Auditing a site you just acquired: the link section

Bought a domain and inherited a messy backlink profile? The playbook is mostly 'don't'.

— Pull the link report and check for a manual action first. No action = the previous owner's spam isn't actively penalizing you.
— Identify clearly self-built manipulation from the old owner (paid networks, anchor stuffing) — only this is disavow-worthy.
— Ignore the long tail of scraper and directory links. Inherited junk is still junk Google ignores.
— Don't disavow to 'clean the slate' for peace of mind. Peace of mind isn't a ranking factor; you may delete equity.
— Re-audit only if rankings tank after a known update.

Reality check: a scary inherited profile is rarely a liability without a manual action. Disavowing for tidiness is the rookie move that costs real links.