What To Do If Your Google Rankings Suddenly Drop

With some effort, patience, and knowledge of modern SEO measures, you’re sure to be able to figure out why your Google rankings dropped and ultimately regain your site’s rankings

A few months ago, ATMA’s SEO dropped and that sent us scrambling to figure out what was happening. We knew that Google makes algorithm changes, and it seemed like this was the cause. After some digging, we pinpointed a few different factors that led to our slump in rankings. It wasn’t just us. Our competitors dropped significantly as well. Did yours? Here are a few factors as to why your Google rankings dropped and what to do about it. 

Dip in SEO 

With more than 200 Google ranking factors, there are many potential reasons for a site’s Google rating to suddenly decline. If your website had a sudden dip in SEO, check the following things:

You’re Not Diversified in Your Google Ranking Factors

Many business owners rely on Google to get noticed, increase their visibility, and drive potential customers to their website. But the fact of the matter is if your Google rankings suddenly drop, it’s not only a cause for concern – it’s also an opportunity to identify why this has happened and take decisive action to improve them again. The most common cause of a dropped ranking is that your site isn’t diversified in its efforts to reach the top search engines using various factors. Some of these key ranking factors include backlinks, keyword optimization, and content quality. To alleviate the effects of a dropped ranking on your business, you need to ensure each element is optimized properly – meaning you have high-quality links pointing to diverse sources, relevant keywords throughout the content, and regularly updated new material on your site. Going forward, maintaining diversity across all elements will provide stability and resilience against changes in the market.

You Have Canonicalization Issues

Another common reason why your Google rankings might have dropped is due to canonicalization issues. When search engines like Google can’t determine which page among multiple pages with similar content they should rank, they will simply choose not to rank any of them. This leads to a drop in rankings, as you will no longer be visible in the search results. To solve this problem, you need to ensure that there are no structural duplicates and that each page has its own individual URL path. Additionally, using rel-canonical tags can also help you get your rankings back — these tags are basically pointers that direct Google to the important version of your URLs it needs to rank in search engine results.

There were Major Changes to Your Backlink Profile

If your Google rankings have dropped due to major changes in your backlink profile, the first thing to do is identify what those changes are. Check for any spikes in the number of backlinks or suspicious links coming from questionable sources. To begin with, disavow any potentially damaging links and monitor your link profile going forward – if they remain too aggressive, you may need to ask webmasters to remove them. Additionally, focus on creating and promoting high-quality content published on authoritative domains as a strategy for acquiring quality natural backlinks that will help to stabilize and increase your rankings in the long term.

A Decline in Content Quality

A drop in your Google rankings can feel like a setback, but it doesn’t have to be a death knell to your website’s success. This unfortunate phenomenon could just come down to content quality, which is an area that you have the power to control. First and foremost, maybe it’s time for you to assess the exact quality of your content. Is there enough variety? Is it educational and informative? Ask yourself the tough questions and answer honestly if it’s up to snuff or if it’s been lacking recently. Once armed with data on the quality of your current content, take steps to address any issues discovered by attempting something new in place of old habits. Mix up the availability of content – something that really engages viewers is oftentimes more effective than something lazy or generic – and work on diversity as well (not just in terms of topics but reviewing techniques such as video production). Addressing content quality issues is sure to help revive those Google rankings.

You have Broken Links

If you ever notice a sudden drop in the ranking of your website on Google, it is important to check for broken links. Broken links are links that lead to nowhere and can cause disruptions in your users’ journey. The problem with broken links is that they can create disturbance in user navigation, which can lead Google’s algorithm to find and rate your site less favorably. To fix this issue and improve your rankings, you should go through all the pages on your website and check each link. If any of them are broken, make sure to remove them or replace them with a working link. Good practice would also be to regularly audit all web pages to ensure no more broken links appear while navigating through the website. This will guarantee that you always have a good user experience and keep boosting those rankings!

