Google Search Console - Via this Intermediate Link - Links to me

[JesterMagic]

In Google Search Console in "Links to your site"

I am checking out a spammers domain that has links to one of my pages (lets call it Page A). This spammer domain has 4 different pages that links to Page A.

The funny thing is that Google shows "Via this intermediate link" below the spammers 4 pages and it is a link to my Page A.

What does this exactly mean? I have double checked Page A and there are no links to that spammer domain (not that I was expecting it). I also doubled checked using Fetch as Google.

My site has not been hacked so can someone explain what this means?

On a side note my site has recently been hit with a large number of spammy links. I was going through the offending domains and updating my disavow file. A lot of these spammy links have "Via this intermediate link:" but they always point to another spammy domain.

[aristotle]

Doesn't this usually mean that the backlink points to the intermediate page, but that the intermediate page has been re-directed to the final page?

Some times it's as simple as a re-direct from www to non-www. Or it could be a re-direct from http to https. Or it could be a re-direct that was implemented during a site re-structuring.

[JesterMagic]

The "Via this Intermediate Link" points to the www version of my website but I do have a redirect from non-www to www in place so do you think this is the reason that I am seeing the same page listed in the "Via this Intermediate Link"... the spam site pointed to the non-www version of my page?

I have also been worried about this page because it has been fluctuating in the rankings lately going from page 1 (where it has been forever) to page 3 and back again. It's got a crap load of spam links that I try to keep on top of but also a number of good quality links from sites like CNN.

So there is nothing to worry about here then with the "Via this Intermediate Link"? (beyond the spam links pointing into my site that is)

[lucy24]

"Via this intermediate link" can mean a lot of things. I once found a flurry of "intermediate links" that could not possibly redirect to the relevant page on my site, and was forced to conclude that the Googlebot was temporarily confused by finding similar public-domain content in unrelated places.

But yes, the underlying meaning is "the link points to page X, which redirects to page Y". It is often, though not universally, the sign of some kind of ineptitude at the far end (typing in a link without bothering to confirm that you've got the name right). Other times it means the link dates back to before your current URL structure; poking around the bottom of GSC I find some that point to a site I moved in 2013. Oh well.

[keyplyr]

Just clear up the possibility, I would source the code at the "spammer domain" and look to see if they have your URL in an iframe. Look at the source code as well as the generated code. Also look at any feeds. Check the CSS as well to see if your URL is the target of any divs.

[sangi]

JesterMagic, I think I know exactly what's happening: [webmasterworld.com...]

Maybe you can PM me some spammy links? My guess is they're very similar to those I have issues with. If yes then this is a huge issue.

[JesterMagic]

@sangi I don't think it is the same issue as the spam sites (from the few I checked) don't mention/link to my domain or have my content displayed on their website (or my site in an iframe). They do have an ad displaying in an iframe so maybe at one point something was going on. I also used Google Chrome to simulate Google Bot and did the check as well (not that it is completely fool proof). If I load the site up in another browser like firefox it does redirect from the current spam site to some casino ad though. The spam site looks to be from one of those free sites where every subdomain is a different website/user account.

Actually most of the new 60,000 plus spam links I now have seem to come from these free webhost accounts (from about 30 different companies, a lot in Russia). The Google preview in Search Console either can't preview it or it shows the spam site (#*$!,gambling, etc.). As far as I can tell these sites don't have links to my site but for normal users they do redirect them right away to either some ad or a site that wants you to download a file. It looks like these sites are setup so Google see's one thing and everyone else something else.

I have disavow all the spammer domains (I assume that disavows all sub domains of the domain as well right?) and hope that brings my rankings back a bit. I would think Google would disavow these free web hosts already but why take chances.