How to Get Manual Actions Right
Penalties applied by a person at Google when a site violates spam policies, reported in Search Console with the affected pages and the issue found.
Samir Haddad
At a glance
- Where reported the Manual actions report in Search Console
- Scope can affect specific pages, sections or the whole site
- Common types unnatural links, thin content, pure spam, user-generated spam and structured data issues
- Resolution fix the issue, then submit a reconsideration request
Why it matters
Why it matters: A manual action can remove pages or a whole site from results until it is fixed and a reconsideration request is accepted.
Best practice
- Check the report after sudden traffic drops
- Fix every instance of the issue, not only examples
- Document what was changed and why
- Write a clear reconsideration request
- Put processes in place to prevent recurrence
Common pitfalls
Watch out for:
- Submitting reconsideration before fixing the problem
- Blaming previous agencies without evidence of fixes
- Partial clean-ups
- Ignoring user-generated spam warnings
When to call in a specialist
Bottom line Bring in help when a manual action appears, especially for unnatural links or site-wide issues.
Where this comes from
- Google Search Central — Manual actions report
- Google Search Central — Spam policies for Google web search
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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