How We Helped a Website Remove a Manual Penalty
A financial website was hit with a Google manual penalty tied to hidden content and a strict paywall.
The brand had to uncover the cause and make appropriate changes. After submitting a reconsideration request, the penalty was lifted. Their visibility was restored, along with better performance and site experience.
Eyeful handled the entire process, from auditing the issue to advising on fixes and guiding the reconsideration request.
Background: A Financial Sector Client Facing SEO Challenges
A financial company came to us after getting a manual penalty from Google. Their site falls under YMYL (Your Money or Your Life), so they needed to meet high standards for transparency, accuracy, and user experience.
The penalty had a considerable impact. It lowered their search visibility, hurt their lead flow, and raised questions about the site’s credibility. The manual action notice pointed to issues on pages under “blog posts.” At the same time, traffic dropped and users started complaining about blocked access to content.
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You can check for manual penalties in Google Search Console. Log in, go to the Security & Manual Actions section, then click Manual Actions. If your site has been flagged, Google will list the issue and affected URLs there. If nothing shows up, your site doesn’t currently have a manual penalty.
The Problem: Hidden Content and a Strict Paywall
During our audit, we found two main issues that most likely triggered the penalty. First, some blog content was hidden from users but still visible to search engines. Second, live blog posts were locked behind a paywall that couldn’t be closed.
Both of these patterns go against Google’s spam policies. The hidden sections can be seen as cloaking, while the full-screen paywall blocks access in a way Google considers intrusive. Manual penalties like this don’t go away on their own, so quick action was needed.
Hidden Blog Sections on Advisor Pages
One major issue came from a blog section built into the advisor page templates but hidden from users. The section used “display:none” in the CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). This meant search engines could crawl and follow the links, but people visiting the site couldn’t see or click them.
This creates a mismatch between what users and bots experience, which Google flags as cloaking. The manual action notice mentioned “/blog-posts/,” so this hidden section was likely a part of the problem.
We found the issue across multiple advisor templates, which impacted dozens of pages. Beyond the penalty risk, this setup also made it harder for users to find related content, making the site more challenging to navigate.
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One of the most common violations is cloaking—showing different content to users than to search engines. Other frequent issues include keyword stuffing, spammy backlinks, thin or duplicate content, and intrusive popups or paywalls that block access to information.
Non-Dismissable Paywalls Blocking Blog Content
The second problem was the paywall on live blog posts. It used a full-screen form that showed up instantly and couldn’t be closed. Readers had to enter personal information to view the article, as there was no preview or way to exit.
This design pattern fits with Google’s description of “aggressive interstitials.” The paywall was paired with hidden blog links, so the site appeared to be blocking access in multiple ways.
The paywall worked the same across devices and raised accessibility concerns. For some users, the experience was frustrating enough to make them leave before reading anything.
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Yes. Google considers keyword stuffing a spammy tactic because it reduces content quality and creates a poor user experience. Sites that overuse keywords unnaturally can face ranking drops or even manual penalties, while pages that use keywords naturally and in context perform better.
Why Google Flagged the Site
Google looks for clear, user-friendly sites. When there’s a disconnect between what users see and what search engines see, such as hidden sections or popups that block content, a manual penalty is imposed.
In this case, two things stood out. The hidden blog module looked like cloaking. And the non-dismissible paywall was flagged as an intrusive interstitial. Both go against Google’s guidelines, which call for transparency, accessibility, and content that’s easy to read.
Manual penalties are handled by actual reviewers, not algorithms. That means the site needed direct changes and a clear explanation before the penalty could be removed. If you’re looking for Google penalty advice, the first step is to check for mismatches between the user and crawler experience.
Our SEO Audit and Recommended Fixes
We started with a full audit of the site, examining both the technical setup and user experience. Each issue was mapped to Google’s policies so we could clearly show what needed to change.
From there, we created two main fix tracks:
Make blog content visible to users and crawlers in the same way
Redesign the paywall to be easier to use and less restrictive
We also set up a plan to check Google penalties and measure progress. This would include crawl tests, user views, and side-by-side comparisons before and after updates.
