Glossary/SEO & Content/Manual Action
SEO & Content
Manual Action
A penalty applied by a human Google reviewer when a site violates spam policies, reported in Google Search Console.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Short answer
A manual action is a penalty applied by a human Google reviewer when a site violates spam policies, reported in Google Search Console. It can demote specific pages or remove an entire site from results. After fixing the issues, such as unnatural links or thin content, site owners can submit a reconsideration request for review.