Backlinks with high Semrush toxicity ratings were claimed to be potentially capable of negatively affecting search rankings and therefore worth investigation.

Sources

• Auditing Your Backlinks

  Semrush (Knowledge Base) · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-18

  “a high Toxicity Score you will want to investigate them thoroughly” — Section: Toxicity Score guidance

  “potentially toxic backlinks that could harm your site” — Marketing summary line

• Backlink Audit Overview

  Semrush (Knowledge Base) · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-18

  “helps analyze the presence of suspicious links on your backlink profile that need thorough investigation” — Overview: Overall Toxicity Score

• Toxic Backlinks: What They Are & How to Find Them

  Semrush (Blog) · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-18

  “Most toxic backlinks don’t require action” — Intro

• Link Building Metrics: How to Measure and Track Success

  Semrush · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-18

  “Toxic backlinks could negatively affect your search engine rankings, so you should investigate backlinks with a high toxicity rating.” — lines 241-248

• Google Search's guidance on using third-party SEO tools, services, and advice

  Google Search Central · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-18

  “Third-party tools don't have access to our internal ranking data. They can't guarantee performance.” — lines 131-145

• Understanding Semrush's Toxicity Score: Dispelling SEO Myths

  The HOTH · retrieved 2026-08-18

  “some are actually markers of potentially harmful backlinks” — Intro/analysis