Find out what Google is seeing in hacking trends, what HTTPS does (and doesn’t do), and how to best address a hacked site. Then, he’ll discuss manual actions: how they work, how to avoid them, and what to do when you’ve had one applied to your site. Join Eric Kuan, Webmaster Relations Specialist for Google, as he covers two hot topics for SEOs: website security and manual actions.

1. Google

2. #SEJSummit
• Webmaster Relations
• Website security, manual actions,
Search
• Google
WEBMASTER RELATIONS SPECIALIST, GOOGLE
Eric Kuan

3. 1) Prioritize web security
1) Follow Webmaster
Guidelines
1) Don’t overly fret about
manual actions
3 Takeaways
#SEJSummit

4. Types of
website
compromises
• Spam (most common)
• Malware
• Credit card skimming
(Affects e-commerce
platforms)
• Crypto mining
#SEJSummit

5. Make web
security a
priority
• Hackers are constantly
attacking your site
• One weak link can break the
entire chain
• No one is immune, even big
brands get affected
#SEJSummit

6. A quick word
on social
engineering
(phishing)
#SEJSummit
The most
believable phishing
sites trick almost
half of the users.
45% 20%
Hacker move fast: ⅕
of the accounts are
accessed
within 30 min after
being phished.
Source: http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2014/11/behind-enemy-lines-in-our-war-against.html

7. Why should you care?
• Prevents users from accessing
your site
• Compromises you and your
user’s data
• Affects your brand’s reputation
• Fixing a hacked site is difficult
• fixing the hack
• finding the vulnerability
• re-securing lost data
#SEJSummit

8. What can
I do?
• Sign up for Search Console
• Keep security at the forefront of
your strategy
• Back up your site regularly
• Keep software updated - easiest
thing you can do
■ Enable automatic updates!
• Consider investing in security
software
#SEJSummit

9. What can
I do?
#SEJSummit
Password
Second layer of
authentication
Account
• Use Two-factor authentication

10. HTTPS everywhere!
• HTTPS is good practice that can help
keep user data secure
• This is related but different from
securing your website from intrusion
• Use HTTPS everywhere
• Chrome 68 will mark HTTP sites
as non-secure
• Starting near the end of July
• See the Google Security Blog
for tips and details
#SEJSummit

11. #SEJSummit

12. What is a manual action?
• An adjustment of a site that is
manipulating Google Search
• Manipulative behavior is
• Anything done to trick search
engines
• Deceptive behavior like:
cloaking, unnatural links,
scraping content
• Isn’t limited to a specific set
of rules
#SEJSummit

13. What should you do?
• Check Webmaster Guidelines
• Don’t be overly concerned with
manual actions
• Improve ranking by:
Focusing on your user’s needs
Technical SEO
#SEJSummit

14. Reconsideration requests
• Manually reviewed by our team
• A good reconsideration request:
• demonstrates understanding of the
problem
• details how the problem was solved
• A bad reconsideration request:
• Submits a blank site
• Doesn’t detail what was changed
• Completely tears down a site
• If you’re not aware of the problem get help:
• Webmaster Help Forums
• G+ / Twitter
• Webmaster Blog
#SEJSummit

15. Resources
#SEJSummit
https://www.google.com/webmasters/
Webmaster help forums - g.co/webmasterhelpforum
@googlewmc

16. 1) Prioritize web security
1) Follow Webmaster
Guidelines
1) Don’t overly fret about
manual actions
3 Takeaways
#SEJSummit

17. #SEJSummit