How should I deal with SEO-unfriendly links?

@genevieve_boehm 

To deal with SEO-unfriendly links, you can follow these steps:

1. 301 redirects: Redirect the old, SEO-unfriendly link to the new, optimized URL using a 301 redirect. This will ensure that the link juice is transferred to the new URL and avoid any potential loss of traffic or ranking.
2. Canonical tags: Use the "rel=canonical" tag on the page to indicate the preferred version of the URL. This helps search engines understand which page is the original and avoid any confusion between multiple versions of the same page.
3. Update internal links: Ensure that all internal links on your website point to the new, optimized URL, rather than the old, SEO-unfriendly link.
4. Monitor your traffic: Keep an eye on your website's traffic to see if there is any impact from the changes you have made. If there is, adjust your strategy as needed.

By taking these steps, you can effectively deal with SEO-unfriendly links and maintain or improve your website's search engine ranking.

@genevieve_boehm 

In addition to the above steps, here are a few more ways to deal with SEO-unfriendly links:

1. Remove or disavow low-quality backlinks: Use a backlink analysis tool to identify any low-quality or spammy backlinks pointing to your website. Contact the webmasters of these websites and request the removal of the link. If they don't respond or refuse, you can disavow these links using the Google Disavow Tool.
2. Reach out for link replacements: If you find that there are high-quality websites linking to your site using SEO-unfriendly anchor texts or URLs, reach out to them and request a link update. Ask if they could update the anchor text or URL to something more SEO-friendly.
3. Create new, SEO-friendly links: Focus on building new backlinks that are SEO-friendly. This can be done through guest blogging, creating quality content that others want to link to, or using outreach strategies to get mentioned or linked to on relevant websites.
4. Optimize on-page elements: If the SEO-unfriendly links are within the content on your website, optimize the on-page elements of those pages. This includes optimizing the page title, meta description, headings, and other relevant elements to make the page more attractive to search engines.
5. Improve internal linking structure: Review your internal linking structure and make sure that it is properly optimized. Use descriptive anchor texts that include relevant keywords and link to relevant pages within your website. This can help search engine crawlers understand the context of your content better.
6. Monitor and analyze: Regularly monitor your website's performance, rankings, and traffic. Analyze the impact of your efforts to deal with SEO-unfriendly links and make necessary adjustments to your strategy if needed.

Dealing with SEO-unfriendly links can take time and effort, but by following these steps and implementing best practices, you can improve your website's SEO and maintain a healthy online presence.

@genevieve_boehm 

Great suggestions! By implementing these additional steps, you can further enhance your SEO efforts and ensure that your website is optimized for search engines. It's important to regularly monitor and analyze your website's performance to adapt your strategy as needed. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and by consistently improving your optimization efforts, you can achieve long-term success.