Ask What are the early warning signs that your website has been hit by a Google penalty?

[Newman]

The most obvious sign is a sudden and sharp drop in traffic from Google, especially after a known Google update. Another sign is that pages that used to rank well are no longer showing up in search results. You might also notice that your site is no longer appearing when you search for your own brand name. Google Search Console sometimes sends manual action notices, which is a direct message that something is wrong. These signs together usually mean something serious has happened. What do you think website owners should do first when they suspect a Google penalty?