Technical Definition
Manual actions are penalties applied by human Google reviewers for policy violations. Types: unnatural links (to/from), thin content, cloaking, hacked site, user-generated spam. Visible in Google Search Console. Requires fixing issues and submitting reconsideration request. Different from algorithmic impact; manual actions are explicitly applied.
Simple Explanation (ELI13)
A manual action is when a real person at Google reviews your site and penalizes it for breaking the rules. Unlike algorithm changes that affect sites automatically, manual actions are deliberately applied. You'll see a notification in Google Search Console. You have to fix the problem and ask Google to review again.
Related Terms
Penalty, Google Search Console, Reconsideration Request, Webspam
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