There is a lot of misinformation FUD (fear, uncertainty & doubt) surrounding Google penalties. The most common is mistaking an algorithm for a penalty.
High-profile updates like Penguin and Panda are not actually penalties; they are algorithms. Algorithms rely on a set of rules and calculations to automatically deliver the desired outcome.
In the case of Panda & Penguin, the end game for Google is to demote websites in the search results that don’t meet their quality standards, as defined by their Webmaster Guidelines.
Google also employs an army of human reviewers to manually review and flag websites.
Despite their best efforts, there are still many websites that slide through the algorithms but don’t meet Google’s quality standards.
There is an expectation that over time, RankBrain and BERT will make the algorithm “smarter” and diminish the need for these human reviewers.
Being on the wrong side of an algorithm sure feels like a penalty. The net result can be the same – a huge and sometimes devastating loss of organic traffic.
Understanding the difference between having your website impacted by a manual penalty versus triggering an algorithm is important.
It determines how to proceed in terms of developing a recovery strategy.
The most notable difference in dealing with a penalty versus an algorithmic event is the need and opportunity to interact directly with Google.
A website that is penalized by Google will receive a manual action report via Google Search Console.
Once the noted violation is fixed, you are required to explain the origins of the problem as well as the resolution in a “Reconsideration Request.”
Conversely, there is no need (or ability) to file a reconsideration request to escape an algorithmic smack-down.
This post will focus on known manual penalties and steps for recovery.
Cloaking and/or Sneaky Redirects
Cloaking is the act of showing different pages to users than are shown to Google. Sneaky redirects send users to a different page than what is shown to Google.
Both actions violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
This is another penalty that comes in two forms:
- Partial matches affecting portions of your site.
- Site-wide matches affecting your whole website.
The Fix
- Navigate to Google Search Console > Crawl > Fetch as Google, then fetch pages from the affected portions of your website.
- Compare the content on your web page to the content fetched by Google.
- Resolve any variations between the two so they end up being the same.
- Check all redirects; remove redirects that:
- Send users to an unexpected destination.
- Conditionally redirect (ex: only redirecting users coming from a certain source).
- Are otherwise “sneaky.”
- Submit a reconsideration request after fixing these issues.
Pro Tip: These types of redirects are often created by CMS plugins, may be located in your .htaccess file, or could be written in JavaScript.
Sneaky Mobile Redirects
Some or all of the pages on a website redirect mobile users to content not visible to Google’s crawlers. This is a direct violation of Google Webmaster Guidelines.
Once discovered, a manual action typically follows, which could involve the removal of URLs from the search index.
Overview
It’s not uncommon for the mobile version of a website to display content a bit differently from the desktop version. Quite often, images must be modified to accommodate a smaller screen.
There may even be times when it’s necessary to redirect mobile users from one URL to another for a better user experience.
As long as the redirect sends the user to a page that is essentially the same, this is a perfectly legitimate use of a redirect.
When mobile users are sneakily redirected to different content, it leads to a bad user experience and invites a penalty.
WARNING: Sneaky mobile redirects are often unintentional and can happen without the direct knowledge of the webmaster. This commonly happens when:
- Code is added that creates redirection rules for mobile users.
- A script or element is added in order to display ads and redirect mobile users.
- Hackers add a script or element that redirects mobile users to a malicious website.
The Fix
If you are not intentionally engaging in sneaky redirects: Check the Security Issues report to see if your website has been hacked.
Review all third-party scripts and elements on your web pages.
After confirming that your website has not been hacked, the next step is to investigate if any third-party scripts or elements are causing the problem.
Follow these steps:
- One by one, remove any third-party scripts or elements you do not control.
- Next, check your site on a mobile device or emulator to see if the redirection has stopped.
- Once you identify a particular script or element that you believe to be responsible for the sneaky redirect, remove it from your site. If that script is important, work on debugging the issue and then re-installing and testing.
If you are intentionally engaged in sneaky redirects: Make the necessary edits to come into compliance with Google guidelines.
- Confirm you are in compliance by checking your site on a mobile device or emulator.
- After making the necessary edits, and completing your check, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat.
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: Be proactive. Always check the mobile versions of pages that contain code or script elements redirecting mobile users in the URL Inspection Tool to avoid a self-inflicted penalty.
Cloaked Images
As mentioned previously, cloaking is the act of showing different content to users than is shown to Google.
For example, serving images that:
- Are obscured by another image.
- Are different from the image served.
- Redirect users away from the image.
The Fix
- Show the exact same image to Google as the users of your site.
- Submit a Reconsideration Request after fixing the issue.
