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Manual actions

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Short answer: A manual action is a penalty applied when a human reviewer at Google decides that pages on a site do not comply with Google’s spam policies; it appears in the Manual actions report in Search Console, and it is cleared by fixing every affected page and requesting a review. [1]

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What is a manual action?

Google says a manual action is issued when a human reviewer determines that pages on a site are not compliant with its spam policies, and that most address attempts to manipulate the search index.[1] It differs from an algorithmic change: it is reported to the site owner, with the affected pages or the whole site named. See spam policies for what Google treats as a violation.

What kinds of manual action exist?

Google’s list includes, among others, unnatural links to and from a site, thin content with little added value, cloaking and sneaky redirects, user-generated spam, a site abused with third-party spam, a spammy free host, structured data issues, major spam problems and cloaked images.[1] Each has its own recommended actions in the Google help page, so the first job is to read the exact wording of the message.[1]

How do I find out whether I have one?

Open the Manual actions report in Search Console, which shows the action and the affected pages. Messages also arrive by email and in the Search Console message center.[1] If you did not receive a message and the report is empty, a manual action is not the explanation for the drop; go back to diagnosis.[2]

How is one fixed?

  1. Fix the issue on all affected pages. Google says fixing only some pages does not earn a partial return to search results.[1]
  2. Make sure Google can reach the pages: they should not need a login, sit behind a paywall or be blocked by robots.txt or noindex. Test with the URL Inspection tool.[1][3]
  3. Select Request Review in the report and describe the fixes. Google says a good request explains the exact issue, describes the steps taken, and documents the outcome.[1]
  4. Wait. Do not resubmit before a final decision on the outstanding request.[1]

How long does a review take?

Google says most reconsideration reviews take several days or weeks, and link-related ones may take longer.[1] That is a statement about the review, not about how soon rankings return afterwards; see recovery timelines.

An unnatural-links action means Google believes the site has bought, exchanged or otherwise manipulated links. Google’s first advice is to remove the links, and to use the disavow tool only for those that cannot be removed. The mechanics are covered on bad links and disavow.[4][1]

Frequently asked questions

Does every ranking drop mean a manual action?

No. Google lists algorithmic updates, technical problems, security issues, seasonality and other causes as well; the Manual actions report is one of several places to check. [2][1]

Can I buy a site that already has one?

Google’s security help says if you recently bought a site with pre-existing problems, fix them and tell Google in the reconsideration request that you recently acquired the site. [5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l “Manual Actions report”. Google Search Console Help. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  2. ^ a b “Debugging drops in Google Search traffic”. Google Search Central. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  3. ^ “URL Inspection tool”. Google Search Console Help. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  4. ^ “Disavow links to your site”. Google Search Console Help. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  5. ^ “Security Issues report”. Google Search Console Help. Retrieved 31 October 2026.