A manual action is a penalty applied to a website by a human reviewer at Google, rather than automatically by an algorithm, typically in response to a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines — such as unnatural links, thin content, or cloaking.
Manual actions are reported directly in Google Search Console under the “Manual Actions” report, along with the specific reason for the action and which parts of the site are affected. Depending on severity, a manual action can reduce rankings for specific pages or, in serious cases, remove an entire site from Google’s index.
Recovering from a manual action requires identifying and fully fixing the underlying issue (such as disavowing toxic backlinks or removing manipulative content), then submitting a reconsideration request to Google explaining the corrective actions taken.
Manual action recovery is a specialized part of our SEO Audits & Reporting service.