Playbook: respond to a link spam update correctly

Playbook: respond to a link spam update correctly
SpamBrain now neutralizes spammy links rather than penalizing — which changes the playbook. The right sequence:

— Step 1: Pull your full backlink profile from two sources (Ahrefs + GSC links) to avoid blind spots.
— Step 2: Flag obvious paid/exchanged/PBN links — Google's guidance says these lose value, you don't always need disavow.
— Step 3: Only disavow domains with manual-action risk or clearly toxic patterns — over-disavowing harms you, per repeated warnings from Marie Haynes.
— Step 4: Stop active link-buying that the update just devalued — keeping it wastes budget on dead weight.
— Step 5: Reinvest in links the system credits: editorial, relevant, earned.

The instinct to mass-disavow is usually wrong here.

One to bookmark: Google's link spam policy — clarifies neutralize-vs-penalize, which most cleanup guides get backwards.