Making Blog Content Accessible and Visible
We updated the advisor page templates so the blog modules would only load when they were visible to users. In some instances, we removed the hidden code completely. This gave crawlers and users the same experience.
We also made the layout clearer. Blog links were placed in consistent spots across advisor pages, with clear headings and clickable elements.
To ensure the updates worked, we tested how the pages rendered on different devices, checked what they looked like without JavaScript, and logged changes. We also wrote new coding guidelines to avoid hidden content again in the future.
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Related Article: How to Build a High-Impact SEO Strategy for Financial Services
Financial services brands face higher scrutiny, so SEO must balance compliance with growth. Learn how to use BOFU keywords, schema markup, and compliance-friendly workflows to build a strategy that drives leads while reducing risks that can trigger penalties.
Revising the Paywall Experience
The paywall was redesigned to be softer and easier to navigate. A close button was added, and visitors could now read a preview (i.e., the first few paragraphs) before being asked for contact info.
We also simplified the form. Fewer fields were required, and people could just enter an email. The prompt was delayed to avoid blocking the page immediately.
To improve accessibility, the paywall could be controlled by keyboard, and screen readers could identify each part of the form. We also set up A/B checks to ensure readers stayed engaged without being blocked.
Implementing the Changes
Once the fixes were approved, we moved through a structured rollout. Updates were pushed to a staging environment first, where we checked SEO, UX (User Experience), and accessibility. After that, they were released to the live site in scheduled batches.
We worked closely with the client’s developers, product team, and legal/compliance teams to make sure everything was clear and approved.
After launch, we used Google’s inspection tools to confirm the updates were live and working. We also ran crawl and render tests and watched how users interacted with the updated pages.
Submitting the Reconsideration Request
Once the updates were live, we prepared the reconsideration request for Google. This included before-and-after screenshots, code comparisons, updated URLs, and a clear timeline of what was fixed and when.
The request also included a short summary of what went wrong, what had changed, and how the team planned to prevent the issues moving forward. The goal was to show actual, permanent updates rather than quick fixes.
We kept an eye on coverage and search signals during the review window, which typically takes a couple of weeks.
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A Google manual penalty lasts until the underlying issues are fixed and a reconsideration request is approved. If no action is taken, the penalty can remain indefinitely. Algorithmic penalties, on the other hand, lift only when Google refreshes its systems and detects that the problems are resolved.
The Results: Manual Penalty Removed
Google confirmed that the Google manual penalty had been removed shortly after the reconsideration request was made.
After that, we started to see signs of recovery. Blog pages were showing up again in search results, and impressions and rankings began to steady. While we can’t share exact numbers, the site’s visibility clearly improved.
Other positive signs appeared as well. UX metrics like bounce rate and scroll depth got better. More visitors were reading blog posts and staying longer on advising pages.
What This Means for You
If your site gets flagged, here’s what this project shows:
Make sure users and crawlers see the same content; don’t hide sections or links with code.
Avoid hard paywalls that block content immediately. Use previews and give people a way to exit.
Keep records of everything: what you changed, why you changed it, and how you tested it.
Set clear rules for coding and content so the same problem doesn’t happen again.
Act fast. Manual penalties don’t go away unless you fix the cause and request a review.
If you need to check Google penalties or are unsure why your site dropped in search, these steps will narrow it down.
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The biggest risk is losing visibility in search, which can cut off traffic, leads, and revenue. Penalties also damage brand credibility—users may view your site as untrustworthy if it’s not showing up. In regulated industries like finance or health, the impact can be even greater, making recovery both urgent and complex.
Dealing with a Penalty? Eyeful is Here
We’ve worked with sites hit by manual actions before, including those in strict, regulated industries. Our team knows how to run fast audits, flag the actual issues, and guide fixes that line up with Google’s policies.
If you need Google penalty advice, we can provide a clear plan, make updates, and guide you through the reconsideration process.
If your website has been hit with a manual action or you need expert support to restore visibility, Eyeful’s SEO services can get you back on track.