Usually when you update your disavow file, you'll see a message in Webmaster Tools that looks like this:
However, quite often I have seen it happen where a disavow file is updated, but no message appears in Webmaster Tools. Does this mean that the file was not properly uploaded? Can you be certain that your new disavow file will be used by Google?
John Mueller said in a recent Webmaster Central Hangout that this is a known bug. Start watching at 6:47:
Someone mentions that they uploaded a disavow file but did not see a message in WMT confirming their upload. John Mueller responded saying,
We noticed this, looking into the disavow tool, that sometimes when you uploaded a file we didn't send a message. We're still looking into where exactly these messages went internally but essentially if you uploaded a disavow file and you see that the status is updated in the disavow tool then that's fine. You don't necessarily need a confirmation message in Webmaster Tools.
So, it looks like it's a bit of a bug. If you've uploaded a new disavow file and you don't get a confirmation message in WMT it's nothing to worry about.
Comments
Interesting find.
Whenever I don’t have the chance to watch these consistently, you always come through in the clutch to highlight what we need to know 🙂 Thanks Marie.
🙂 Thanks Ryan. While other people are spending their Saturday mornings doing exciting things, here I am watching Webmaster Central videos.
Haha, while I’m not doing that exactly (well, now I am) you already know I’m cranking away. Competitors are going to be behind on Monday morning.
That was my question 🙂 the last 2 disavow’s for my site, August and September both have not had a confirmation email in W.M.T, my first thought on penguin 2.1 and no recovery was that the disavow tool was not correctly updating, JM has put my mind at rest, but back to the drawing board for me 🙁
Glad to have helped Karl. Penguin sure is a tough nut to crack.