Trending December 2023 # Manual Actions & How To Write Reconsideration Requests That Work # Suggested January 2024 # Top 13 Popular

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You wake up one day with a message in Google Search Console that says Google has given you a manual action (what we often call in the industry a penalty).

Nooooo!!!

After you manage to calm down, you ask yourself, OK, now what?

The process is simple.

First, you will have to do the work to fix the issue and then you are going to ask Google, in a reconsideration request, to check your work and remove the devaluation.

But the devil is in the details.

What is the actual process for getting a manual action removed?

What are manual actions in the first place?

Manual Actions

Many people use the word “penalty” to refer to any Google algorithm change that “negatively affects” their site. But this is an inaccurate use of the word.

While updates can devalue your site, they can also “upvalue” your site. Because algorithm updates can increase or decrease site visibility these are not “penalties.” Penalties are downward affecting and unidirectional.

The only true “penalties” are the manual actions Google reports to you in Google Search Console (GSC). This is also why you should always set up GSC for every site you own.

If you get a manual action, the message they send you indicating it has been applied can only be seen in GSC. Using GSC is also the only way you can get it removed.

Penalties or manual actions may be partial or sitewide.

What Are Manual Actions?

The information is quite extensive, so too much to list here.

User-generated spam

Spammy free host

Structured data issue

Unnatural links to your site

Unnatural links from your site

Thin content with little or no added value

Cloaking and/or sneaky redirects

Pure spam

Cloaked images

Hidden text and/or keyword stuffing

AMP content mismatch

Sneaky mobile redirects

So, You Have a Manual Action – Now What?

Before you ask Google to remove your penalty, you will have some work to do.

A manual action means Google manually reviewed your site and found your site violated their guidelines severely enough they actively dampened your site’s value in Google’s ranking algorithms.

So, before you can get it removed you must fix what is wrong.

How Do You Know What Is Wrong?

Google will send you an email in GSC with a description of the issue and a sample list of URLs where the manual action was applied.

Sometimes it is a large list and sometimes a small one, but remember this is only a SAMPLE LIST.

This means you have to make sure you addressed not just the examples given to you in your manual action report, but also every other instance of that issue on your site.

If you are unsure how to diagnose a site issue like this, you should invest in a site audit from someone who specializes in penalty recovery. This is a special type of audit and should only be performed by someone with experience in site recovery. Otherwise, you might end up wasting your money chasing ghosts.

If you try to send in a reconsideration request on just fixing the example set, it is unlikely you will get the manual action removed.

This may not seem like an issue, but in fact the more times you submit a request and get rejected the longer it takes to get reviewed the next time.

Since time, in this case, is literally money, you want to try to get it right on the first try.

Do the Work!

You must do the work on your site and find all instances of the issue and fix them and the sample URLs to the best of your ability.

Also, this is a good time to remind you that if you are doing anything dodgy on your site you will want to remove that as well during the fix process.

When you send your site in for the reconsideration request, Google will be doing a hand review on your site pages. You don’t want them to find something else.

I have seen sites get additional actions during a review for implementing dodgy tactics.

OK, I Have Fixed the Issues – Now What?

Fixed the issues and checked them twice, made sure you are good to go? Great, now comes the Reconsideration Request.

The Reconsideration Request only shows in GSC if you have a manual action, so you will not see it otherwise. You can find it in the New Search Console Manual Actions Report.

Here is where you can upload your request, but what do you need to put in it to be successful?

Writing the Reconsideration Request

Everyone has their own method to writing these requests and so this is just the way I have found works best for me, though at a 100% removal rate I would say it has a good track record.

Tone Matters

I always tell clients, think of the Reconsideration Request like an apology you might write to your parents after you have stayed out past curfew one too many times.

You will need to write a mea culpa, so to speak. Own what you did wrong and explain how you are going to prevent it from happening in the future.

What Goes Into the Reconsideration Request?

