If your website is penalized by Google What should you do.

If your website has been penalized by Google, it's important to take immediate action to rectify the situation and regain your rankings. Here's what you should do:

1. Identify the Penalty: Determine the type of penalty your website has received. Google penalties can broadly be categorized into two types:

- Algorithmic Penalties: These are applied automatically by Google's algorithms (e.g., Panda, Penguin) due to issues like thin content, keyword stuffing, or unnatural links.

- Manual Actions: These are imposed manually by Google's webspam team after a human review, often due to more severe violations like spammy backlinks or cloaking.

You can check for manual actions in Google Search Console under the "Security & Manual Actions" section.

2. Diagnose the Cause: Once you know the type of penalty, investigate the root cause. Review your site for any practices that violate Google's Webmaster Guidelines, such as:

- Keyword stuffing

- Cloaking or sneaky redirects

- Thin or duplicate content

- Unnatural links (buying links, participating in link schemes)

- User-generated spam

3. Fix the Issues: Address the issues identified during your diagnosis:

- Remove or disavow unnatural or spammy backlinks.

- Rewrite or expand thin or duplicate content.

- Remove any hidden text or links.

- Ensure your site complies with Google's quality guidelines.

4. Submit a Reconsideration Request (if applicable): If you've received a manual penalty, and you believe you've fixed the issues, you can submit a reconsideration request through Google Search Console. Clearly outline the changes you've made to address the penalty and provide any supporting documentation if necessary.

5. Improve Site Quality and SEO Practices: Beyond fixing specific issues, focus on improving overall site quality and implementing best SEO practices:

- Create high-quality, unique content that provides value to users.

- Build natural, high-quality backlinks through content marketing and relationship building.

- Ensure your website is user-friendly, fast-loading, and mobile-friendly.

- Regularly monitor your site's performance and search engine rankings to catch and address issues early.

6. Be Patient: Recovery from a Google penalty can take time. After making improvements and submitting a reconsideration request (if applicable), monitor your site's performance closely. Continue to focus on quality content and ethical SEO practices to regain trust and improve rankings over time.

7. Learn from the Experience: Use the penalty as an opportunity to learn and improve your SEO practices. Stay updated with Google's guidelines and algorithm updates to avoid future penalties.

By following these steps diligently and focusing on improving your site's quality and compliance with Google's guidelines, you can work towards recovering from a Google penalty and restoring your website's search engine rankings.