What should you typically do FIRST when you find toxic links?

When you discover toxic backlinks, the first and most effective step is to attempt manual removal by contacting the website owner. This is the preferred method because it completely eliminates the problematic link, which is better than simply telling Google to ignore it. If the website owner complies, the link's negative impact is fully resolved. Using Google's disavow tool immediately is a secondary measure, to be used if removal requests are unsuccessful. Disavowing tells Google to ignore the link, but the link still technically exists. Deleting your entire website is an extreme and unnecessary measure. Ignoring toxic links is detrimental, as they can harm your search rankings and reputation.