Pro Tip: Check any plugins you have installed to ensure they are not creating an image cloaking issue.
AMP Content Mismatch
AMP content is different from the canonical version of the web page.
Both versions must be essentially the same. That doesn’t mean the text has to be identical, but topically they need to match.
Anything that a user can accomplish on the AMP page should also be possible on the canonical page and vice-versa.
Any AMP pages affected by a manual action will drop out of Google Search and the canonical version will be shown in its place.
The Fix
- Check to ensure the AMP page is associated with the correct canonical page.
- Verify the content of the AMP and canonical pages are generally the same. Edit as needed.
- Confirm that Google’s view of the page is the same as the user’s view. This can be accomplished by using the URL Inspection tool. This works for both the canonical and AMP versions of the page. It’s not uncommon for a mismatch to occur due to a robots.txt file blocking resources on one page or the other. This tool will expose that issue, among others.
- Once you get your AMP and canonical pages in sync, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review.
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: Be proactive. Always check both the AMP & canonical versions of a page in the URL Inspection Tool to avoid a self-inflicted penalty.
Hidden Text and/or Keyword Stuffing
The heading says it all. Google has discovered your website is guilty of using hidden text or keyword stuffing.
This is another penalty that comes in two forms:
- Partial matches affecting portions of your site.
- Site-wide matches affecting your whole website.
The Fix
- Navigate to Google Search Console > Crawl > Fetch as Google, then fetch pages from the affected portions of your website.
- Look for text that is the same or similar in color to the body of the webpage.
- Look for hidden text using CSS styling or positioning.
- Remove or re-style any hidden text so that it’s obvious to the human user.
- Fix or remove any paragraphs of repeated words without context.
- Fix <title> tags and alt text containing strings of repeated words.
- Remove any other instances of keyword stuffing.
- Submit a reconsideration request after fixing the issue.
Pure Spam
Unlike many of the other penalties, no one can plead ignorance when it comes to this one.
It is reserved for websites that aggressively engage in a combination of spammy techniques, including the use of automated gibberish, scraped content, and cloaking, among other egregious violations of Webmaster Guidelines.
This is another penalty that comes in two forms:
- Partial matches affecting portions of your site.
- Site-wide matches affecting your whole website.
The Fix
- If this is the first offense, get your act together and comply with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
- Submit a Reconsideration Request after fixing the issue.
Pro tip: If this is a second offense, shut it down & start over. It’s highly unlikely that Google will give you another chance after breaking their trust again.
Spammy Freehost
There’s no such thing as “free hosting.” What may be saved upfront in hosting fees will be flushed down the toilet in spotty reliability and spammy ads that you can’t control.
Google has threatened manual action against entire hosting services. There is no point in taking that risk.
The fix
- Migrate to “name brand” shared hosting.
- Submit a Reconsideration Request once the migration is complete.
Pro Tip: Avoid “free hosting” and suck up the $40 bucks a year for reliable shared hosting.
Structured Data Issue
If you don’t follow the Rich snippets guidelines, and markup content invisible to users or markup irrelevant or misleading content, you will be penalized.
This penalty also comes in two forms:
- Partial matches affecting portions of your site.
- Site-wide matches affecting your whole website.
The fix
- Update existing markup or remove any markup that violates Google’s Rich snippets guidelines.
- Submit a Reconsideration Request after you’ve made these changes.
Pro Tip: Resist the temptation to succumb to rich snippet spam; follow the guidelines.
Thin Content With Little or No Added Value
Low-quality or shallow pages that trigger this penalty generally come in the form of:
- Auto-generated/spun content.
- Thin affiliate pages with OEM descriptions, no added value, no unique information.
- Scraped content from other websites.
- Low-quality (often guest) blog posts.
- Doorway pages.
This is another penalty that comes in two forms:
- Partial matches affecting portions of your site.
- Site-wide matches affecting your whole website.
The Fix
- Identify and remove auto-generated or spun content.
- Identify affiliate pages that don’t provide added value beyond what the manufacturer/retailer offers. Beef up or eliminate those pages.
- Use Duplicate Content Detection Software to identify content found elsewhere on the web. Remove and/or replace that content.
- Identify content with low word counts and where appropriate, thicken those pages to be useful and informative.
- Identify and remove doorway pages.
Submit a Reconsideration Request after fixing these issues
Pro Tip: Invest time and resources into creating content that is both unique and useful.
Unnatural Links to Your Site
As time goes on, Google is relying more on the algorithm and less on manual actions in handling spammy links.
