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Yes, in year-over-year comparisons: Google reported more manual actions against Search spam policies in both halves of 2025 than in the matching halves of 2024. But the totals fell from the first half to the second half in both years, and they count actions—not unique websites or an individual site’s risk of being penalized.
What Google’s manual-action counts show
Google’s global reports show a modest year-over-year increase in each comparable half-year. They do not show a steady rise within each year: H2 totals were lower than H1 totals in both 2024 and 2025.
| Reporting period | Manual actions against Google Search spam policies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| H1 2024 | 501,659 | Google EU Code of Practice on Disinformation report, 2024 |
| H2 2024 | 275,421 | Google EU Code of Practice on Disinformation report, 2024 |
| H1 2025 | 513,525 | Google EU Code of Practice on Disinformation report, 2025 |
| H2 2025 | 318,012 | Google EU Code of Practice on Disinformation report, 2025 |
These are global counts for the stated half-year periods, not counts of distinct domains. They show that H1 2025 exceeded H1 2024, and H2 2025 exceeded H2 2024; they do not establish that a particular site is more likely to receive an action. The latest comparable figures available in these reports run through H2 2025; a comparable H1 2026 total is not established here.
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Google defines a manual action as a decision made after a human reviewer determines that pages on a site do not comply with Google’s spam policies. Affected pages or sites can rank lower or be omitted from results. Google says it notifies site owners through the Manual actions report and Search Console’s message center. See Google’s Manual actions report documentation.
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Manual actions are distinct from automated enforcement. Google’s reports list automated actions separately; for example, the H2 2025 report records 38,837,715 algorithmic actions alongside 318,012 manual actions. Those figures should not be combined or described as manual penalties. A drop in traffic, a ranking change, or an algorithm update by itself does not prove a manual action—and a clear Manual actions report does not rule out algorithmic causes for lost visibility. Google explains the distinction in its spam policies.
How to check whether your site received one
- Open the Manual actions report in Google Search Console for the relevant property.
- Read the issue description and examine the affected-page examples or patterns. These details identify what Google says is wrong; do not assume a traffic decline identifies the cause.
- Correct the reported issue across all affected pages, following the issue-specific instructions. Google warns that correcting only some affected pages will not produce a partial return to search results.
- When the fixes are complete, use the report to request a review. Explain the issue, the changes made, and the outcome; provide documentation that helps show the work was completed.
Google says most reconsideration reviews take several days or weeks, while some link-related reviews can take longer. It will notify the owner when the review is complete and revoke the action if it determines the site is no longer in violation. A review request is not a guarantee of a particular timeline or recovery result. Avoid generic cleanup steps such as disavowing links unless the specific issue and Google’s linked guidance call for them.
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Recent policy changes are not proof of a rising overall count
Back-button hijacking
Google announced a spam policy against back-button hijacking in April 2026, with enforcement scheduled to begin June 15, 2026. The announcement says the behavior may lead to manual spam actions or automated demotions. Site owners concerned about it can inspect scripts, imported libraries, and advertising integrations that may interfere with browser navigation. The policy announcement describes an enforcement area; it does not establish an increase in total manual actions. See Google’s back-button hijacking policy announcement.
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In an August 28, 2026 update, Google Search Central said the site-reputation policy’s treatment differs for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and users outside it. This qualification concerns that policy specifically; it should not be generalized to all manual actions. Google says owners continue to receive a Search Console notification when a manual action is applied. See Google’s site-reputation policy update.
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