Bing will discontinue its disavow links tool in Bing Webmaster Tools starting in October 2023. According to Fabrice Canel from Microsoft, the “disavow links feature and associated API” will be removed.
### Why Remove It?
Canel explained that the disavow links tool is outdated because Bing Search algorithms have advanced considerably in determining which links to count and which to ignore. “Times have changed, and so has our technology,” Canel wrote. He elaborated:
> “We have invested heavily in developing and improving our artificial intelligence capabilities, which enables us to better understand the context and intent of links, as well as the trustworthiness and authority of their sources. We can now differentiate between natural and unnatural links, and we can ignore or discount the latter without affecting the former.”
Bing introduced the disavow tool in June 2012, initially as a way for webmasters to indicate which inbound links should not be considered when assessing their site’s quality and relevance. Canel mentioned that this is no longer necessary, eliminating the need for webmasters to audit and disavow links that point to their sites.
### Bing Backlinks Report
The Bing Webmaster Tools backlink report will remain available. Microsoft stated, “We will continue to provide the Bing Webmaster Tools backlink report, which displays inbound links data not only for your site but also for any website,” Canel noted.
### Why We Care
This update means you can stop disavowing links for Bing Search and potentially for Google Search as well. Google has been minimizing the importance of disavowing links for some time, so it may be more beneficial to focus on creating new, useful content rather than searching for bad links.