When a manual action is levied, the root cause is always the same: Buying links and /or participating in link schemes to boost organic SERPs. This is a clear violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
The Fix
- Download the links to your site from Google Search Console.
- Audit these links to identify any that may violate linking guidelines.
- Remove or add a rel=”nofollow” attribute to non-conforming links.
- Disavow any links that you are unable to get removed or no-followed.
- Submit a Reconsideration Request after you’ve cleaned up your link profile.
Pro Tip: Invest time and resources into building links the right way and avoid link schemes.
Unnatural Links From Your Site
Google loves busting webmasters for selling links.
In Google vernacular, these are considered “unnatural artificial, deceptive, or manipulative outbound links.”
This is another penalty that comes in two forms:
- Partial matches affecting portions of your site.
- Site-wide matches affecting your whole website.
The Fix
- Remove or modify these links by adding a rel=”nofollow” attribute so they no longer pass PageRank.
- Submit a Reconsideration Request after removing non-compliant links.
Pro Tip: Use a machete and not a scalpel when cleaning up these links. Google has handled hundreds of thousands of these penalties and you won’t get one by them.
User-Generated Spam
You know those daily spam emails offering cheap SEO and page one results? You can thank those blackhat SEO professionals for creating this headache.
(For the record, this is not link building.)
It’s usually found in forums, comments, guestbook pages, and user profiles. This penalty comes in two forms:
- Partial matches affecting portions of your site.
- Site-wide matches affecting your whole website.
The Fix
- Identify pages where users can leave comments.
- Look for spam:
- Advertisements posing as comments.
- Comments that include irrelevant links.
- Spammy usernames like “Cheap Viagra.”
- Auto-generated, generic, or off-topic comments.
- Remove all spammy and inappropriate content.
- Prevent unmoderated content from appearing on your website.
- Request a review – Once your site is clean and no longer in violation.
Pro Tip: Be proactive. Don’t allow unmoderated user-generated content to appear on your website.
Whoa – that’s a lot of rules. But wait… there’s more!
In February of 2021, Google added another dozen penalties specific to complying with Google News and Google Discover guidelines, as follows:
Discover Policy Violation: Adult-Themed Content
Google explicitly prohibits adult-themed content from appearing in Discover.
That means a ban on nudity, sexually exploitive materials, and even sexually suggestive content.
One exception is scientific or medical terms related to human or sex education.
The Fix
- Review and remove any content that even remotely appears to violate the Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: If you want your content to appear in Google Discover, keep it G-rated.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Dangerous Content
Google forbids publishing any content that might directly lead to serious and immediate harm. This applies to both people and animals.
This is a pretty broad statement and frankly left me scratching my head. YouTube does a much better job of defining dangerous content.
It’s a safe bet the following standards found at YouTube Help also apply to Google News & Discover.
Don’t publish:
- Extremely dangerous challenges that pose an imminent risk of physical injury.
- Dangerous or threatening pranks that lead victims to fear imminent serious physical danger, or that create serious emotional distress in minors.
- Instructions to kill or harm, showing viewers how to perform activities meant to kill or maim others. For example, giving instructions to build a bomb meant to injure or kill others.
- Hard drug use or creation; this is content that depicts abuse of or instructions on how to create hard drugs such as cocaine or opioids. Hard drugs are defined as drugs that can (mostly) lead to physical addiction.
- Eating disorders; content that praises glorifies, or encourages viewers to imitate anorexia or other eating disorders. Eating disorders are characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits which negatively affect a person’s health (including eating non-food items).
- Violent events promoting or glorifying violent tragedies, such as school shootings.
- Instructional theft or cheating such as showing viewers how to steal tangible goods or promoting dishonest behavior.
- Hacking. This means demonstrating how to use computers or information technology with the intent to steal credentials, compromise personal data, or cause serious harm to others such as (but not limited to) hacking into social media accounts.
- Bypassing payment for digital content or services. Showing viewers how to use apps, websites, or other information technology to gain unauthorized free access to audio content, audiovisual content, full video games, software, or streaming services that normally require payment.
- Promoting dangerous remedies or cures. Content that claims that harmful substances or treatments can have health benefits.
Pro Tip: Keep in mind this isn’t a complete list.
The Fix
- Review and remove any dangerous content that even remotely appears to violate the News policy or Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Harassing Content
Google prohibits all forms of harassment, threatening content, or bullying of any sort. This includes the threat of serious harm, the singling out of any individual for malicious abuse, or unwanted sexualization.
This also applies to the exposure of private information, which could be used to compromise individuals and potentially encourage threats, disparagement, and belittlement of those connected to a tragedy or atrocity.
