How to Check If Your Website Is Penalized by Google

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How to Check If Your Website Is Penalized by Google

Having a website is a great way to promote and conduct your business. However, when it does not have enough security, hackers can implant bugs and crashes that infect your database as well as your website visitor’s software.

If the Google algorithm detects any suspicious activity on your website, it can get penalized. This means that the Google search engine decreases or eliminates your website from appearing in search results. To prevent a major decrease in traffic on your site, it is critical to understand Google penalties and how to avoid them.

What Is a Google Penalty?

A Google penalty is the removal of a website from Google search results- either entirely or partially. This happens automatically by the Google algorithm, but it can also be a manual penalty. Penalties can apply to the entire website, a few pages, or some small components within the site content, such as links or keywords.

How to Check If Your Website Is Penalized?

There are multiple ways to find the answer to this question, but the easiest is to log in to your Google account and check the Webmaster Tool. Click the “Search Traffic” button to find a page titled “Manual Actions.” This is where you can find the answer to whether your site got penalized.

There are other ways to check if your site got flagged by Google search engine algorithms. One requires you to log in to Google analytics. There, you can review your organic traffic. If you notice a traffic drop after Google released an algorithm update, then it is likely that your website got penalized.

You can use your site ranking in a Google search to see if there was a penalty. Simply type your website into the search bar of the search engine. If it is not within the top ten rankings, then it is possible your site received a penalty.

Make sure you were not flagged with a partial penalty by typing in the domain name and a primary keyword into the search bar. If all the content does not appear, then your site could be partially penalized.

Why Would Google Penalize Your Website (Or Any Website)?

There are several reasons for a website to be penalized by Google. One of the most popular reasons is due to spam or thin content. The algorithm penalty applies to a website if many words sound similar to the main keyword. The Google penalty detects this as dishonest content that could lead to bugs and crashes.

A website is penalized if the algorithm finds duplicate content. Like other search engines, Google does not tolerate plagiarism that exceeds ten percent. This is not to punish poor writers, but rather to prevent content-writing software from developing bugs in the search engine.

Another reason for websites to undergo penalties is due to Black Hat SEO techniques, such as implementing redirects or cloaking. Websites that have cloaking appear different than they do in the search engine, thus deceiving internet users to click on something they didn’t want. Redirects can be installed by hackers too, again, trick users into clicking on link schemes that can cause bugs and crashes.

What Are Some Kinds of Google Penalties?

One of the most common reasons website owners see a penalty on their websites is due to a change in Google’s search traffic algorithm. For example, when the algorithm Panda released, low-quality content got banned based on Google guidelines. Another example is when the Penguin algorithm banned poor links. Therefore, as a website owner, it is crucial to be aware of when updates get implemented to Google’s Webmaster guidelines.

A manual penalty can apply to websites when a webspam team reviews the content and sees inconsistencies with its algorithm. Normally, the team sends a message to the website owner’s email address to notify them and ask them to make a change in the content. If the owner does not make the changes by a deadline, then the website gets penalized by Google.

Reminder: you can check for the specific penalty by logging into your webmaster’s account, selecting “Manual Actions,” and clicking on “Search Traffic.”

How to Recover from a Google Penalty?

If your website got penalized by Google for blackhat techniques, then it can be difficult to recover in general, let alone try to recover from a search engine penalty. There are ways to find clean your site of malicious components like this, but it may be in your best interest to delete your website and start from scratch.

If your website got penalized by Google for less harmful reasons, then you should immediately fix the error of the matter. Then, submit a reconsideration request to recover from the search algorithm and improve your search results.

How to Prevent Your Site From Being Penalized by Google?

While there are many reasons for getting penalized by Google, they can all be prevented. Avoid an algorithmic penalty by carefully reading through the Google guidelines and staying informed when there is an update. You can also avoid getting penalized and improve your website ranking by regularly ensuring that all links produce safe and natural results. Unnatural links can lead to getting penalized, whereas healthy backlinks can enhance link building and your site’s credibility.

Prevent getting penalized by using the Webmasters tool routinely to check if your website is penalized or if it could be in violation of Google penalties. This is a perfect tool to keep your site afloat, even with so many potential online hazards.

You can also prevent penalties by choosing a quality website host. When you select an unsound website platform that does not have proper security, you run the risk of bugs, hackers, and eventual penalties. Therefore, choose a website host that you trust.

Finally, one of the best ways to prevent Google penalties is by granting website visitors the bare minimum access to your site’s content. Having low security on the website components can lead to easy hacking and a better likelihood of penalties.

The Final Word

All in all, the Google search console plays a critical role in the digital marketing of businesses. A quality user experience is what sets apart your website from your competitors. When hackers and pesky bugs get into your website, you are the one who ends up getting penalized. Protect your business by regularly checking to see if your website is suffering from any Google penalties. If you need help with your website and getting it back on google please reach out to us, we are the SEO Perth experts.