How do I check spam backlinks?

There are so many scams found online these days in seo and Google PPC world  that you are probably already aware of the risks of clicking unsolicited links. So-called phishing emails are becoming more convincing, and their creators seem to be doing more to eliminate typos and bad grammar, making their messages appear genuine.

Whatever the purpose of the link, whether it is legitimate or fraudulent, there are several things you can do to test it before clicking on it.

If you use Gmail, you will see warnings like the one below if you think the message is dangerous. It is not specifically about the link; it is taken into account. The enormous red bar should ensure that you don't accidentally click or reply to the message.

Enter the web address manually

The first option, which will only work in certain circumstances, is to type the website address yourself. 

One of the things that scammers love to do is register a similar-looking website address that can trick you into thinking it's the real deal.

Typically, you will receive an email stating that you are due for a refund or that your account has been locked out and clicked on the claim / reinstate link.

Again, instead of clicking the link, go to the website, log into your account, and find out if that's the case.

Use a link checker

If the other approaches here are too time-consuming for you, consider installing a web browser extension that will alert you to potentially harmful websites and prevent you from accessing them when you click links in other applications.

This only applies to desktop web browsers; it does not apply to mobile devices.

There are numerous options, several of which are free; others are included in antivirus packages. McAfee Web Advisor, Kaspersky URL Advisor, Norton Safe Search, and a slew of others are among them.

You can also use these tools manually to check a URL if you don't feel like installing the extension, but this defeats the goal of making your life more convenient.

How to check for suspicious links

We recommend trying Bitdefender TrafficLight, which is free and available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. It will put a small colour-coded checkmark next to the search results. If they are green, they are safe to click.

How to check for suspicious links

This will help you to see if it is safe to click on or not. This example links to a website in China that the reputation scanners below consider safe but is a copy of the Mirror website. It could be said to be fraudulent, but it does not pose a threat to your device.