Here is a simple outline of what should be in your request.

TXT File

The request should be submitted in a text file.

Tell them you understand why you were “punished” and apologize

Outline the issue and tell them you are “sorry”.

Let Mom and Dad (Google) know you understand why you were penalized and that you know it was in violation now (you might not have at the time and that is ok).

Often the site owner did something because they were told to by a bad SEO provider and had no idea it was in violation.

Make sure to add that you were given bad information and that you no longer work with that agency or consultant.

Tell them how you fixed the issue

Explain the fixes and how they were implemented. Tell Google what you have done to correct the issue, in detail.

Now, you don’t need to outline the fix you applied URL by URL. But if you fixed something let them know the specifics of that fix. Show them you understand.

Don’t just tell them how you fixed the site issue, but the extent you went to do so.

Promise to never do it again and tell Google what you are doing to make sure it never happens again

Just like with Mom and Dad. They want to know what you are going to do to make sure it never happens again. Outline how you are going to make sure your fixes stay fixed.

Don’t just tell them the mechanics of what you fixed, but what processes you put in place to keep it from happening again including things like training or proper oversight into SEO practices.

And whatever you do – don’t just do it again after they lift the manual action. You won’t like the result.

If you are the SEO or hired an SEO agency, make note of that in the request

If the SEO who helped you fix the site is well known and reputable, give Google their name in the request. You are paying for professional help, let them know.

Bonus tip: The file you will submit is generally a text (txt) file, but you can put links to Google Docs or Google Sheets if you need to supply supplementary information.

Do not include any links to any non-Google products

Proofread for errors, submit, and wait

It can take a few days to a few weeks to get a reply, so don’t watch your inbox like a pot of water coming to a boil.

DO NOT RESUBMIT until you hear from Google in your GSC email or manual action viewer. You will get a reply that states whether it was removed or not.

Reconsideration Request Reply

Google started adding some confusing language to their Reconsideration Request responses this past year. It used to be that Google would simply say if it was removed or if it wasn’t.

Now they will send you this, which sounds like well maybe it has been removed and maybe it hasn’t.

In order to verify whether it was adjusted or revoked, you will need to go to the manual action viewer. If you see “no issues detected”, you are good! Do a happy dance!

If you do not see the green checkmark, you have more work to do.

Go back to the manual action viewer and see what URLs might have changed since the last time you looked. They will usually send you some new ones in with the old to help you figure out what you missed.

Then rinse and repeat.

Reminder: Your time to removal gets slower with every attempt, so do not do these requests with the idea that you can do a minimal effort attempt. Sometimes that works, but usually it doesn’t and the longer you are in a dampened state the more traffic/money you lose.

My Manual Action Was Removed, but I Don’t See Any Changes to My Traffic?

It is important to note that manual action removal does not always mean instant recovery.

Some penalties like schema are usually quick to recover because Google just needs to lift the manual action, but others like User Generated Spam or Thin Content can take some time because Google needs to crawl the site and re-evaluate/re-rank your pages.

Full recovery can take weeks, sometimes months.

Don’t despair if it does not happen immediately. As long as you no longer have a manual action in the viewer it has been removed.

What If I Have a Security Issue Report in My GSC?

This process is the same for a Security Issue, but the time to recovery is much quicker.

Remove the hack and submit your request following the same rules outlined above.

Google’s Reconsideration Request References

This is an older video by Matt Cutts, but still on Google’s Manual Action page about how to write a Reconsideration Request so it is a really good video to review before you start one.

And here is Google’s take on how to submit a reconsideration request.

More Resources:

Image Credits

All screenshots taken by author, April 2023

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50 Windows Terminal Shortcuts & Actions You Should Use

50 Windows Terminal Shortcuts & Actions You Should Use Explore the important shortcuts to speed up your work

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Using Windows Terminal with shortcuts can make your work easier, and you will be more efficient.

