Moz Spam Score is a tool that shows if your website looks like spam. It uses 27 specific warning signs that often appear on sites Google has banned or penalized. Each sign is a red flag. The more you have, the higher your risk. This guide explains what those signals are and how you can fix them.
About Google Disavow
Google offers a Disavow Tool to ignore bad links pointing to your site. Many people incorrectly believe that simply fixing links using Disavow will affect the Moz Spam score. This belief is a myth and entirely wrong. Disavow is a Google tool, and it does not impact Moz score.
You can use it if spammy websites link to you without permission. But disavowing links does not change your Moz Spam Score. That tool only helps Google Search. Moz continues to see the links until it re-crawls your site.
Domain Name Issues
These issues are intrinsic in your domain name, and so they are relevant next time you make a new domain. Once your domain is decided, these issues are set and cannot be modified.
- 2. TLD Correlation – Your top-level domain (like
.infoor.biz) might be used more often by spam sites. - 3. Domain Name Length – Long domain names are seen as less trustworthy.
- 4. Domain Name Contains Numerals – Numbers in your domain may look unprofessional or fake.
- 10. No HTTPS – Sites without SSL (secure connection) look outdated.
- 19. Vowel/Consonant Ratio in Domain Name – Odd word patterns or hard-to-pronounce names can signal spam.
- 20. Domain Name with Hyphens – Hyphens are common in spammy domains.
Things to remember when making a new domain name:
Use a clean, short domain name. Get an SSL certificate to enable HTTPS. Avoid numbers or hyphens unless they are part of your brand. Choose trustworthy TLDs like .com, .org, or local domains that suit your region.
Technical and Structural Issues
These items relate to how your site is built and how links are used.
- 17. External Links Ratio – Too many outbound links make your site look like a link farm.
- 18. External Links in Content – Excessive linking within paragraphs can trigger flags.
- 25. Low Domain Authority – Use strong backlinks.
Fixes:
Use short, clean URLs. Only link to other websites when it helps the reader. Keep a good mix of internal and external links. Make sure external links go to real, useful websites. Make sure you have a healthy mix of nofollow and dofollow–too many nofollow links are a spam indicator.
Title, Meta, and Content Issues
These signs relate to what’s written on your site and how you format it. They focus on old SEO tricks, missing data, or thin pages.
General Content Issues
- 1. Low Number of Pages – Few pages can make a site look weak or unfinished.
- 22. Poison Words – Avoid words like “cheap”, “free”, or “guaranteed”.
- 23. Low Number of Visitors – Low traffic makes your site appear untrusted
- 24. High CPC Anchor Text – Anchors should be varied. Avoid repeating anchors or using anchors that are beyond your link authority.
- 26. Thin Content – Every page should have a unique “spin” that will rank top 10 in SERP.
- 27. Duplicate Content – Use a Plagiasm detector to root out duplicate content.
Actionable Items to Check
- 11. Meta Keywords Tag Used – This tag is outdated and often misused by spam sites.
- 12. No Rel=Canonical – Use canonical tags on your pages
- 13. Title Length – Check for any title less than 50 characters or more than 73 characters
- 14. Meta Description Length – Ensure descriptions are 140-160 characters unique to each page.
- 21. URL Length – Very long URLs may look unnatural or confusing.
Fixes:
Create useful, original content. Remove meta keyword tags. Use clear, well-written titles and meta descriptions. Add canonical tags to protect from duplication. Avoid spammy words and unnatural linking. Grow traffic by sharing content and improving SEO. Build backlinks from trusted websites.
Trackable On-Page Signals
These signals show whether your site uses modern tracking, ad systems, and professional links. Sites that lack these may look fake.
Action Items On-Page
- 5. No Google Font API – Use a Google Font or embedded font – not the default.
- 9. No Contact Information – No email or phone number looks suspicious
- 15. No Favicon – Make a unique Favicon for your page.
Additional On-Page items
While Moz does not specifically mention these items, these practices will help your page rise in SERP, which may attract more authority.
- Use All Possible Snippets – Make sure you are using Review, Author, Company, Product snippets. Create How-To snippets.
- Improve Page Speed – Make sure Google approves of your page speed. This is critical for SERP
- Deliver Mobile Content – Use Google tools to ensure your pages are mobile friendly
Add Google Fonts and a favicon to look modern. Use a Snippet checker, and check your competitor’s page to add all possible snippets for your niche. Use all the Google tools like the Rich Results Test and PageSpeed Insights.
Trackable Off-Page Signals
These signals require setting up accounts using other common tools—Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook—some of which Moz specifically mentions. In addition, setting up business profiles and connecting to YouTube and Instagram will help engage Google Search Engine Signals.
Action Items Off-Page
- 6. No Google Tag Manager – Set up Google Analytics and Tag Manager.
- 7. No DoubleClick Ads – If your site displays ads, missing this tool looks odd.
- 8. No LinkedIn Link – Make a LinkedIn profile that features your page and post to it.
- 16. No Facebook Pixel – Make a Facebook account, post to it, set up Facebook Ads, and place a Facebook Tracking Pixel on your page.
Additional Items Off-Page
- Google and Bing Business Profile – Make sure you have a business profile
- YouTube Channel or YouTube mentions – Make a two-way connection to a known Youtube channel
- Instagram – Make sure you have an active Instagram account
- Twitter – Make sure you have an active X account
Fixes:
Use Google Tag Manager to manage site tags. Link to LinkedIn or other business profiles. Include email or phone on your contact page. If you use ads, set up Google Ads and Facebook Pixel.
Moz Updates Are Not Instant
Moz updates its Spam Score about four times each year. You may fix problems now but not see results right away. Moz will re-check your site when it crawls it next. This can take weeks or months. Be patient and continue to improve your website while you wait.
Final Thoughts
A high Moz Spam Score does not mean your site is penalized. It only means your site has traits like others that were penalized. One or two red flags are okay. But more than five may be a problem. Use this list to improve how your site looks to Moz and to Google. With time, your score can go down—and your search ranking can go up.