Before you start
- Ability to edit theme templates or use an SEO plugin for link attributes
Read Google spam policies once
Covers link spam, scaled content abuse, and site reputation abuse — policy names evolve; bookmark Search Central.
Official: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies
Mark paid and affiliate links clearly
Use rel="sponsored" (or nofollow where appropriate) on paid placements and some affiliate links per Google guidance.
Disclose commercial relationships in visible copy where regulations require it.
Moderate comments and UGC
Hold comments for review; block obvious SEO spam; disable anonymous links if abuse is high.
Official UGC guidance: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links
Audit sitewide footer and partner blocks
Huge “partners” grids with keyword anchors look like schemes. Keep partner lists small and branded, or nofollow if they are ads.
Internal links: descriptive anchors to hubs
Link from related posts to pillar guides with natural anchor text; avoid fifty identical “read more” links to the same money page.