FreeGoogle Search ConsoleAbout 10 min
Check for Penalties and Hacked Pages
Before you build on a site, make sure Google isn't already holding it back. A manual action or a hack can sink every page no matter how good the work is.
Why this matters
A manual action is a human penalty from Google. A hacked site quietly fills your domain with spam pages. Either one wastes the whole campaign until it's fixed, and both are free to check.
✓ How to do it
- In GSC, open Security & Manual actions → Manual actions. You want to see 'No issues detected.'
- Open Security issues in the same menu. Again, you want 'No issues detected.'
- Search Google for site:yourdomain.com and scroll a few pages. Look for pages you never made, foreign-language spam, or pharmacy and casino words.
- If you find a problem, fix it first (clean the hack, remove the spam, change every password), then click Request review in GSC.
Done whenManual actions and Security issues both say 'No issues detected', and a site: search shows no spam pages.
Tips & pitfalls
- Bing has the same check. In Bing Webmaster Tools, look at the Site Scan and any warning banner on the dashboard.