Reconsideration Request

What a reconsideration request is

A reconsideration request is the message you send Google — through Search Console's Manual Actions report — after you've fixed whatever earned your site a manual action. It asks a human reviewer to look again and lift the penalty. Get it wrong and you can wait weeks only to be told no.

The critical thing to understand: reconsideration requests are only for manual actions. If your traffic dropped from an algorithm update, there's no request to file and no reviewer to convince — you just keep improving the site. Filing one for an algorithmic drop is a wasted effort that gets you a polite "no manual action exists."

Manual action vs. algorithmic drop — know which you have

This is where most people go wrong. The fix is completely different depending on which one hit you.

Before you do anything, open Search Console → Security & Manual Actions → Manual Actions. If it says "No issues detected," you don't have a manual action, and a reconsideration request is not your path. See diagnosing a ranking drop to figure out what actually happened.

What a good reconsideration request looks like

Reviewers see thousands of these. A vague "please review my site" gets deprioritized. A specific, evidence-backed request gets taken seriously. Here's the shape of one that works.

Subject: Reconsideration — unnatural links (manual action)

1. WHAT HAPPENED
We received a manual action for unnatural inbound links. On audit we
found ~340 paid/spammy links from a previous agency's campaign.

2. WHAT WE DID
- Removed 190 links (contacted webmasters; documented in the sheet below)
- Disavowed the remaining 150 we couldn't remove (disavow file uploaded)
- Ended the agency relationship that built them

3. EVIDENCE
Google Sheet (view access): [link] — every URL, action taken, date,
and outreach status.

4. GOING FORWARD
We've stopped all paid link building and put a review process in place.

Three ingredients make it land: you name the exact violation, you show concrete evidence with a shareable document, and you explain how you'll prevent a repeat. Reviewers want proof the problem is genuinely gone, not a promise.

How to file a reconsideration request

1. Confirm you actually have a manual action. Search Console → Security & Manual Actions → Manual Actions. Read exactly what was flagged.
2. Fix every instance, site-wide. Partial fixes get rejected. If it's unnatural links, remove or disavow all of them; if it's thin content, fix or remove all of it.
3. Document what you did. Build a shareable sheet: every URL, the action taken, and the date. Reviewers open these.
4. Write the request. State the violation, what you fixed, link the evidence, and describe your prevention plan. Be specific and honest.
5. Submit and wait. Click "Request Review" in the Manual Actions report. Expect days to a few weeks. Don't spam duplicate requests.
6. If rejected, read the feedback. Google often points at examples still in violation. Fix those, then refile.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Filing for an algorithmic drop. There's no manual action to reconsider. Fix: verify the Manual Actions report isn't empty before you write a single word.
• Fixing only some of the problem. Reviewers sample your site and reject if they find leftovers. Fix: remediate every affected URL before filing.
• No evidence. "We fixed everything" without proof reads as a promise, not a fact. Fix: attach a documented sheet of actions taken.
• Refiling immediately after rejection without changes. Same request, same result. Fix: address the specific examples Google cited, then resubmit.
• Not understanding the underlying policy. You can't fix what you don't understand. Fix: re-read the relevant Webmaster Guidelines (now Google Search Essentials) spam policy before remediating.

Frequently asked questions

When do I file a reconsideration request?

Only after you've fully fixed a manual action shown in Search Console. Never for an algorithmic ranking drop — those have no reconsideration process. If the Manual Actions report is empty, there's nothing to file.

How long does a reconsideration request take?

Usually a few days to a few weeks, depending on the violation type. Link-based reviews often take longer because the reviewer verifies your removals and disavows. You'll get a response in Search Console either way.

What if my request is rejected?

Google typically tells you why and may cite specific examples still in violation. Fix exactly those, strengthen your evidence, and refile. Don't resubmit an unchanged request — it'll be rejected again.

Can I file if I only see a traffic drop but no message?

No. No message in the Manual Actions report means no manual action, which means the drop is algorithmic or something else entirely. Diagnose the real cause instead — a reconsideration request won't do anything.

Is a reconsideration request the same as the disavow tool?

No. The disavow tool tells Google to ignore specific backlinks — it's often part of fixing an unnatural-links manual action. The reconsideration request is the separate message you send afterward asking a reviewer to lift the penalty.