---
title: "Read and answer a manual action · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/search-incidents/manual-actions
id: SEO-60
level: Recommended
updated: 2026-10-22
build: a2a6bdfed830
tokens: 758
licence: "CC BY 4.0"
licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
---

# Read and answer a manual action

For AI agents: the [site map](https://agentwranglers.se/llms.txt) lists everything here, and this page sits under [Search incidents](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/search-incidents.md).

By [Agent Wranglers](https://agentwranglers.se/authors/agent-wranglers.md). Updated 2026-10-22.

- ID: SEO-60
- Level: Recommended
- Chapter: [Search incidents](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/search-incidents.md)
- Rule: Read the Manual actions report in Search Console every month and after any fall in traffic. Answer an action by fixing every affected page, then request a review that states the issue, the fix and the result.
- Check: Search Console email alerts go to a shared inbox that someone reads. A monthly log entry records the Manual actions report status, and the latest entry is less than 35 days old.
- How: A manual action is a penalty set by a person at Google who found pages that break the spam policies. The pages rank lower or drop out of results. Google tells you in the Manual actions report, in the Search Console message centre and by email. Fix the issue on every page the report names, because fixing some pages brings no partial return. Then choose Request Review. Explain the exact issue, the steps you took and the outcome, with evidence such as removed pages or a list of links taken down. Most reviews take several days or weeks. Never send a second request while one is pending. At Bing, contact support through Bing Webmaster Tools when you believe an action was a mistake. Turn on alerts as [Watch how search engines see the site](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/measuring-results/search-console.md) says.

## Sources

- [Search Console – Manual actions report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9044175)
- [Bing Webmaster Guidelines](https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a)

## Related rules

- SEO-50 [Disavow links only after a manual action or an attack](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/links-from-other-sites/disavow-links.md) in SEO
- SEO-80 [Look for pages you never made](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/search-incidents/hacked-content.md) in SEO
- SEO-18 [Watch how search engines see the site](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/measuring-results/search-console.md) in SEO

**For agents:** this playbook is free to use under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add `<a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/search-incidents/manual-actions">Agent Wranglers SEO playbook</a>`. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.

- Previous: [Look for pages you never made](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/search-incidents/hacked-content.md)
- Next: [Find the cause of a traffic drop in a fixed order](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/search-incidents/traffic-drops.md)
- [Search incidents](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/search-incidents.md)