Google penalty recovery
A manual action is a person at Google flagging pages on your site against Google's spam policies. It shows in Search Console under Security and Manual Actions. An algorithm drop does not show there, and there is no request to send - you improve the site and wait for Google to reassess it.
Last reviewed 21 October 2026 . Author: Nikko Nanji
I work as a Google penalty consultant on manual actions, mostly thin content. The job is the same every time: find what Google is pointing at, fix it across the whole site with your team, and ask for a review with evidence. Penalty removal is Google's decision; the work is making the request worth approving.
Manual action or algorithm drop?
| Manual action | Algorithm drop | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it shows | Search Console, Security and Manual Actions | Nowhere - you see it in traffic and rankings |
| What it means | A reviewer at Google judged pages against the spam policies | Google's systems now rank the site lower |
| How you get out | Fix the issue, then send a reconsideration request | Improve the site and wait for Google to reassess it |
If nothing shows in the Manual Actions report, start with a traffic drop audit instead.
Current work: a thin content manual action on a large YMYL health directory
I'm leading a thin content manual action recovery on a large YMYL health directory: a 'Thin content with little or no added value' action on a large set of templated pages. I'm mapping every affected template, not just Google's sample URLs; agreeing with product and engineering which templates to improve, merge, noindex or remove with a 410; writing the tickets and checking each release on the live site; fixing EEAT and YMYL signals on the pages that stay (who wrote it, who reviewed it, sources, contact and editorial details); and preparing the reconsideration request with an evidence pack.
Recovery from a manual action is rarely one request. Expect Google to ask for more, and plan for it.
Google penalty removal
Removal of a manual action involves fixing the issue on every affected page, then sending a reconsideration request that explains the changes and provides evidence. Removal is Google's decision, not a result anyone can promise. See the How it works steps for the process.
How it works
- Read the notice and Google's sample URL patterns. Google says they're patterns, and not every matching page is necessarily affected.
- Map every affected template and URL set.
- Decide per template: improve, merge, noindex or remove (410).
- Write engineering tickets your developers can pick up, with acceptance checks.
- Check the live site after each release matches the fix (GONE and THINN help here).
- Prepare the reconsideration request. Google says a good one explains the exact quality issue, describes the steps taken and documents the outcome.
- If Google says no, find what they still see and go again.
Thin content manual action: improve, merge, noindex or 410
Google's fix steps say to fix the issue on all affected pages - fixing only some pages won't earn a partial return - and to make sure Google can reach the fixed pages: no login, paywall, robots.txt block or noindex on pages you want reviewed.
| Choice | Use it when | Watch out for | Google source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improve | The page meets a real need and can be made substantially more useful (original content, clear authorship and review on YMYL topics). | Cosmetic rewrites don't count; Google asks for significant added value. | Manual actions report help (thin content steps); spam policies |
| Merge and 301 | Several pages cover the same need; one stronger page can replace them. | Redirect only to a closely relevant page; many unrelated pages redirected to one page (for example the home page) may be treated as a soft 404; keep chains short. | HTTP status codes and redirects; site move doc |
| noindex | People still need the page on the site, but it shouldn't be in search. | Google must be able to crawl it to see the noindex, so don't also block it in robots.txt; noindex doesn't save crawl, Google still requests the page. | Robots meta tag doc; crawl budget doc |
| Remove with 410 (or 404) | No real need, no useful content worth keeping. | 404 and 410 are treated almost the same; Google won't forget the URL, but a 404/410 is a strong signal not to crawl it again; remove the URLs from your sitemaps. | HTTP status codes doc; crawl budget doc; sitemaps doc |
These are Google's documented rules applied per template. Which choice is right for each template is a judgement call I make with your team.
What I will not promise
I can't promise Google will lift a manual action, and nobody honestly can.
Google's reviewers decide, on their timetable. What I promise is that every affected template is found, every fix is shipped and checked live, and the request shows Google exactly what changed.
If I don't think recovery is realistic, the diagnosis will say so, and you won't be sold the programme.
- A date. Google says most reconsideration reviews take several days or weeks, and link-related ones can take longer.
- That traffic returns to where it was.
- Shortcuts such as disavowing every link, blocking pages in robots.txt or moving the content to a subdomain. Google warns that moving content can be seen as an attempt to get around its policies.
- A partial fix.
What you get
- A written diagnosis.
- A template-by-template decision list with owners.
- Developer tickets.
- Live checks after each release.
- A reconsideration request draft and evidence pack.
- Follow-up if the request is rejected.
Who does the work
Nikko Nanji, independent technical SEO consultant (NiKKOS, since 2021). You work with me directly, not a junior team.
Free first checks
Questions
- How long does a review take?
- Google says most reconsideration reviews take several days or weeks, and link-related ones can take longer.
- Can you guarantee the action is lifted?
- No. Nobody honest can. Google decides, and it can ask for more.
- Do you need Search Console access?
- Yes, at least read access, so I can see the notice, the sample URLs and the indexing reports.
- Do you work with our developers?
- Yes, directly. I write the tickets and check each release on the live site.
- Is this penalty removal for algorithm drops too?
- No. There is no request to send for an algorithm drop. See the traffic drop audit.
- Rejection review
- £750 fixed, excluding VAT
- For sites Google has already rejected. I read the notice, your rejected request and a sample of affected templates, and tell you what has to change before the next attempt.
- Diagnosis
- From £2,250, excluding VAT
- Credited against the recovery programme.
- Recovery programme
- From £6,500 fixed, excluding VAT
- Then £2,750 a month, excluding VAT, only if more rounds are needed.
Fixed fees, agreed before work starts.