A Google Manual Action Penalty can be devastating for businesses that rely on organic traffic. Whether you’re an SEO specialist, a website owner, or a digital marketer, understanding how to identify, address, and recover from a manual action is essential to restoring search rankings and visibility.
In this guide, we’ll cover why Google issues manual actions, common reasons for penalties, and a step-by-step strategy for recovery.
📌 A Google Manual Action occurs when a human reviewer at Google determines that a website has violated its Webmaster Guidelines. Unlike algorithmic penalties, which are triggered automatically by search engine updates, manual actions are manually enforced by Google’s Webspam Team.
🚨 Why It Matters:
A manual penalty can lead to a significant drop in rankings, loss of organic traffic, or even removal from Google’s search index. Addressing it immediately is critical for preventing long-term damage to your website’s search visibility.
Google’s primary goal is to provide users with high-quality, relevant content. When a website is found engaging in spammy tactics, black-hat SEO, or manipulative practices, it risks receiving a manual action penalty.
🔍 Common Reasons for Manual Actions:
✔ Unnatural Link Building – Buying backlinks, using link schemes, or participating in manipulative link-building tactics.
✔ Thin or Low-Quality Content – Pages with little value, duplicated content, or keyword stuffing.
✔ Cloaking & Sneaky Redirects – Displaying different content to search engines than to users.
✔ Hidden Text & Keyword Stuffing – Using invisible text or excessive keyword repetition to manipulate rankings.
✔ User-Generated Spam – Forums, comments, or guest posts flooded with low-quality links.
✔ Spammy Structured Data – Misusing schema markup to gain an unfair advantage.
✔ AMP Content Mismatch – Displaying different content on AMP pages versus standard mobile pages.
✔ Deceptive Mobile Redirects – Redirecting mobile users to a different page than expected.
✔ Hacked Website Spam – If your site has been compromised and injected with spam content.
📌 Google constantly refines its policies, so staying compliant with its guidelines is essential for long-term search success.
Google provides a direct way to check for manual actions via Google Search Console.
🔍 Follow these steps to check your penalty status:
1️⃣ Log in to Google Search Console.
2️⃣ Navigate to Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions.
3️⃣ If a manual action exists, Google will list the issue, affected pages, and recommended solutions.
📌 If no penalties are listed, your website is not under a manual action. However, if your traffic has dropped, consider other potential SEO issues like algorithm updates or technical errors.
Recovering from a manual action requires careful analysis, corrections, and a reconsideration request. Follow these four key steps to regain search visibility.
✔️ The type of violation detected.
✔️ The URLs affected.
✔️ Steps needed for recovery.
Example:
If the manual action is for unnatural links, identify which inbound or outbound links violate Google’s guidelines.
🚀 Resolving the issue depends on the type of manual penalty applied. Here’s how to fix common violations:
🔹 Conduct a backlink audit using Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
🔹 Identify toxic links (paid links, spammy directories, PBNs).
🔹 Use Google’s Disavow Tool to remove harmful backlinks.
🔹 Improve pages with high-quality, relevant, and unique content.
🔹 Remove duplicate content and replace it with original, informative material.
🔹 Remove hidden keywords, deceptive redirects, and misleading structured data.
🔹 Moderate comments, forums, and guest posts to remove spammy links.
🔹 Ensure that AMP and mobile versions display identical content.
Once all violations are fixed, submit a Reconsideration Request via Google Search Console.
🔍 How to Submit a Reconsideration Request:
1️⃣ Go to Google Search Console > Manual Actions.
2️⃣ Select "Request a Review."
3️⃣ Write a detailed explanation of:
✔️ What caused the issue.
✔️ Steps taken to fix the violation.
✔️ How you will prevent future violations.
📌 Important: Be transparent and specific. Google’s Webspam Team reviews each request manually, so provide clear evidence of corrective actions.
🚀 Processing Time: Google typically reviews reconsideration requests within a few weeks, but it can take up to several months in complex cases.
📌 To avoid future penalties, follow these best practices for sustainable SEO success:
✔ Build High-Quality Backlinks – Focus on natural, authoritative link-building methods.
✔ Follow Google’s Webmaster Guidelines – Always adhere to ethical SEO practices.
✔ Regularly Audit Your Website – Conduct SEO audits to detect and fix issues before they trigger a penalty.
✔ Monitor User-Generated Content – Use spam filters for forums, blog comments, and guest posts.
✔ Optimise for E-E-A-T – Google rewards websites that demonstrate Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
✔ Stay Updated on Algorithm Changes – Google frequently updates its ranking factors—stay informed to avoid compliance issues.
If your website has been hit by a Google Manual Action, recovering quickly is crucial to minimise ranking loss and traffic drops.
At HESK Digital, we specialise in manual action recovery, penalty removal, and long-term SEO compliance.
📞 Book a FREE Consultation Today – Call 1300 088 544 or email info@hesk.com.au for expert SEO assistance.
🚀 Don’t let a manual action cripple your online presence—take action now!
