Google SEO Penalties

Chapter 7 of SEO Best Practice: The Fundamentals

Non-compliance with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines may lead to penalties and a suppression of site traffic. This chapter considers the the different penalty types and provides guidance on how to recover from them.

By Econsultancy

12 minute read

Sites that have been found to participate in disallowed SEO practices that contravene Google’s Webmaster Guidelines may be subject to penalties. This chapter describes the difference between the two main types of penalty, covering:

Algorithmic penalties: Algorithmic penalties happen due to ranking recalculations, and can be difficult to identify. How do the penalties affect traffic to the site and how can search marketers work to reduce the effects of an algorithmic penalty?
Manual penalties: Manual penalties are those that have been applied by a human member of Google’s Search Quality Team, and while they may expire eventually, this may take years. What steps can search marketers take to recover from a manual penalty?
Staying up to date: The Google Search Console provides website owners and administrators visibility on any potential problems. How can administrators use the platform to ensure they stay up to date with their site’s status?