How to know if you have one
Google lists manual actions in the Manual actions report in Google Search Console and usually sends a message as well. The report says what the problem is and whether it affects some pages or the whole site. If it says “No issues detected”, a ranking drop has another cause.
Common reasons
- Unnatural links to your site, or from your site
- Thin content with little or no added value, including scraped and auto-generated content
- Cloaking, sneaky redirects, hidden text and keyword stuffing
- Site reputation abuse
- User-generated spam in comments or forums
- Structured data that doesn’t match the page
- Major spam problems (“pure spam”)
How to recover
- Read the notice and Google’s documentation for that type of action.
- Fix the problem across the whole site, not only the examples Google gave.
- Document what you did, such as links removed or disavowed and pages rewritten or removed.
- Submit a reconsideration request from the Manual actions report.
Google reviews the request, which can take days or weeks. Once the action is lifted, rankings don’t always return to their old level, because the manipulated signals no longer count.
Manual action example
A site owner opens Search Console and finds “Unnatural links to your site” under Manual actions, affecting the whole site. Traffic has fallen sharply. The owner exports all links, asks the sites to remove the paid ones, uploads a disavow file for the rest, and writes a reconsideration request. The request lists what was wrong, what was done and how it will be avoided. After review, Google lifts the manual action.
What to do if you receive a manual action
- Read the message and the sample URLs in the Manual actions report.
- Find the full extent of the problem, not only the examples.
- Fix it: remove spam, change the practice, clean the links.
- Keep a record of the changes and screenshots.
- Submit a reconsideration request that is honest and specific.
- Wait for the answer, which can take days or weeks. Do not send many requests.
Manual action mistakes
- Blaming a previous agency without fixing the problem.
- Submitting a request before the fix is complete.
- Assuming every traffic drop is a manual action. Many are algorithmic.
Manual action FAQs
How long does recovery take?
It varies. After the action is lifted, rankings may recover slowly or only partly. See penalties and black hat SEO.
How do I avoid manual actions?
Follow Google’s spam policies. See white hat SEO and Search Console.