If your WordPress domain is blacklisted by Google, it can become inaccessible to users, and your traffic can take a major hit.
In this post, we will talk about why Google blacklists a website, how you can find out about it, and how you can fix it.
Google Safe Browsing Blacklist: Explanation
Google Safe Browsing is a feature that protects users from navigating to unsafe websites. If a website is entered into this blacklist, users will be barred from accessing it. They will be shown an error screen like this: (The exact message might be different, but this is what the page will generally look like.)
There are many different reasons why Google blacklists a website. Here are some of the few possible reasons:
- If Google detects malware or malicious programs on the website
- If Google detects phishing attempts or other forms of potential cyber threats
- If the website has been reported as hacked
- If the website has been reported as unsafe
- If the website has bad SEO practices
And so on.
How Do You Find if Your Domain is Blacklisted by Google?
There are different ways in which you can find out if your domain is blacklisted by Google. But first, let’s talk about how to know when to suspect if your domain is blacklisted by Google?
Then, we will talk about how you can check and make sure.
What are the indications that your domain has been blacklisted by Google?
The straight answer? Decline in traffic.
If there is a decline in your website’s traffic, it indicates that users aren’t clicking on it as often, or if they are, they are being directed away from it.
If you see a decline in the website’s clicks or traffic, it is one of the clearest indications that your domain has been blacklisted by Google.
Now, let’s move on to see how you can check and make sure that your domain is on the blacklist.
How do you check and make sure that your domain is blacklisted by Google?
Google published a detailed article on the Google Transparency Report where it shared information regarding Google Safe Search and the frequency at which it gives browser warnings and search results warnings, etc.
In the same article, Google also mentions that it lets website owners know about the warning through the Google Search Console.
Hence, the answer to the question in the heading is: you can check and make sure whether or not your domain is blacklisted by Google by checking the Google Search Console.
And how do you do that? Here are the steps.
- First, open up Google Search Console and select the respective property (if you have GSC set up for multiple websites, you will have to make the selection from the drop-down menu on the top left side of the screen).
- Then, on the right-side menu, select the tab titled “Security & Manual Actions.”
- If there is any problem with your website, you will find the details listed here in any of the two sections, i.e., Manual Actions and Security Issues.
According to Google, the details of the infection (malicious content) are provided to the webmaster, i.e., the infection that causes the website to appear on the blacklist. The steps to recover from the infection are also provided.
Here is a screenshot from Web.Dev that shows a particular report from Google detailing a website infection:
It is also possible that you may receive an email from Google alerting you to the warning and bringing your attention to it. However, the primary method of finding whether your WordPress domain is blacklisted or not is to go to Google Search Console.
WordPress Domain Blacklisted: How to Fix the Problem
Now, let’s talk about how you can get this problem fixed and get your WordPress domain out of Google’s blacklist.
As mentioned above, when the problem is shown by Google, the exact reasons will also be displayed. The problematic pages will be mentioned as well as the steps that are needed to resolve the issue.
You can simply take the mentioned steps. After the problem has been fixed, you can request Google to review the problem again. You will find a button titled “Request Review” on the same menu.
- In many cases, Google may spot spammy pages on the website that may have been created by a hacker or a malicious entity. You can simply remove the pages, flush the cache, and then ask Google to review the website again.
- Similarly, Google may also point out some malicious files or plugins on the website as the reason for the blacklisting. Removing said files or plugins can resolve the problem.
If you fail to spot the malicious files/pages on your website, you can install a security plugin and run a scan. There are many security plugins that you can find on WordPress, including:
- MalCare
- WordFence Security
- Jetpack
And so on.
These plugins can help you spot and fix malware on your website.
The Role of SEO Practices on WP Domain Blacklisting
Other than malware and hacking attacks, etc., your WP domain can also get blacklisted as a result of bad SEO practices. For example, if the website contains spammy web pages and repetitive information tailored to fool the search engine, the latter can end up blacklisting the domain so that users cannot access it.
Plus, these types of actions can also cause your website to end up in email blacklists. Once your domain is entered into these blacklists, any email messages sent from it can either be rejected by email servers, or they can end up in the Spam folder of the recipient.
To make sure that these problems don’t arise, you should avoid actions such as:
- Creating unstable and slow websites
- Creating unnecessary and spammy pages
- Keyword stuffing
- Excessive emailing
- Performing bad backlinking practices
And so on.
If any of these problems happen to exist on your website, you should resolve them so that Google has no reason to blacklist your domain.
Resolving these problems can also get your website out of email blacklists. You can use an online blacklist checker to double-check this as well. (This will help ensure that your domain’s outbound emails end up in the right folders and don’t get discarded.)
Final Thoughts
Google Safe Search is aimed at making the web browsing experience safe and secure for users. From time to time, Google blacklists certain websites that it finds to be misleading or malicious, etc.
If you find that your website is also blacklisted by Google, you can simply go to Google Search Console and navigate to the “Security & Manual Actions” tab. There, you will find the exact reasons for the blacklisting as well as the steps required to fix the problem. Once you have resolved the issue (as mentioned), you can request Google to review your website again.
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