- Jun 16, 2022
- 2,874
- 864
Has google changed its approach recently on how it punishes websites with manual penalty? How can I be sure that drop in rankings is exactly because of google manual penalty only?
Manual google penalty signs
- Thread starter kalpana007
- Start date
however, check GSC first because if the penalty imposed by google is a manual one, it will be shown in the security & manual Actions tab. however, ranking dip on their own cannot be used as a sign of a penalty becuz of several reason
gs would be the place I would start looking for answers to this question. In case there are no notices regarding manual actions, then I would consider the above-mentioned possibilities.
Amelia River
Newbie
- Aug 31, 2023
- 41
- 8
A ranking drop alone doesn’t prove a manual penalty check Search Console first if there’s no Manual Action, investigate algorithm changes, indexing, content quality and competitors before blaming a penalty.
MarketSellCap
Newbie
- Jan 3, 2026
- 18
- 5
If it’s a real manual penalty, Search Console should show it under Manual Actions.
If that section is clean, I wouldn’t call the ranking drop a manual penalty. I’d check updates, indexing, technical changes, and lost links first.
If that section is clean, I wouldn’t call the ranking drop a manual penalty. I’d check updates, indexing, technical changes, and lost links first.
Funday
Newbie
- Aug 24, 2026
- 16
- 7
ranking drop doesn’t always mean a manual penalty. I’d check Google Search Console’s Manual Actions first, then look at updates, indexing, and technical issues.
penalty does not apply to all drops in rankings. it is very simple to check for a penalty by viewing searrch consoles manual actions nd if there is nothing there, consider other factors such as algorithm change, indexing problems, technical problems nd competition.
- Oct 7, 2025
- 332
- 63
Regarding the website's drop in ranking, I don't think it's due to a Google penalty. To be sure, you can check on gsc to see if there are any notifications about that.
- Jun 16, 2022
- 2,874
- 864
Does it notify evertime or there are exceptions?
prohunterd
Registered Member
- Oct 17, 2025
- 78
- 12
The timing of the drop can tell you a lot, especially when compared with recent google updates
another reason for a sudden fall in the no. of visit is due to the indexing update/changes that have been made on the SERPs. In most situations I normally check whether there is a penalty to the site from the GSC report.
ThePetronas
Newbie
- May 5, 2026
- 23
- 7
I think it islocated in Google Search Console.
- Jan 14, 2026
- 199
- 33
Google's handling of manual penalties remains largely unchanged. They're still issued by human reviewers when a site clearly violates spam policies.
- Jun 16, 2022
- 2,874
- 864
They must be having a lot of reviewers then.
JessicaBrown23
Newbie
- Jun 12, 2026
- 33
- 8
lol yeah maybe so, but again the manual action will be confirmed first before drawing a conclusion. the mere drop in the ranking alone is also due to numerous factors.