Here in this guide, we will discuss some of the most useful shortcuts for Windows Terminal.

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Download Fortect and install it on your PC.

Start the tool’s scanning process to look for corrupt files that are the source of your problem

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readers this month.

Windows Terminal is an open-source terminal app that lets you use command-line tools, including Command Prompt, PowerShell, and more. It has many useful features, and it gets easier to work on if you know a few shortcuts.

This guide contains a list of all the essential Windows Terminal shortcuts that you should know.

What are the most valuable shortcuts for Windows Terminal? 1. Opening Windows Terminal

Shortcut KeyActionsWindows + Number (profile index: 1-9)Call it from Taskbar if you have it pinned on TaskbarW t + EnterType this on the File Explorer address bar to open Windows TerminalW t – d . + EnterTo open the current directory on Terminal from File ExplorerCtrl + Shift + NOpen a new Terminal window

2. Moving between tabs

Shortcut KeyActionsCtrl + Shift + TOpen a new default tabCtrl + Shift + Number (profile index: 1-9)Open a new tab by pressing any number between 1 to 9Ctrl + Alt+ Number (1-9)Switch between tabs (1-9)Ctrl + TabGo to the Next tabCtrl + Shift + TabGo to the Previous tabCtrl + Shift + DOpen a new instance of a current tabCtrl + Shift + 9Switch to the last tabCtrl + Shift + WClose the existing tab

3. Customize the look of Terminal

Shortcut keyActionsAlt + Shift + -Splitting panes horizontallyAlt + Shift + =Splitting panes verticallyCtrl + =Increase font sizeCtrl + -Decrease font sizeCtrl + 0Reset font sizeAlt+ Shift + downResize the pane downAlt+ Shift + leftResize pane leftAlt+ Shift + rightResize pane rightAlt+ Shift + upResize pane up

4. Change Focus

Shortcut keyActionsAlt + downMove focus downAlt + leftMove focus leftAlt + rightMove focus rightAlt + upMove focus upCtrl + Alt + leftMove focus to the last used pane Shortcut keyActionsCtrl+ Alt+ ,Open the default settings file (JSON)Ctrl + ,Open SettingsCtrl + Shift + ,Open Settings file (JSON)CTRL + Shift + POpen a command paletteAlt + SpaceOpen system menu

6. Other useful shortcuts & actions

Shortcut keyActionsAlt + F4Close the windowCtrl + Shift + FFindAlt + Shift + D Duplicate paneCtrl + Shift + WClose paneCtrl + CCopy textCtrl + VPaste textCtrl+ Shift + downScroll downCtrl+ Shift + PgDnScroll down one pageCtrl+ Shift + endScroll to the bottom of historyCtrl+ Shift + homeScroll to the top of the historyCtrl+ Shift + upScroll upCtrl+ Shift + PgUpScroll up one pageCtrl+ Shift + ASelect all textWin + `Show/Hide Quake windowAlt + Shift + -Split pane, split: downAlt + Shift + +Split pane, split: rightF11Toggle on/off fullscreenCtrl + Shift + MToggle mark modeLeft Alt + Left Shift + PrtscnToggle on/off high visibility screen mode

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How Automation Anywhere Helped Symantec To Reduce Manual Processes For Its Strict Security Controls

Symantec: Background

Symantec is an American software company based in Mountain View, California, offering security, storage, and systems management solutions that assist consumers to secure and manage their information. The company serves individuals, households, and small businesses; SMEs; and government and public sector customers, with over 11,000 employees across more than 35 countries.

The Business Challenge: Symantec Seeks a Solution to Decrease its Manual Process

Symantec that provides security, storage, and systems management solutions was in quest of a solution that can lessen the number of manual processes while maintaining strict security and compliance controls. The company acknowledged three factors to drive its operational excellence: • Suitability was an internal analysis for process design to measure potential constraints or control benefits to the process. • Complexity measured what type of bot would be required to automate the process and to understand how many screens and systems would interact with it. • Value, such automation brought through cost savings, time savings, and ROI.

