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.
Spam Risk Signal - Backlink Prospect Safety
Free Website Spam Risk Checker -
Review a Site Before Backlinks
Quickly review observable spam-risk signals before outreach. SEO Readiness shows a Low / Medium / High spam risk verdict with specific reasons, then folds Spam Safety into the 0-100 backlink prospect readiness score.
Spam Signals
8 Spam Factors Checked Quickly
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 major warning sign and increases spam risk.
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 are listed plainly, such as "Robots.txt blocks crawlers" or "Feed stale 200d"
- Higher visible footprint can reduce risk, but it does not override serious crawl or link-treatment warnings
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 include suspicious TLDs, robots.txt blocking all crawlers, nofollow-only outbound links, stale sitemap/feed evidence, deep subdomain chains, and very low indexed page counts. SEO Readiness reports these as directional warning signs, not a complete domain history audit.
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?
Useful for the observable signals it checks. It is directional, not a full domain history audit, not a paid backlink database, and not a guarantee. Use it with manual review.
Does it detect private link-network patterns?
Some risky patterns can be flagged, such as nofollow-only links, stale content, robots.txt blocking, deep subdomains, and suspicious TLDs. It is a starting filter, not a full network-detection product.
Review Spam Risk
Before Outreach
Free Chrome extension. Fast spam-risk check for sites you choose.