Google Search & Updates
Manual Action
A penalty imposed by Google's human reviewers on a site that violates Google's guidelines.
CurrentLast updated: 2026-09-16
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Definition
Google Search & UpdatesA manual action is a penalty imposed by Google's human reviewers on a website that violates Google's search guidelines. Manual actions are reported in Google Search Console and describe the specific violation. Unlike algorithmic updates, manual actions require the site owner to fix the issue and submit a reconsideration request.
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