For your website to succeed, SEO is a critical component. It can either be the key to success or the reason for your absence from Google.
Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to see your website's search ranking take a dive. It can happen suddenly, and it can be confusing.
Through this article, we will guide you through the reasons behind these drops in rankings and how you can get your website back on track. We will examine common reasons why rankings drop on Google, and suggest concrete solutions.
We'll take a closer look at algorithm updates, technical errors, content quality lapses, as well as the tricky issues surrounding backlinks, among other things.
Additionally, we'll show you how to identify the cause of unexpected drops in visibility, before moving on to the steps required for recovery.
Remember this: Maintaining a high ranking on Google is not for everyone. It requires continuous effort to stay ahead given the fierce competition and ever-changing SEO standards.
Mastering these methods ensures better visibility over time, paving the way for long-term success.
Why are you losing ranking on Google?
Updates to algorithms
Google search results can change drastically as a result of algorithm updates. The algorithms are complex sets of rules that rank websites relative to their competitors.
Each time Google implements an algorithm update, the displayed search results in relation to specific search queries may change. These changes can either be to your advantage or disadvantage. It's basically about how well you follow the guidelines set by Google for webmasters.
Algorithms may also react differently depending on specific data or changes made by website owners. It is therefore of the utmost importance to stay up to date on every change in order for your search engine optimization (SEO) to be up to date.
However, some things are constant. Every year the focus is still on high quality content rather than thin content, avoiding overusing keywords on a page and staying away from rule violations.
Technical problems
Technical glitches can really make your website lose positions in search engine rankings.
What are the most common culprits? Long loading times, a website that is not mobile friendly and broken links or code errors. If your website doesn't perform well, customers will be unhappy - and you risk getting a warning from Google.
It's important to keep an eye on the web design, observe the bounce rate of the pages for slow page load warnings, research who is visiting the pages from their phones and be alert for broken links that produce 404 error messages.
Using the latest server technology is also crucial – it can really speed up access, helping to naturally improve rankings and other benefits. Hiring an in-house or external web development team can also be helpful.
If you hit the spot on these technical points, people will enjoy using your website more. This means higher favorable placements on search engine results pages (SERPs). It's worth making sure to get all this just right.
The quality of the content
Google ranks websites based on the quality of their content.
Poorly written or low-value content can hurt your rankings. This includes pages with thin content, duplicate text, and pages overflowing with keywords.
What is meant by "thin" content? It is a page that does not have enough information to satisfy visitors' curiosity about a topic.
Duplicate content means you have similar versions of the same web page scattered across your site.
Then we have "keyword stuffing". It happens when target keywords are crammed into the text in a convoluted way just to trick search engines and rank higher for certain searches.
To maintain a high ranking even as algorithms change, always aim for top-notch content – fresh news stories or sharp new web posts. Keep it high quality 24/7.
Problems with backlinks
Google search rankings can take a hit when there are backlink issues.
If your website has malicious links from low quality pages or spam pages, it will be negatively affected. It damages the credibility and lowers the website's ranking.
On the other hand, having no relevant links at all is also bad news – no visibility means fewer clicks.
A previous Google update that removes some good links? It messes up even more by removing link authority.
Regularly checking your SEO backlink profile helps identify rogue or shady links early. If you find them quickly, you can remove or deny them after the necessary checks.
Creating engaging new content always pays to; people love to share cool things they find online, which naturally builds more quality inbound traffic.
Steps to recover lost rankings
Update the content
To recover from a drop in rankings, updating content is essential. It's about staying relevant and alert.
What does this mean? Well, you can renovate old materials or add new valuable points to them. Spice it up with visual elements—perhaps videos or infographics—for a little extra flair. And if something feels outdated, don't hesitate to replace it.
Remember to weave internal links throughout each page – they will guide visitors around your site by pointing them to related pages.
Finally, competitors may be on the lookout for new profitable keywords based on recent research; don't forget to include these when adjusting how you link externally on your site's pages.
Technical optimization
Fixing technical issues is critical to increasing your Google rankings. It's about making your website perform better in ways that benefit SEO.
First of all, make sure the website loads quickly and works well on mobile devices. Also fix any broken links - they hurt performance.
Don't forget to evaluate different parts of the website by analyzing the data. You may find that certain areas need updating or a total overhaul.
To keep it simple, be quick with action and monitor regularly. This approach will solve potential SEO problems from poor technical optimization. In addition, you increase the possibilities for more visibility through improved positions in the ranking.
Read more articles about SEO