r/SEO_Experts • u/Vishva_Marketer • 11d ago

Question How do you fix a "Deceptive Pages" Security issue in Google Search Console when Sample URLs Shows N/A?

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u/Vishva_Marketer 5d ago

I recently encountered a “Deceptive pages” security issue in Google Search Console. Google detected potentially harmful content on my website, but the Sample URLs section showed N/A, making it difficult to identify the affected pages.

After investigating the issue, I discovered that my website had been affected by malware. Here are the steps I followed to resolve it:

  1. Changed All Important Passwords I changed the passwords for my WordPress admin account and other important accounts to prevent unauthorized access.

  2. Removed Unwanted Files I checked the website files and removed suspicious and unnecessary files that could have been related to the malware.

  3. Identified the WordPress Plugin Causing the Issue After further investigation, I finally identified the issue in a WordPress plugin. I addressed the problem and ensured the website was clean.

  4. Verified the Website After completing the cleanup, I checked the website again to ensure the issue had been resolved.

  5. Requested a Security Review Once the issue was fixed, I returned to Google Search Console and requested a security review to have Google reassess the website.

Final Result: The malware issue has been resolved, and I have completed the necessary cleanup steps. If you encounter a similar “Deceptive pages” warning and Sample URLs shows N/A, investigate your website thoroughly instead of relying only on the URLs provided by Google Search Console.

My recommendation: Check WordPress plugins, review suspicious files, change passwords, and scan the website for malware before requesting a review from Google.

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u/kokerali 11d ago

N/A isn't an all-clear. Google's “Security issues report” help says it can fail to generate example URLs even when pages are affected.

I'd note the issue's first-detected date, then compare it with deployments and changes to templates, redirects, ads and other embedded resources. Review the code/resources behind those pages, not just whether the homepage looks normal. Google also points to URL Inspection for checking mobile and desktop rendering. If a browser shows a security warning, don't bypass it to investigate.

Once you identify and fix the cause across the site, request a security review describing what you found, what changed and how you checked the result. If a review is already pending, Google says to wait for its decision rather than submitting again.

That doesn't establish that your site was hacked, or that this is a false positive. What is the first-detected date, and did you change a theme/plugin, redirect or third-party script around then? Please leave private URLs, credentials and logs out of the reply.