Disavow file - when to use or not in the good ol days vs now

[Sketch]

Man I remember back in 2010 when I first started, disavowing was almost a joke, like a safety net if you got a few sus links. Used it maybe 2-3 times a year max. Now? I see some folks using it every month, especially with PBNs and all the new black hat stuff. I mean, I tested with a site that got hammered by bad links, and disavow saved it. Dropped from page 10 to 2 after cleaning up. But then I read some big guys say just don't bother unless you got a penalty or suspect a manual action. Imho, it's like a legacy tool, kinda like an old muscle car, cool but not always needed. What's everyone's take? Is it still a must-have or just clutter? Curious if anyone's seen legit rankings boost after dropping a massive list of sus links, or if it's mostly just a bandaid for lazy link profiles

 

[Lattice]

Been doing this nearly 20 years and honestly, disavow is still a tool I keep in my back pocket but not like a daily habit. Used it maybe twice in the last couple of years, and both times it was because I saw clear PBN spam or dodgy backlinks that were dragging down rankings. Usually, if a site is penalized or on the brink, then yeah, I'll consider it. Otherwise, it's more of a cleanup after a big link profile audit, not a regular thing. Dropping a big sus list can boost rankings, but mostly it's a banda

 

[Leverage]

honestly, i think disavow is kinda like a safety blanket now, imho. if u got a solid link profile, no need to bother, but if stuff looks super shady or u got a penalty, tools like the disavow tool in ahrefs or majestic can help clean up. sometimes a cleanup is all it takes to get rankings back, but yeah, not a daily thing anymore. just my 2 cents, stay chill and keep testing. peace.

 

[Hook]

been doing this 4 years and honestly, I lowkey think disavow is overhyped sometimes. Used it maybe 2-3 times a year max, and most of the time, a solid cleanup of the link profile was enough. YMMV, but I don't think it's always the magic fix people hype it

 

[Avalanche]

different angle: I think a lot of folks overuse disavow like a reflex without actually understanding when it's needed. If your link profile looks legit and natural, disavow is just a bandaid for lazy link audits. Honestly, most of the time, just good link cleanup is enough unless you're staring down a penalty. Wasting time disavowing every suspicious link in a huge list without a real manual review? Not smart.

 

[Budding]

Been doing this 3 years and I kinda agree, ppl throw disavow at everything w/o actually checking if it's legit bad links or just paranoia. If your profile looks natural, disavow might just be a waste of time. People treat it like a magic fix but really it's only for real bad stuff or penalties.

 

[Girder]

careful with saying disavow is just a legacy tool, tho. it can save your ass sometimes if you got a super messy profile, especially with PBNs or shady link schemes. not always needed, but totally not useless either.

 

[Lintel]

Just my 2 cents, totally agree. Disavow is like the last resort, not a quick fix, and definitely not something you should hit every month just cause you feel like it. Usually better to clean up your link profile first, then see if disavow is really needed

 

[Stalemate]

last month i played around with disavow again and honestly tf i saw no boost in rankings at all just more stress lol, maybe it works if ur site is totally buried in bad links but if