How Many Different Penalties does Google Have?

A Google penalty will come up when a website tries to get around the Google search engine. When looking for these penalties from Google, it is important to remember that there will always be a chance for Google penalty recovery when these issues come up.

Google penalties are there to make sure websites are being truthful and respectable. The system is able to detect the small and larger issues within websites to give the users the best experience. There are twelve things to avoid for a Google penalty as well as ways for the website to recover.

Google Core updates are a separate thing altogether. Core updates are designed by Google to give users a better search experience and are released periodically.  Some core updates can ruin website traffic as bad as a Google Penalty!

 

The Differences between Google Penalties

Let’s start with a quick introduction to Google penalties and the different kinds. If the user receives an algorithm penalty, this comes from the Google system and was not from an employee at Google. A manual penalty is done by someone at Google searching for errors.

They will provide the website with a manual action and this is when the user will need to fix serious problems. When a manual action is taken, the website is either hidden from user view or lowered in ranking. A high ranking means it may be one of the first websites shown when someone uses the search engine. In any case of a manual action, the website will need to fix the problem and contact Google.

What These Penalties Mean for the Website

The algorithm penalty is not as serious as a manual penalty. This means that the website will not disappear from the search but will be placed lower than other websites. In this case, it is best to check the web page and see what can be improved.

A manual penalty, or Google penalty, will result in a warning from Google stating there is an issue. It may go so far as to hide the website from users. The website will need to fix the issues and then appeal to Google to become a valid website or gain a higher ranking.

When looking to keep a website from Google SEO penalties, there are 12 actions to avoid.

The Twelve Manual Penalties

There are a few penalties Google has outlined to protect users and help websites from hurting themselves.

Spam

The first three penalties deal with spam. The first is spam from users. These will be in the form of comments from users who may be trying to sell their product or create an ad on the website. They may also be creating links or posting comments that are not related to the website. If the comment looks like they might be from a robot, these need to be taken down.

The second Google penalty is a host which uses a lot of spam. If many of the pages on the website are full of spam, then there will be a penalty. The third penalty is pure spam, which will cause the page to be taken down. This can be anything from copying information from other sites to cloaking.

Cloaking and Website Data

The fourth penalty is cloaking. This tactic tries to give users websites that Google did not intend to give them. Since it is not allowed in text, it is also not allowed in images either.

This will result in Google taking a manual action. The fifth penalty is the website’s data. It may not be in line with the Google data structure guidelines. This can be marking up information on the website that is not relevant to the content of the page. 

Content on the Website

The sixth and seventh reasons for a Google penalty includes links to and from the website that are not meant for the site. These kinds of links try to make the search engine use your page more often for users.

Google is also concerned about the content created on the website, which makes up the eighth penalty. If the information seems to be beneficial or genuine, then the site will not be affected.

If the website has information that seems to be shallow and unhelpful, then this can affect the site. It is also important to note that plagiarism is the ninth penalty. Copying information of any kind can also affect a web page. If published content is posted on another site, this will result in a penalty from Google.

Tricking the Search Engine

The tenth penalty to look for is hidden text or keyword stuffing. This means someone is trying to overuse important words to affect the search. Hidden text is similar, but posts keywords on the page that are almost invisible. This is a tactic to try and manipulate the search engine. 

The eleventh concern is to check the AMP. Make sure the AMP, the search function, and the website actually match. They do not have to be exactly the same, but it is important to make sure they are similar.

The User Experience 

The twelfth and final issue is if the search creates a redirect that moves the user to a different space than intended. If the site is not available to search engine employees, then this will raise an issue. If the user is redirected to a site such as this then the website will be given a penalty.

This also raises a concern for the user. They may begin to lose trust in the search engine which is not helpful for what they hope to accomplish with the product. It also will not help the business’s website if Google takes the page down or ranks it lower.

Recovering from Google Penalties

It is possible to recover from the Google penalty. You will know if there has been a manual action when you receive an email. A notification will also be in your Google Search Console Account. This account will be important for your website and there are resources to learn more about the Google search console.

If there is concern about how the website is doing, there are ways to check that too. You may not have a manual penalty, but there may be a loss in traffic. If this is the case, check the search traffic in Google Analytics. This will show when the decrease happened. This is a great tool for tracking the website even if there are no issues with the page. It could be an algorithm penalty, and this can be solved easily and improve the ranking.

Fixing a Manual Action

If it is a manual action, then there are ways to fix that. There are detailed ways to fix each kind of Google penalty, but the most important step is a reconsideration request. Most of the Google penalties will require a review before the page is allowed to be seen by users. It is important to note that algorithm penalties do not mean you have to get in touch with Google like manual actions do.

Most of the manual actions will require a review, except for one. The one that will not receive a manual penalty right away is a job listing. If the job is no longer on the market, then it is necessary to take it down. Google may warn the creator about this issue before sending a formal penalty. If this is the case, then the solution is to take the job listing off the website. There will be no consequences otherwise.