Decrease in Indexed Pages

A decrease in indexed pages may have caused your rank to drop – this could happen from time to time depending on various algorithm changes. To resolve the issue, the first thing you need to do is identify those pages that are not being indexed properly by Google. This requires some research and analysis of your site’s analytics and data – if it is beyond your capabilities or knowledge, you might want to invest in an SEO professional like Advent Trinity Marketing Agency who can help you out. Once you know which pages need attention, modify the content to make sure it appeals to Google rankings and check for any technical issues related to crawling or indexing failures. 

Your Site isn’t Mobile-Friendly

Your Google rankings may have likely dropped because your website is not mobile-friendly. As more people are using their phones and tablets to access websites, Google has started looking for sites that offer an optimal mobile user experience. If your site does not cater to this growing trend then it is hurting your SEO rankings in the long run. To fix this issue, you should ensure that your site is optimized for mobile devices by making sure all content is easier to read, layout styles are mobile-friendly, and there are no elements that take too long to load. Additionally, you will want to focus on making updates regularly so that they stay up-to-date with the latest trends and compatibility standards. Work with a web development team like ATMA if needed to ensure optimum results when creating a mobile-friendly site.

Duplicate Content or Metadata

Duplicate content is when two different web pages have the exact same information– be it in terms of words, images, or any other type of media. On the other hand, duplicate metadata refers to two pages having the same meta title and description tags. While there are some cases where having duplicates will not hurt your website’s rankings, usually, it can work against you as Google values originality and dislikes when content is just copied over multiple times. To correct this issue, try re-drafting old web pages with new information and ensure that each page has a unique meta title and description tag; if necessary refer to online resources to learn how to write effective search engine optimization (SEO) titles and descriptions. Doing this should help bring up your Google rankings again since now you won’t have any more clashes between identical posts or metatags.

Website Content is Thin

It’s no surprise that the content on your website plays an important role in how your site is ranked by Google. Search engines prefer to find pages with a lot of information and original content. If you’ve noticed a drop in your rankings recently, chances are it’s due to low-quality or thin content. To improve your rankings, start by auditing the existing content on your site to identify where improvements need to be made. Areas such as formatting and keyword optimization should be addressed first as they relate directly to SEO performance. Once done, create focused and relevant content that answers user questions, addresses needs, and helps establish yourself as an authority on the subject matter. Finally, regularly update existing pages with fresh and high-quality content with relevant keywords to further improve rankings and provide an overall better experience for users.

Abusing Anchor Text

Anchor text is a way to direct readers to other websites. Keep your anchor text meaningful and relevant. Using anchor texts that are genuine phrases can show that you’re connecting with your readers and providing truthful value in your content. Genuine phrases should be used in your anchor text, and they should blend in seamlessly with the rest of your material.

Search Engine Rankings

Search engine rankings are determined by a combination of factors, such as the quality of content, relevance to queries, and keyword usage. If you’re relying on only one or two factors for your page ranking, then it won’t be able to stay in top positions.

As we mentioned, there are numerous ranking factors. We had a handful of the issues mentioned before, even though our site had been ranking well for a lengthy period. Our marketing team thought we had done all the right things, and we had, but, you know, Google has a mind of its own sometimes and we have to adapt and overcome. We did a website audit and invested in new SEO software that is helping us (and our clients) regain their online visibility. 

From changes to your website’s design and structure to new competition vying for your spot, there are a lot of things that can cause your rankings to take a hit. Regardless of the cause, you must take the time to investigate what could have caused the drop and develop a strategy to fix it moving forward. To ensure the best outcomes possible and keep your website headed in the right direction, consider enlisting an experienced and knowledgeable SEO professional who can help strategize for lasting success. Can’t figure out what’s going on with your rankings? ATMA can help — we’re here to guide you through every step of this process from start to finish. Don’t let another minute go by without taking steps toward achieving higher search engine visibility.

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By Leslie Radford