What to do when Google flags your site as unsafe
A Safe Browsing flag shows a red warning to every visitor and removes the site from results. Clean the site, then request a review.
Step by step, with screenshots: Google Safe Browsing: check your site and clear a flag →
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What it is
Google Safe Browsing is Google's list of websites that host malware, phishing or unwanted software. Chrome, Firefox and Safari check sites against it, and a listed site gets a full-page red warning, such as "Deceptive site ahead" or "The site ahead contains malware", before anyone can reach it.
A flag cuts traffic almost to zero until it is removed, and Google Search may show a warning next to the site in results. Most flagged sites are legitimate sites that were hacked. A getReport check against Google's Web Risk data, the commercial version of the same list, is planned; it costs money per lookup, so it goes live when donations cover it. Your site is OK when it is not listed; if it is, clean it first, then request a review in Search Console's Security issues report.
What a passing site looks like
- Google Web Risk does not flag this sitefail · −15 ptseffort L
Google Web Risk flags this site as unsafe
Why it matters. Google's Safe Browsing data marks this URL as malware, phishing or unwanted software. Chrome and Firefox show a red warning page to every visitor and Google marks the site as unsafe in its results.
- Find and remove the malicious content (hacked plugin, injected script, phishing page), then request a review in Google Search Console under Security Issues.
Questions people ask
How do I check my website's Google Safe Browsing status?
Enter your domain in Google's Safe Browsing site status tool at transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search. If you own the site, verify it in Google Search Console: the Security issues report lists the exact problem with example URLs, and Google emails verified owners when a site is flagged.
What does "Deceptive site ahead" mean?
It is Chrome's warning for sites on Google's Safe Browsing list for phishing or social engineering, meaning pages that try to trick visitors into giving away passwords or card details or installing software. On a legitimate site it usually means an attacker added a phishing page, often deep in a folder you never visit, or that the site links to one.
How do I remove the "Deceptive site ahead" warning from my site?
Find and remove the harmful content first: the Security issues report in Search Console shows sample URLs. Delete phishing pages and malware, close the hole that let them in and change your passwords. Then click Request review in that report and describe what you fixed. Google says phishing reviews typically take about a day and malware reviews a few days.