By Shad Super in Questions —

How Can You Use the Manual Actions Report to Ensure Ongoing Compliance With Google's Webmaster Guidelines?

Summary

The Manual Actions report in Google Search Console allows webmasters to monitor and resolve issues that may lead to penalties from Google. Using this tool effectively can help ensure ongoing compliance with Google’s webmaster guidelines by identifying and addressing any manual actions that may arise.

Understanding the Manual Actions Report

The Manual Actions report within Google Search Console notifies webmasters if a Google reviewer has determined that pages on the website are not compliant with Google’s webmaster quality guidelines. These action points can negatively impact ranking and visibility in search results.

Types of Manual Actions

Manual actions can result from several issues:

  • Unnatural links to your site: Indicates that Google has detected manipulative or unnatural backlinks pointing to your website [Google Support, 2023].
  • Unnatural links from your site: Refers to links on your site pointing to external sites that are deemed unnatural or manipulative [Google Support, 2023].
  • Thin content with little or no added value: Content that is generally low quality, such as autogenerated content or scraped content, may attract manual penalties [Google Support, 2023].
  • Pure spam: Refers to sites that engage in spammy practices like using automatically generated content, cloaking, or scraping content from other sites [Google Support, 2023].
  • User-generated spam: Involves spam generated by users within website areas like forums or comment sections [Google Support, 2023].

How to Use the Manual Actions Report

Accessing the Report

To access the Manual Actions report:

  1. Log in to your Google Search Console account.
  2. Navigate to the website property in question.
  3. On the dashboard, locate and click on Security & Manual Actions then select Manual Actions.

Reviewing Manual Actions

In the Manual Actions report, you will see a list of current and past manual actions applied to your site. Each entry will provide the reason for the action and affected pages:

  • Issue Type: The nature of the guideline violation.
  • Description: Detailed information about the violation and affected URLs.

Resolving Manual Actions

To resolve manual actions:

  1. Understand the issue thoroughly based on the description provided by Google.
  2. Make necessary adjustments to your site. This may involve removing spammy links, improving content quality, or addressing security issues.
  3. Once corrections are made, submit a reconsideration request to Google via the Manual Actions report.
  4. Include a detailed explanation of the steps you have taken to rectify the issue.

Ensuring Ongoing Compliance

Regular Monitoring

Regularly monitor the Manual Actions report in Google Search Console to catch any new issues early. Establish a routine check to ensure that any arising manual actions are promptly addressed.

Maintain High-Quality Content

Consistently publish original, valuable, and high-quality content. Avoid thin content that provides little to no user value, and ensure that the content meets Google's standards [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, 2023].

Focus on acquiring natural, high-quality backlinks rather than engaging in manipulative link-building schemes. Tools like Google Search Console Link Report can help monitor link profile quality.

User-Generated Content Monitoring

Set up moderation systems for areas of your site that allow user-generated content to prevent spam. Tools and plugins can help in moderating comments, forum posts, or reviews to keep spam at bay.

Regular Site Audits

Conduct regular audits of your site using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, or other SEO audit tools to ensure ongoing compliance and to detect issues early.

References