When is it time for backlink and reconsideration SEO requests from Google?

There is a lot of debate around by website owners and SEO pros on reconsideration requests and how to handle backlink-related issues. Questions include: "When should I file a reconsideration request?" "Should I file a reconsideration request if I think my site is affected by an algorithmic change?"

Google Search Quality representatives recently responded to such questions on the Webmaster Central Blog after seeing a number of these questions pop up on the Google Webmaster Forums.

A couple of points from the article stand out. Google posted that a website owner should only submit a reconsideration request when you receive a manual penalty.  There is uncertainty around whether the penalty is manual or algorithmic, the submission should be "fine," day Google's team. If you recently embarked on an SEO campaign that included spammy blog comments, auto generated forum posts or text advertisements with PageRank-building links, you may have issues worth resolving--as these actions are viewed as unnatural links. If you find "bad links" in your link profile, then a good idea would be to try to get these links removed or nofollowed. If those options are not possible, then consider the new Disavow Links Tool by Google to help clean house.

Tips for Google reconsideration request

• Submit the reconsideration request after dealing with the issues manually first
• The Webmaster tool "Links to your site" will be your best friend in the war on bad links
• Disavow bad links
• Convert any questionable links to nofollow or by removing them (if you can't, see above)
• When you submit a reconsideration request, please submit a detailed request because human Google team members review the request manually

SOURCE: Google Webmaster Blog: https://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2013/06/backlinks-and-reconsideration-requests.html