Discovering that your website has been flagged by Google can be a stressful and disheartening experience. Whether it’s due to a manual penalty or an algorithmic change, the consequences can be detrimental to your search rankings, organic traffic, and online visibility.
However, it’s essential to approach the situation with a clear mind and take appropriate action to understand the reasons behind the flagging and devise a plan for recovery. Here are the steps to get you started.
Assess the Flagging Notification
When you receive a notification from Google regarding the flagging of your website, it’s crucial to carefully read and understand the information provided. Google may specify whether the flagging is due to a manual penalty or an algorithmic change. Understanding the type of flagging can help you determine the necessary actions for recovery.
Identify the Root Cause
To effectively address the flagging, you need to identify the root cause behind it. If it’s a manual penalty, it means that a Google reviewer has identified specific violations of the search engine’s quality guidelines on your website.
Review the Google Search Console’s Manual Actions report to gain insights into the issues that need to be resolved. For algorithmic changes, stay updated on the latest algorithm updates and analyze your website’s performance and rankings to identify potential areas of concern.
Conduct a Comprehensive Website Audit
Perform a thorough audit of your website to identify any technical or content-related issues that may have triggered the flagging. This includes assessing your website’s on-page optimization, backlink profile, user experience, and content quality. Tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and SEO auditing tools can provide valuable insights into areas that require improvement.
Address Technical Issues
Technical issues can have a significant impact on your website’s search visibility. Ensure that your website is free from crawl errors, broken links, duplicate content, and other technical issues. Optimize your website’s loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and security.
Correcting these technical issues will improve the user experience and enhance your website’s chances of recovering from the flagging.
Rectify Content Quality Issues
Low-quality or spammy content can lead to a manual penalty or a negative impact from algorithmic changes. Review your website’s content and identify any thin, duplicate, or irrelevant content. Ensure that your content is unique, valuable, and relevant to your target audience.
Improve the overall quality of your content by conducting keyword research, optimizing headings and meta tags, and providing informative and engaging content that aligns with user intent.
Build a High-Quality Backlink Profile
Backlinks play a crucial role in search engine rankings, but low-quality or manipulative backlinks can trigger penalties. Conduct a backlink audit to identify any toxic or spammy links pointing to your website. Take appropriate actions to remove or disavow these harmful links and focus on building high-quality, relevant, and natural backlinks through legitimate link building strategies.
Request Reconsideration
If you’ve received a manual penalty, it’s important to submit a reconsideration request to Google once you’ve addressed the identified issues. Prepare a detailed and transparent request explaining the actions you’ve taken to rectify the problems and ensure compliance with Google’s guidelines.
Provide evidence of your efforts and demonstrate your commitment to maintaining a high-quality website.
Monitor and Adapt
After implementing the necessary changes and submitting a reconsideration request, monitor your website’s performance closely.
Track changes in search rankings, organic traffic, and user engagement metrics. Stay updated on Google’s guidelines and algorithm updates, and adapt your SEO strategies accordingly to ensure ongoing compliance and continued growth.
You Can Recover and Restore
Dealing with a flagged website can be a challenging process, but with a systematic and proactive approach, you can recover and restore your website’s search visibility. Remember to stay vigilant, keep up with SEO best practices, and prioritize the user experience to safeguard your website’s search rankings in the long term.