Got a manual action that keeps popping up on my Google Search Console. Here’s the message:
1 issue detected Pages affected by manual actions can see reduced display features, lower ranking, or even removal from Google Search results.
Google detected a pattern of unnatural, artificial, deceptive, or manipulative outbound links on pages on this site. This may be the result of selling links that pass PageRank or participating in link schemes. Learn more
Affects Pages with the URL patterns: [then it lists 3 pages]
I run a super clean, whitehat site, so I’m really confused. I don’t know what a “link scheme” is, unless someone is sending me negative SEO maybe?
Originally, it gave me a similar message and I completely removed all the outbound links on the page as I was really worried. I know that’s extreme, but I couldn’t tell what the issue was (just standard whitehat value building links) so I deleted them all to be safe. Explained it to Google when filing the “Request Review.”
Seems this message has popped up again more recently. Although I can’t even tell now if it’s just a) the same message, b) a repeated message or c) a new one. It looks the exact same.
Anyone know what’s going on here?
[EDIT: Got it resolved in the end by communicating through Google’s Webmaster Forum. It amounted to nothing.]