profess to be at pro at SEO however seem to have a knack of getting sites to rank well.  I think I made some basic mistakes with the original security jobs website, to many links to soon, so I have started again and will build up slowly the backlinks quality rather than quantity this time.  My questions is what are the top 20 or so sites that are good to backlink from?

                  Link Building | | SecJobs
                  0
                • DerekM88

                  How does Google treat multiple backlinks on the same page?

                  Hello mozCrew Just a quick yay or nay. We have an embeddable code on our site for customers who want to post our link on their website listed here: http://www.accupos.com/etc/embed-code-restaurants.php But in our link, there are actually 2 separate links, one branding link that says the name of our company, AccuPOS, and another link which targets a specific target keyword "Restaurant POS Software". My question is, does Google only give credit for the branding link, since it is listed FIRST? Or will we get double credit? Is this a good or bad practice, and what would you recommend? Thank you! Derek Moore

                  Link Building | | DerekM88
                  0
                • hfranz

                  Are backlinks to a domain that redirects useless?

                  I am working on trying to get backlinks. We are currently redirecting a few Domains to our current domain name. One of the Domains that is redirecting is the main Domain, we will be advertising in the near future. Can I send backlinks to the redirected URL or does it only carry link juice if it is to the main Domain?

                  Link Building | | hfranz
                  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.