What You Can Do to Fix a Google Penalty

Getting hit with a Google penalty can be devastating for your website’s traffic and rankings. However, there are steps you can take to identify the issue and recover. Here’s what you need to know about fixing a Google penalty, including penalties related to your Google Business Profile.

Identify the Type of Google Penalty

The first step is determining whether you’re dealing with a manual or algorithmic penalty:

• Manual penalties are imposed by Google’s team for violating their webmaster guidelines. You’ll receive a notification in Google Search Console if this occurs.
• Algorithmic penalties happen automatically when Google’s algorithms detect issues with your site. These are harder to pinpoint but often coincide with known algorithm updates.

Google Business Profile Penalties

In addition to website penalties, businesses can also face penalties related to their Google Business Profile. These can include:

• Soft suspension: Your ability to manage the listing is removed, but the listing still appears on Google.
• Hard suspension: The entire listing is removed from Google Maps and search results.

Common reasons for Google Business Profile penalties include:

• Inaccurate business name or category
• Using a virtual office or P.O. box address
• Creating multiple listings for the same business location
• Using an incorrect business location
• Failing to verify the business promptly
• Review manipulation (fake reviews)
• Misleading photos

Conduct a Thorough Audit

Once you know what type of penalty you’re dealing with, it’s time for a comprehensive site audit:

• Review your backlink profile and disavow any spammy or low-quality links.
• Check for duplicate or thin content across your site.
• Ensure proper use of structured data markup.
• Look for technical SEO issues like crawl errors or slow page speed.
• Evaluate your content for quality and relevance.

For your Google Business Profile, conduct an audit to ensure all information is accurate and compliant with Google’s guidelines.

Fix the Underlying Issues

Based on your audit findings, take action to resolve any problems:

• Remove or update low-quality content on your website.
• Improve site speed and mobile-friendliness.
• Fix broken links and other technical errors.
• Enhance content quality and depth.
• Build high-quality backlinks naturally.

Remediating Google Business Profile issues will require correcting inaccuracies, removing policy violations, and confirming that all information aligns with Google’s requirements.

Submit a Reconsideration Request

For manual penalties on your website, you’ll need to submit a reconsideration request to Google once you’ve made the necessary fixes. Be thorough in explaining the steps you’ve taken.

Google Business Profile penalties will require submitting a reinstatement request to Google explaining the changes made.

Monitor and Maintain

After addressing the penalty, continue monitoring your site’s performance and maintaining best practices:

• Regularly audit your backlink profile.
• Produce high-quality, original content.
• Stay up-to-date on Google’s guidelines.
• Monitor search rankings and organic traffic.

 

Recovery from a Google penalty takes time—often several months for algorithmic penalties. Stay consistent with your efforts and avoid any black hat SEO tactics that could lead to future issues. For Google Business Profile reinstatements, be prepared for some waiting as well; recovery can take time depending on the severity of the violation.