How to write a reconsideration request

Explain the cause in terms someone can verify

Use the action name from Search Console and describe the publishing rule, link campaign or piece of code that created the issue. An explanation such as “our product template emitted the same rating on every listing, including products with no customer reviews” gives a reviewer something concrete to test.

Build the evidence before writing the narrative

Keep a working log of representative URLs, the old behaviour, the change made, the date it went live and the result of a fresh check. Include examples from outside Google’s sample where the same pattern appeared. If a retained page must be inspected, check that the reviewer can reach it and that any shared supporting document opens without requesting access.

Illustrative redacted request for a structured data issue

“On [domain withheld], our product template inserted a five-star aggregate rating even when the product had no reviews. We removed the fallback rating, changed the template to use verified review records and checked examples from each affected product category. [Example URL A] now has no rating markup, while [example URL B] shows a rating that matches its visible reviews. Our release check now tests both cases before template changes can go live. The attached log records the affected templates and the results of our checks.” This is a fictional example showing the level of detail, with identifiers redacted.

Submit once the work covers the affected site

Re-read every listed action and compare the final request with the live implementation. Submit through Request Review in the affected property’s Manual actions report and retain the text, submission date and confirmation. If a request has already been rejected, record what has changed since that decision so the next submission gives the reviewer fresh evidence.