Google’s John Mueller said that when you get a manual action in Google Search Console and then submit that reconsideration request that Google will likely go through those requests in batches, group them into categories either by language or by type.
What are reconsideration requests. A reconsideration request is a request to have Google review your site after you fix problems identified in a manual action or security issues notification. You would be notified of a manual action in Google Search Console.
Batches? Mueller said in a video when I asked him at 3:09 mark, “Sometimes what just happens is that the team works on this in batches and they’ll go through like one set of reconsiderations and then go through next set. And depending on how they batch things it might be by country or might be by kind of type of issue, those kind of things.”
Backlogs? I asked John Mueller if there was a backlog, because some in the industry feel there is a backlog and longer wait times to hear back after a reconsideration request was submitted. Mueller said he isn’t really aware of any backlog, and then explained that Google processes these in batches.
Why we care. It is good to know what to expect after submitting a reconsideration request. We still do not know exactly how long you need to wait for a response. Generally, security and malware responses happen fast, like within 24 to 48 hours. But manual actions related to spam and other tactics can take weeks to a few months to hear back on.
About The Author
Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land’s News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.