If I noindex the content, does that mean the manual action automatically gets removed?
No. You still need to reply to the manual action in Search Console and explain that the content has been noindexed. We recommend doing this rather than letting the manual action remain against your site.
If I move content that’s received a manual action to a new location, will that resolve the site reputation abuse issue?
Maybe, but it depends on where you move it to:
Moving content to a subdirectory or subdomain within the same site’s domain name: This doesn’t resolve the underlying issue and may be viewed as an attempt to circumvent our spam policy, which may lead to broader actions against a site in Google Search.
Moving content to another established site: This will resolve the site reputation abuse issue for the site it was removed from, as the site reputation of that site is no longer being abused. However, it may introduce a site reputation abuse issue to the site the content is moved to if the established site has its own reputation and the third-party nature is unchanged.
Moving content to a new domain: This is far less likely to be an issue if the new domain has no established reputation and you follow our spam policies.
Remember if you move content, you need to also submit a reconsideration request to remove the manual action.
If I move policy-violating content, can I redirect from the old site to the new site?
If you move content that received a manual action, you shouldn’t redirect URLs from the old site to the new site, as this may introduce the site reputation abuse issue again.
If I move policy-violating content, can I link from the old site to the new site?
If you link from the old site to the new site, make use of the nofollow attribute for those links on the old site.