Yes. Diagnosing and correcting over-optimization is a routine part of technical and content SEO work, and a competent SEO company can both identify it and repair it. The harder questions are whether the company recognizes over-optimization accurately and whether it fixes the underlying cause rather than just trimming a few keywords. This answer explains what the problem is and how the work is done.
What over-optimization actually is
Over-optimization is the result of pushing a page or a site past the point where SEO tactics help and into territory where they look manipulative to search engines. It is not the same as doing SEO well. The most common forms are keyword stuffing, where a target phrase is repeated unnaturally in text, headings, or metadata; over-use of exact-match anchor text, where too many links point to a page using the precise keyword it wants to rank for; thin doorway-style pages, where many near-identical pages exist mainly to capture variations of a search query without offering distinct value; and excessive or unnatural internal anchors, where descriptive links are crammed in to influence rankings.
It is worth being precise here. Google has stated there is no penalty simply for using descriptive, keyword-rich internal anchor text. The concern with internal links is unnatural placement and volume, not relevance. The clearer risks come from manipulated external anchor profiles, stuffed content, and doorway pages, which can trigger algorithmic demotion or, in stronger cases, a manual action reported in Google Search Console.
How an SEO company diagnoses it
Diagnosis starts with a structured audit rather than a guess. For content, the company reviews pages for unnatural keyword repetition and compares the writing against what a normal page on the topic reads like. For links, it uses a backlink tool to examine the anchor text distribution. A healthy external profile is weighted toward branded and generic anchors, with exact-match anchors forming only a small share. When exact-match anchors make up a large portion of the profile, that is a signal of over-optimization worth correcting.
For doorway-style pages, the company looks for clusters of URLs with little unique content, often location or service variations that are largely identical to one another. It also checks Google Search Console for manual actions and reviews traffic history for drops that line up with known algorithm updates, which helps separate an over-optimization problem from an unrelated cause.
How an SEO company fixes it
The fix depends on what the audit finds. Stuffed content is rewritten so the page reads naturally and covers the topic for a reader rather than for a keyword counter. This usually means using related terms and clear language instead of repeating one phrase.
For anchor text, the company cannot remove links it does not control, but it can reduce dependence on exact-match anchors by building or earning new links with branded, partial-match, and generic anchors so the overall profile looks more natural over time. Where links come from paid or manipulative placements, the company may seek their removal and, only when genuinely warranted, prepare a disavow file. Disavowing should be cautious and evidence-based, not a default step.
Thin doorway-style pages are handled by consolidation. The company audits the cluster, decides which pages to keep, redirects or sets to noindex the ones that add no distinct value, and rebuilds the remaining pages so each serves a real, separate purpose. Excessive internal anchors are pruned back to a natural pattern.
What recovery looks like
Expectations should be realistic. If the site has a manual action, the company corrects the issue and submits a reconsideration request; that path can resolve in a matter of weeks once the work is done. Algorithmic recovery is slower, because the site has to be reassessed over time, and improvement can take several months. No reputable SEO company can promise an exact recovery date.
What to ask
When evaluating a company on this work, ask how it identifies over-optimization, which tools it uses to review anchor text, how it decides between rewriting, consolidating, or removing pages, and how it views disavow files. Clear, measured answers indicate a company that fixes the cause rather than chasing a quick adjustment.