The Solution: How Automation Anywhere Delivered the Solution Symantec was Seeking

Automation Anywhere is the only RPA platform with bank-grade security and governance, delivering best-in-class security. Symantec chose Automation Anywhere as their automation partner due to their platform’s user-friendliness, system agnosticism, and their enterprise-grade security grade. The company implemented Automation Anywhere RPA and AI-powered IQ Bot to automate their order management process. Symantec started leveraging RPA by going with medium priority processes that would deliver the highest ROI. The company established the governance and center of excellence upfront, streamlined criteria for processes selection, and enabled different verticals, including sales, marketing, and IT, to easily build bots with one hour of training. Symantec utilized automation to streamline many of their new processes and were able to quickly experience the value of each of the bots they deployed to each business unit in key performance areas.

The Outcome

RPA bots portrayed an integral role and several processes automated, including Order management; UAT test cases; Renewals quote SVA Program; Renewals batch quoting; Payroll accrual; In-flight projects. Additionally, 4,500 hours saved in less than a year; 20% increase in auto booking of renewals; 25 processes automated; and 40 bots deployed. Ravi Konda, Sr. Manager, IT Automation, Symantec – “It just took 3 weeks for small and medium-sized processes to be automated. The heaviest processes took only 9 weeks. The results were delivered fast, giving us the opportunity to assess the fast pace.”

In today’s disruptive age where automation is the focus of interest for all-sized businesses globally, robotic process automation (RPA) is one such disruptive technology that enables organizations to automate their business processes at a fraction of cost and time. RPA is non-intrusive in nature and utilizes the existing infrastructure without disrupting underlying systems that would be intricate and costly to replace. RPA technology also empowers companies or individuals to configure computer software, or a robot to emulate and integrate the actions of a human interacting within digital systems to implement a business process. The global market for RPA is predicted to reach US$2,467.0 million by 2023, at a growing CAGR of 30.14%. Enabling RPA to handle any processes will not only transform and streamline the organization’s workflow, but it will allow for better scalability and flexibility within the enterprise, doubled by the fast, tailored response to specific needs.Symantec is an American software company based in Mountain View, California, offering security, storage, and systems management solutions that assist consumers to secure and manage their information. The company serves individuals, households, and small businesses; SMEs; and government and public sector customers, with over 11,000 employees across more than 35 countries.Symantec that provides security, storage, and systems management solutions was in quest of a solution that can lessen the number of manual processes while maintaining strict security and compliance controls. The company acknowledged three factors to drive its operational excellence: • Suitability was an internal analysis for process design to measure potential constraints or control benefits to the process. • Complexity measured what type of bot would be required to automate the process and to understand how many screens and systems would interact with it. • Value, such automation brought through cost savings, time savings, and ROI.Automation Anywhere is the only RPA platform with bank-grade security and governance, delivering best-in-class security. Symantec chose Automation Anywhere as their automation partner due to their platform’s user-friendliness, system agnosticism, and their enterprise-grade security grade. The company implemented Automation Anywhere RPA and AI-powered IQ Bot to automate their order management process. Symantec started leveraging RPA by going with medium priority processes that would deliver the highest ROI. The company established the governance and center of excellence upfront, streamlined criteria for processes selection, and enabled different verticals, including sales, marketing, and IT, to easily build bots with one hour of training. Symantec utilized automation to streamline many of their new processes and were able to quickly experience the value of each of the bots they deployed to each business unit in key performance chúng tôi bots portrayed an integral role and several processes automated, including Order management; UAT test cases; Renewals quote SVA Program; Renewals batch quoting; Payroll accrual; In-flight projects. Additionally, 4,500 hours saved in less than a year; 20% increase in auto booking of renewals; 25 processes automated; and 40 bots deployed. Ravi Konda, Sr. Manager, IT Automation, Symantec – “It just took 3 weeks for small and medium-sized processes to be automated. The heaviest processes took only 9 weeks. The results were delivered fast, giving us the opportunity to assess the fast pace.” He further added, “We looked at a lot of competitors in the RPA space. Automation Anywhere was just the right balance for us in terms of cost, return on investment and engaged staff that was really interested in the business and our overall relationships. Automation Anywhere also provided a top-tier benchmark with relevant customer references.”