Using a Reconsideration Request

The twelve concerns listed above all need a reconsideration request. This request can be found within the manual action. There will be a review request button, and this will allow for the request to begin. The review should always explain the exact problem and what the creator did to fix the issue.

The review should also state the outcome of the fix. It is important to note that the request can take from several days up to two weeks. Make sure that the web page is not blocked by any walls or robots so Google can get through. If there is an issue with multiple pages, it will be necessary to fix every page as well.

Respecting the Guidelines

Google has noted that they try to reward websites. This can be done by following the quality standards by the webmaster guidelines. The outline is very simple. This is all about being authentic and marketing it toward the users. Do not try and fool Google, but focus on the audience. This will make the ranking higher, because the information is genuine and useful.

Do research on the competitors in your field. Find ways to make your web page and business stand out against others. If the website is truly focused on the user, then there is a good chance of a successful website. This may also mean a high ranking. Make sure to check the site regularly for any strange activity. Quickly remove content that could be considered spam from other users. This will lower the chance of a Google penalty.

How to Avoid Google Penalties

Google is very serious about websites who try to get around the guidelines. This harms the Google product and will result in the web page becoming invisible to users. The penalties from Google can hurt the traffic on your website and affect who sees the web page.

It is important to follow the Google guidelines for these reasons. Being authentic will attract users. Staying away from the twelve penalties will allow for the site to reach others. Make sure the information on the website is truthful and helpful in order to increase the ranking on Google. If necessary, check the Google Search Console Account and Google Analytics to make sure the website is obeying the guidelines.

Then, work on bringing in traffic to show off the business to users. Begin the process of making your website a great place for users by finding the right web host and get started today.

Google Algorithm Updates(Core) Updates

Core updates are significant changes that Google makes to their interface that can affect how your business comes up in search.  Some of the updates barely get noticed, while others can have lasting effects on your business website ranking.

According to SEJ, these are some of the most well known Google updates:

Most Recent Google Algorithm Updates List:

Google also publishes a list of updates on its Google Search Status Dashboard

SUMMARY	DATE	DURATION
June 2024 spam update	20 Jun 2024	7 days, 1 hour
March 2024 spam update	5 Mar 2024	14 days, 21 hours
March 2024 core update	5 Mar 2024	45 days

SUMMARY	DATE	DURATION
November 2023 reviews update	8 Nov 2023	29 days
November 2023 core update	2 Nov 2023	25 days, 21 hours
October 2023 core update	5 Oct 2023	13 days, 23 hours
Ranking is experiencing an ongoing issue	5 Oct 2023	26 days
October 2023 spam update	4 Oct 2023	15 days, 12 hours
September 2023 helpful content update	14 Sep 2023	13 days, 11 hours
August 2023 core update	22 Aug 2023	16 days, 3 hours
April 2023 reviews update	12 Apr 2023	13 days, 2 hours
March 2023 core update	15 Mar 2023	13 days, 7 hours
February 2023 product reviews update	21 Feb 2023	14 days

SUMMARY	DATE	DURATION
December 2022 link spam update	14 Dec 2022	29 days
December 2022 helpful content update	5 Dec 2022	38 days
October 2022 spam update	19 Oct 2022	2 days
September 2022 product reviews update	20 Sep 2022	6 days
September 2022 core update	12 Sep 2022	14 days
August 2022 helpful content update	25 Aug 2022	15 days
July 2022 product reviews update	27 Jul 2022	6 days
May 2022 core update	25 May 2022	15 days
March 2022 product reviews update	23 Mar 2022	14 days
Page experience update for desktop	22 Feb 2022	9 days

SUMMARY	DATE	DURATION
December 2021 product reviews update	1 Dec 2021	20 days
November 2021 core update	17 Nov 2021	13 days
November 2021 spam update	3 Nov 2021	8 days, 1 hour
July 2021 link spam update	26 Jul 2021	29 days
July 2021 core update	1 Jul 2021	11 days
June 2021 spam update	28 Jun 2021	23 hours, 59 minutes
June 2021 spam update	23 Jun 2021	23 hours, 59 minutes
Page experience update for mobile	15 Jun 2021	79 days
June 2021 core update	2 Jun 2021	10 days
April 2021 product reviews update	8 Apr 2021	14 days

SUMMARY	DATE	DURATION
December 2020 core update	3 Dec 2020	13 days
May 2020 core update	4 May 2020	14 days
January 2020 core update	13 Jan 2020	3 days

 

If you get a manual penalty or algorithm update, it’s not the end of the world!  Contact SEO Design Chicago so that we can do an audit and give you expert advice on how to move forward.

FAQs about Google Penalties:

• How do you know if you have been penalized by Google?
• How can I avoid Google Penalties?
• What leads to Google issuing a manual penalty?
• How do I recover from a Google penalty?
• How long does a Google penalty last?