The Fix
- Review and remove any harassing content that even remotely appears to violate the News policy or Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: Not sure what constitutes harassing content? The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & safety does a pretty good job in defining Internet Harassment and Cyberbullying.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Hateful Content
Publishing content that promotes or condones violence or incites hatred is strictly prohibited.
Content that targets groups or individuals on the basis of nationality, ethnic origin, race, religion, age, veteran status, disability, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation, or any characteristics associated with the marginalization or systemic discrimination violates this guideline.
The Fix
- Review and remove any hateful content that even remotely appears to violate the News policy or Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: Don’t post content if the purpose of that content is to promote hate or violence. Pattern your policy after this one.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Manipulated Media
This is arguably the biggest looming threat to social media and perhaps society as a whole and I’m happy to see Google take a stand against it.
Any video, audio, or image that has been manipulated to defraud, deceive, or mislead the public is forbidden. This includes the blatant misrepresentation of actions that took place as well as creating a fundamentally different understanding or impression than intended.
The purpose of this policy is to prevent significant harm to individuals and to safeguard trust in civic and electoral processes.
The Fix
- Review and remove any manipulated media which violates the News policy or Discover policy
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your search console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: Learn how to spot and avoid spreading Fake News.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Medical Content
Consistent with their YMYL policy, Google does not allow any content that runs contrary to or contradicts medical or scientific evidence or best practices.
Medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for commercial purposes is also prohibited.
The Fix
- Review and remove any medical content that even remotely appears to violate the News policy or Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: If you aren’t a medical expert, you need to work with one to ensure content is accurate & trustworthy.
Discover Policy Violation: Misleading Content
There is a fine line between clickbait and a misleading content penalty. Tricking users to engage by promising one topic or story but delivering something else crosses that line and is considered misleading.
Google explicitly prohibits adult-themed content from appearing in Discover.
That means a ban on nudity, sexually exploitive materials, and even sexually suggestive content.
One exception: Scientific or medical terms related to human or sex education.
The Fix
- Review and remove any content that even remotely appears to violate the Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.“
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: Understand the Dark Side of Clickbait and how it could damage your brand.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Sexually Explicit Content
Google does not allow explicit sexual content created for the purpose of promoting sexual arousal. The ambiguity of this guideline led me to YouTube for further guidance.
Here are a couple of examples given there:
A playlist or compilation video of celebrity wardrobe malfunctions focused only on exposed body parts…
A video of a burlesque performer that was uploaded and zoomed in to focus on their body parts (rather than educating on the artistry of burlesque) would not be okay.
The Fix
- Review and remove any sexually explicit content that even remotely appears to violate the News policy or Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: If you publish anything besides G-rated content, you run the risk of drawing a penalty.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Terrorist Content
Google bans any content that promotes terrorism and extremist acts. This extends to recruiting, the incitement of violence, and the celebration of attacks by terrorists.
The Fix
- Review and remove any terrorist content that even remotely appears to violate the News policy or Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your search console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Avoid extremism of all types.
News Policy Violation: Transparency
Google requires all news sources to disclose background information about the content being pushed out.
This includes clear publication dates and bylines, author information, publication or publisher information as well as details regarding the company or network behind it, along with contact information.
The Fix
- Review and edit your pages to comply with the News policy. You must provide clear dates, as well as specific information about the author(s), the publisher, the publication, the editorial board, and the network or company behind it.
- After completing your review and making necessary changes, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: Google places a premium on trust – this is an easy way to build it.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Violence and Gore Content
Google prohibits content that is gory and/or glorifies and incites violence. Extremely graphic or violent materials created for the purpose of being sensational, gratuitous, disgusting, or shocking are not allowed.
The Fix
- Review and remove any gory or violent content that even remotely appears to violate the News policy or Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
Pro Tip: Bad news sells, but karma is real. Don’t sensationalize the misfortune of others.
News and Discover Policy Violation: Vulgar Language and Profanity
The use of profanity, vulgar language, or gratuitous obscenities is forbidden.
The Fix
- Review and remove any vulgar content that even remotely appears to violate the News policy or Discover policy.
- After completing your review and making necessary edits, navigate to Google Search Console > Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions and Request a Review. As with any reconsideration request, be upfront & honest – explain how the error occurred and what specific actions have been taken to prevent a repeat. Per Google, you will need to “provide evidence of changed editorial practices including new editorial guidelines and an editorial board with a history of improved practices.”
- Keep an eye on your Search Console account. That’s where Google will inform you that a site review has occurred. Assuming your site no longer violates guidelines, the manual action will be revoked.
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