What is a Reconsideration Request?
A reconsideration request is a formal appeal you send to Google after your site receives a manual action or security issue penalty. In the request, you will inform Google of the steps you took to fix the penalty and ask for a manual review. Google will then verify your fixes and decide whether to lift the penalty.
Importance of Reconsideration Requests
A reconsideration request is the only way to get Google to lift a manual action or security issue penalty issued against your site. The penalty is typically issued when Google discovers a site was involved in practices that violated its Search Essentials policy.
In the case of a manual action penalty, a human reviewer would have manually reviewed your site and content to check if you engaged in chapeau noir SEO techniques. When they identify such practices, they issue a manual action penalty.
Once that happens, Google expects you to resolve the issue that caused it to issue you a manual action penalty and then file a reconsideration request. Without the request, Google would not lift the penalty.
However, when you file the reconsideration request, a human reviewer will review your site and decide whether you have resolved the issue. If you have done so, the penalty will be lifted, and your site will be allowed to rank in search results once again.
How to Identify a Manual Action or Security Issues Penalty
Google will typically notify you of manual actions or security penalties via the Message Center in Console de recherche Google.
Google may also send you email notifications about the penalty. However, this is not guaranteed, as many sites receive manual action penalties without receiving email notifications indicating such.
You will also find additional information about the penalty in the Security & Manual Actions area of your Google Search Console account.
What to Do When You Receive a Manual Action or Security Issues Penalty
Once you receive a manual actions or security issues penalty, head to the Security & Manual Actions area of your Google Search Console and review the details Google provided about the penalty.
However, remember that the information from Google may be incomplete, particularly in the case of a manual action penalty. Google does this to prevent spammers from manipulating its system.
So, make sure to review your entire site and clear it of the issue that caused Google to issue a manual action penalty against you. Once done, proceed to file a reconsideration request.
How to File a Google Reconsideration Request
The process of filing a reconsideration request is pretty much straightforward. However, to increase the chances of Google removing the penalty, make sure to follow the steps below.
1 Document Your Request
A human will review your reconsideration request, so ensure it is brief, detailed, polite, and honest. List the issues you identified on your site and the steps you took to fix them. You should also include additional information about the actions you took to prevent future reoccurrences.
Do not attempt to deny or deflect the responsibility for the issues that caused the penalty. A human reviewer checks your site before Google issues the penalty, so they are usually sure there was a violation. For example, a reconsideration request can contain details like:
- Doorway pages removed: We identified and removed the doorway page at yourdomain.com/yoga-poses. We have also conducted a full site audit to ensure no similar pages exist.
- Thin content deleted: We deleted the thin, low-value content at yourdomain.com/yoga-tiger-pose and replaced it with a comprehensive and original article. We also reviewed other pages to prevent potential thin content issues.
- Disavowed spammy links: We discovered that an SEO agency we hired built unnatural links to our site. We have since disavowed these links using Google’s Disavow Tool (attached: disavow_links.txt). Moving forward, we will enforce strict link building policies to comply with Google’s guidelines.
2 Submit the Request
Once you are done, head to your Google Search Console and click Security & Manual Actions. Then, navigate to Manual Actions ou Security Issues.
Once done, head to the penalty and click the Request Review button. Then, enter a detailed explanation of the fixes into the available fields.
3 Wait for a Response
After filing your request, wait for Google’s response. Google will typically send you an email confirming the submission of your reconsideration request. However, its response to your request can arrive as quickly as a few days, although it may extend into a few weeks. The specific timeline is not definite.
Google should lift the penalty if it is sure that you have resolved the issues. If denied, you must review your site again to ensure you have resolved all issues. Once done, resubmit another reconsideration request.