What Is Indian Govt.’s New Guiding Manual To Artificial Intelligence And Its Ethics?

Region-wise Instances Australia

In the 2023-19 budget, the government of Australia declared a four-year plan and booked AU$29.9 million to assist AI developments in the country. Simultaneously, to support the ethical and responsible development of AI, the government will design a Technology Roadmap, a Standard Framework, and a national AI Ethics Framework.

China

Two years ago, China had launched “A Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” which reflects the roadmap guidelines for as far as the year 2030 in context to AI development. It also promoted the enforcement of regulations and ethics for the development of AI.

European Union

European Union, previous year in the month of April, drafted the Communication on AI document which among certain issues gives a synopsis of the need to embrace ethical and legal blueprint. It also inducted the preparation to draft guidelines which EU member countries would most likely adopt (or with some localized alteration and amendments).

Are you consciously or unconsciously aware of the fact that Artificial Intelligence is omnipresent? It is finely weaved in our day to day routine from phones to computer and tablets, every device embraces the technology in our surrounding. Even the rising trending craze for Netflix is also a gift of Artificial Intelligence, for sure. Therefore, it would not be an element surprise if we monitor the involvement of the Indian government in this sector. The Government of India is set to regulate Artificial Intelligence with a transparent set of guidelines for the procedure to develop and implement the AI technology, as confirmed by Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu. In a tweet declaring PM Narendra Modi’s move on emerging technology and need for regulation, Suresh Prabhu quoted – “Ideas and #Technologies have a broader impact in today’s society and it must be governed and guided by ethics for a better tomorrow.” Early this month during budget 2023 announcement, standing Finance Minister announced that the government was considering a national center for AI and will also be launching national AI portal soon. As the industry work ethics are becoming more and more reliant on the use of machines, machine learning, smart algorithms to empower AI systems, which makes it sagacious for regulation. The government, additionally, expects to handle ethical issues with some of the regulations framed. Such ethical issues include fear regarding: • How AI comes to making a certain decision based on the data that is available to it at that point of time • How to ensure that it makes the correct decision every time • Who owns the data about the users, and how that data is used to further power AI based apps, services, and platforms However, a larger portion of data that is gathered by AI and further used for improvisation is controlled by certain enterprises. The Indian government wants to install policies and guidelines along with a well-versed mechanism to write algorithms and how data is gathered in the whole process is utilized, safeguarded and perhaps tracked. Following Canada, Singapore, France, China, and the UK, India will be framing and subsequently enforcing policies and regulations that supervise the usage of chúng tôi the 2023-19 budget, the government of Australia declared a four-year plan and booked AU$29.9 million to assist AI developments in the country. Simultaneously, to support the ethical and responsible development of AI, the government will design a Technology Roadmap, a Standard Framework, and a national AI Ethics chúng tôi years ago, China had launched “A Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” which reflects the roadmap guidelines for as far as the year 2030 in context to AI development. It also promoted the enforcement of regulations and ethics for the development of AI.European Union, previous year in the month of April, drafted the Communication on AI document which among certain issues gives a synopsis of the need to embrace ethical and legal blueprint. It also inducted the preparation to draft guidelines which EU member countries would most likely adopt (or with some localized alteration and amendments). Currently, it is not crystal clear that when would India’s first draft for AI policy will be handy and what guidelines and regulation will fall under it.

Manual Actions & How To Write Reconsideration Requests That Work