How to know if Google has penalized me and how to correct it
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2024 4:55 am
Every website owner, SEO expert or webmaster has a story about penalties, they are the worst nightmare. That is why, at Posicionamiento Web Salamanca we tell you how to know if Google has penalized me and how to correct it . Not only can changes in the algorithm affect you but also small manual actions. You must know how to respond and how to avoid them.
Penalties for Google filters and manuals
There are penalties for manual actions and others due to Google's algorithm.
If you receive a manual action, you'll be able to see that in Google Search Console under Search Traffic -> Manual Actions.
You will notice that behind Google there are not only algorithms and numbers. But there are people behind this giant who are in charge of evaluating and estimating which sites are of quality and penalizing those that are not.
When Google's algorithm sees something suspicious on a website or a person reports a site to Google, there will be a manual review. Then, they will take action.
The other side of the coin is the filters, these are part of Google's cambodia telegram phone numbers algorithm and can cause your website to be eliminated by the algorithm. If your website is affected by Panda, the filter can act by relegating your website to the bottom of the algorithm.
Previously, Panda and Penguin were filters in the algorithm that analyzed periodically. But with the update, they are part of the core and continuously analyze websites.
You can tell if you're being affected by the algorithm by checking your organic traffic and whether it's dropped significantly. You can compare this to any Google algorithm update. But even this isn't a guarantee that it's the algorithm's fault, it's just harder to diagnose.
According to Kissmetrics, only 5% of penalized websites submit a reconsideration every month to recover their rankings.
What is a Google penalty?
Basically, a penalty is a punishment against a website whose content conflicts with Google's recommended practices . It can be the result of an algorithm update or a manual action that suggests a person is engaging in black hat SEO practices.
We all rely on search engine traffic to grow our business. Therefore, we must stay informed about the latest Google algorithm updates. It is a practical thing and will avoid any inconvenience. Therefore, staying up to date is key to optimizing your website and avoiding problems.
Post: How ignoring SEO affects you
What penalties can a website have?
Manual actions can be due to hacked sites, user-generated spam, spammy markup structure, unnatural links, shallow content that adds no value, low-quality redirects, unnatural links, spam.
Also details like hidden text or keyword stuffing.
Most penalties arise from aggressive practices to optimize the website. This could be buying links or creating large-scale link schemes.
You can get penalties for low-quality content, which are very common as well. They are given to sites that have a large number of pages with poor quality content or that are only created with SEO intentions.
In general, it can be said that most penalties are given because webmasters want to manipulate Google. Some may be because website owners trust a sub-quality SEO agency.
How to know if Google has penalized me and how to correct it
There are many tools and details that will help you determine if you have any penalties. You can understand if you have been affected by Google by reviewing these aspects.
Check for algorithm updates
Google has been around for over 10 years and is the most used search engine in the world. And that is precisely why it works hard to offer users the best content. Results that best answer people's questions.
Here are some of the most important updates of recent times:
Panda (2011): This is a very famous one, it became a problem for many websites. The idea was to relegate from the top positions of Google those sites that had low-quality content, lots of ads and a primitive design. It was launched in stages until July 2015.
Security Update (2014): People are becoming more aware of the risks involved in surfing the web. This has led to more work being done on security. People have started investing in SSL security, which allows domains to switch to HTTPS instead of HTTP. This is critical if you ask for personal and financial information from users. If you don't have it, Google either asks users or warns them that the site is not secure.
Mobilegeddon (2015): This gave preference to websites that had a responsive design over others. A website that looks good on computers, mobiles and tablets is rewarded. It has made webmasters optimize their sites.
Penguin 4.0: This algorithm filter was launched in 2012 and is known as anti-spam. Penalties are focused on sites with keyword stuffing, poorly done link building and everything related to black hat SEO.
Intrusive Interstitial Penalty (2017): Google continues its efforts and approaches in the mobile world. This update penalizes sites with interstitial or pop-up ads that interfere with the functionality of the site on mobile devices.
Penalties for Google filters and manuals
There are penalties for manual actions and others due to Google's algorithm.
If you receive a manual action, you'll be able to see that in Google Search Console under Search Traffic -> Manual Actions.
You will notice that behind Google there are not only algorithms and numbers. But there are people behind this giant who are in charge of evaluating and estimating which sites are of quality and penalizing those that are not.
When Google's algorithm sees something suspicious on a website or a person reports a site to Google, there will be a manual review. Then, they will take action.
The other side of the coin is the filters, these are part of Google's cambodia telegram phone numbers algorithm and can cause your website to be eliminated by the algorithm. If your website is affected by Panda, the filter can act by relegating your website to the bottom of the algorithm.
Previously, Panda and Penguin were filters in the algorithm that analyzed periodically. But with the update, they are part of the core and continuously analyze websites.
You can tell if you're being affected by the algorithm by checking your organic traffic and whether it's dropped significantly. You can compare this to any Google algorithm update. But even this isn't a guarantee that it's the algorithm's fault, it's just harder to diagnose.
According to Kissmetrics, only 5% of penalized websites submit a reconsideration every month to recover their rankings.
What is a Google penalty?
Basically, a penalty is a punishment against a website whose content conflicts with Google's recommended practices . It can be the result of an algorithm update or a manual action that suggests a person is engaging in black hat SEO practices.
We all rely on search engine traffic to grow our business. Therefore, we must stay informed about the latest Google algorithm updates. It is a practical thing and will avoid any inconvenience. Therefore, staying up to date is key to optimizing your website and avoiding problems.
Post: How ignoring SEO affects you
What penalties can a website have?
Manual actions can be due to hacked sites, user-generated spam, spammy markup structure, unnatural links, shallow content that adds no value, low-quality redirects, unnatural links, spam.
Also details like hidden text or keyword stuffing.
Most penalties arise from aggressive practices to optimize the website. This could be buying links or creating large-scale link schemes.
You can get penalties for low-quality content, which are very common as well. They are given to sites that have a large number of pages with poor quality content or that are only created with SEO intentions.
In general, it can be said that most penalties are given because webmasters want to manipulate Google. Some may be because website owners trust a sub-quality SEO agency.
How to know if Google has penalized me and how to correct it
There are many tools and details that will help you determine if you have any penalties. You can understand if you have been affected by Google by reviewing these aspects.
Check for algorithm updates
Google has been around for over 10 years and is the most used search engine in the world. And that is precisely why it works hard to offer users the best content. Results that best answer people's questions.
Here are some of the most important updates of recent times:
Panda (2011): This is a very famous one, it became a problem for many websites. The idea was to relegate from the top positions of Google those sites that had low-quality content, lots of ads and a primitive design. It was launched in stages until July 2015.
Security Update (2014): People are becoming more aware of the risks involved in surfing the web. This has led to more work being done on security. People have started investing in SSL security, which allows domains to switch to HTTPS instead of HTTP. This is critical if you ask for personal and financial information from users. If you don't have it, Google either asks users or warns them that the site is not secure.
Mobilegeddon (2015): This gave preference to websites that had a responsive design over others. A website that looks good on computers, mobiles and tablets is rewarded. It has made webmasters optimize their sites.
Penguin 4.0: This algorithm filter was launched in 2012 and is known as anti-spam. Penalties are focused on sites with keyword stuffing, poorly done link building and everything related to black hat SEO.
Intrusive Interstitial Penalty (2017): Google continues its efforts and approaches in the mobile world. This update penalizes sites with interstitial or pop-up ads that interfere with the functionality of the site on mobile devices.