TLD Reputation
Suspicious TLDs like .xyz, .top, .click, .loan, .win, .gq, .cf are heavily used for spam sites. Extensions like .edu and .gov reduce risk.
Free Tool · 8 Spam Signals · No Login
Free Website Spam Risk Checker —
Is This Site Safe for Backlinks?
Instantly detect spammy websites before you waste time building links there. Get a Low / Medium / High spam risk verdict with a clear list of specific reasons — free Chrome extension, runs entirely in your browser.
Spam Signals
8 Spam Factors Checked Instantly
Each factor adds points to the spam risk score. Low = 0–1 risk points. Medium = 2–3. High = 4+ risk points.
Robots.txt Blocking
Disallow: / blocks all crawlers. A site that blocks Google but wants your backlink is a massive red flag — instant +2 spam risk points.
Nofollow-Only Policy
If all outbound links on the target's most indexed page are rel="nofollow", it suggests a deliberate no-link-value policy — typical of link farms.
Sitemap Staleness
If the sitemap was last modified 180+ days ago, the site is likely inactive or abandoned. Combined with feed staleness, this is a high spam signal.
Feed Staleness
An RSS/Atom feed with entries 180+ days old (or no feed at all) suggests zero content activity. Spam sites rarely maintain active content feeds.
Subdomain Depth
Deeply nested subdomains like sub.sub.sub.domain.com are a classic pattern in spam networks trying to obscure ownership and inflate domain counts.
Low Page Count Penalty
Very few indexed pages (<5) combined with other spam signals increase the overall risk score. Legitimate sites that publish regularly accumulate indexed pages over time.
High Page Count Bonus
500+ indexed pages automatically reduce spam risk. Real publishers with large content libraries are unlikely to be spam networks.
Real Examples
What Each Risk Level Looks Like
The extension shows a color-coded badge in the popup and lists the specific reasons behind the risk verdict.
- ● Low Risk: Clean TLD, fresh sitemap, active feed, follow links, no blocking
- ● Medium Risk: Suspicious TLD OR nofollow-only links OR stale content
- ● High Risk: Robots blocked + stale sitemap + stale feed + spammy TLD
- ✓ Reasons always listed: "Robots.txt blocks crawlers", "Feed stale 200d"
- ✓ High page count always reduces risk — even on suspicious TLDs
Spam Risk Badge Examples
Low Spam Risk
No suspicious signals detected. Sitemap fresh, feed active, legitimate TLD, follow links present.
Medium Spam Risk
Reasons: · Suspicious TLD (.xyz) · Nofollow-only outbound link policy
High Spam Risk
Reasons: · Robots.txt blocks all crawlers · Sitemap stale 200d · Feed stale 250d · Suspicious TLD
FAQ
Spam Checker Questions
What signals indicate a spammy website?
Key spam signals: suspicious TLDs (.xyz, .top, .click, .loan), robots.txt blocking all crawlers, nofollow-only outbound links, sitemap AND feed stale 180d+, deep subdomain chains, very low indexed page counts. SEO Readiness checks all 8 of these automatically.
Should I ever build a link on a Medium risk site?
It depends on the specific risk factors. Medium risk due to a .biz TLD on an otherwise healthy site might be acceptable. Medium risk due to nofollow-only links is a hard pass. Always review the reasons listed and combine with the overall SEO Readiness score.
How accurate is the spam detection?
Very accurate for the 8 signals it checks. It's based on directly observable, real-time data — not a database that can be outdated. Limitations: it doesn't check backlink profiles or domain history (use Ahrefs/Moz for that). Use both together for the most complete picture.
Does it detect PBN (Private Blog Networks)?
Many PBN characteristics are covered: nofollow-only links (if they won't pass link juice anyway), stale content (typical of maintained-for-links only sites), robots.txt blocking (some PBNs block crawlers to hide thin content), and suspicious TLDs. Not foolproof, but a good starting filter.
Never Build Links on
Spammy Sites Again
Free Chrome extension. Instant spam risk check for any website.