How to Fight Back Competitors that use Shady SEO Tactics to outrank you

We have been noticing different tactics people use to gain an edge over other businesses in the same vertical for a while now.

With the adoption of AI into our daily lives, the world of SEO isn’t just about ranking higher through great content and optimization anymore.

Sometimes, people might use shady tactics to sabotage your rankings using BlackHat SEO tactics.

If you’ve noticed a sudden drop in rankings, strange backlinks, or unusual activity related to your website, you might be a victim of negative SEO attacks.

SEMRush Overview

Thus prompt the attention to write this article after years of cleaning the mess created by others in your own backyard.

Let’s uncover how bad actors use unethical strategies to hurt your SEO and how you can detect, prevent, and recover from these attacks.

Don’t let this happen to your business, hire an SEO Agency in Sri Lanka to ensure you are ahead of it.

Let’s get to the content if you wish to DIY it.

🔍 Common Negative SEO Tactics & How They Work

1. Toxic Backlinks (Spammy or Redirecting Links)

📌 How it Works

Competitors may create hundreds or thousands of spammy backlinks from low-quality, irrelevant, or blackhat websites.
Some backlinks may appear to be high DA (Domain Authority) but redirect users to unrelated or harmful sites (e.g., WhatsApp chats, affiliate pages, or adult content).
Google sees these unnatural links and may penalize your website, thinking you are engaging in link manipulation.

✅ How to Fix It

Monitor your backlinks using Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
Identify shady or spammy links and disavow them using Google’s Disavow Tool.
Request manual removal if possible.

2. Hotlinking (Stealing Your Website’s Images & Resources)

📌 How it Works

A competitor may use images from your website without permission, directly embedding them on their own site (hotlinking).
Instead of hosting the image themselves, they use your server’s resources, increasing your bandwidth costs.
If the linking site is spammy, it negatively impacts your website’s trustworthiness in Google’s eyes.

✅ How to Fix It

Use Cloudflare Scrape Shield or .htaccess rules to block hotlinking.
Monitor Google Image Search to check if your images appear on unknown sites.
Request credit or a link back if your images are being used legally.

3. Fake 404 Errors (Deleted or Hidden Links)

📌 How it Works

Some websites link to your site’s pages, but later remove or redirect the link, making Google think you have broken links.
If many external links lead to 404 pages, Google might see your site as poorly maintained and drop its ranking.
Some links may exist only in Google’s index, meaning you won’t find them when visiting the website directly.

✅ How to Fix It

Check backlinks regularly in Google Search Console.
If a linking page no longer exists, Google will eventually drop it from its backlink profile.
You don’t need to disavow a deleted backlink, but if the site engages in repeated shady tactics, consider disavowing it.

4. Fake Duplicate Content (Scraping & Republishing Your Work)

📌 How it Works

Competitors may copy your content and republish it without credit.
If their website gets indexed before yours, Google might assume your site is the duplicate.
This can reduce your rankings or even get your page deindexed.

✅ How to Fix It

Use Copyscape, Grammarly Plagiarism Checker, or Google Search to find stolen content.
File a DMCA takedown request with Google.
Contact the offending site and demand removal.

5. Negative Reviews & Fake Complaints

📌 How it Works

Competitors may post fake negative reviews on platforms like Google My Business, Trustpilot, and Facebook.
Negative feedback affects your brand reputation and conversion rates.

✅ How to Fix It

Report fake reviews to Google and review platforms. We once had a 1-star review that the office was closed when they visited unannounced. We got it removed connecting with Google.
Encourage real customers to leave positive, authentic reviews.

🛡️ How to Protect Your Website from Negative SEO

🔹 Monitor Backlinks Weekly – Use Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Moz to track new backlinks.

🔹 Enable Hotlink Protection – Use Cloudflare Scrape Shield or .htaccess to block unauthorized image use.

🔹 Regularly Check Google Search Console – Identify errors, broken links, or toxic backlinks early.

🔹 Keep an Eye on Content Theft – Use Copyscape to find stolen content.

🔹 Maintain a Strong Brand Presence – More positive engagement reduces the impact of negative reviews.

🔹 Use Google’s Disavow Tool When Necessary – If spammy backlinks persist, disavow them.

Final Thoughts: Stay One Step Ahead!

It’s not difficult to climb the top SERP for your target keywords. The challenge is to stay in the TOP Search Results especially in a hyper competitive industry.

So, SEO isn’t just about ranking higher; it’s also about protecting your rankings.

Competitors using shady tactics may try to sabotage your progress, but with the right monitoring tools, proactive defense strategies, and SEO best practices, you can outsmart them and maintain strong rankings.

Have you noticed suspicious activity affecting your website’s rankings?

Start investigating today and take back control!

Or simply reach out to HypeX SEO Agency in Sri Lanka, we’ll take care of it for you. 🔥