Many online brands have been there!
One moment, you’re enjoying incredibly high Google rankings – popping among the first listings for relevant search terms. Then, in one fell swoop, your website plunges several positions on search engine result pages (SERPs).
Navigating sudden Google ranking drops can be extremely challenging. It’s particularly difficult for first-timers, and considering that these unfortunate events may result from multiple factors.
But of more significance is moving swiftly to restore your reputation. Deplorable rankings can hurt your online visibility and, by extension, the bottom line.
We’ve prepared a beginner’s guide on how to recover from sudden Google ranking drops. Each solution precedes the root cause, enabling you to prescribe the right intervention and restore your visibility swiftly.
1. Determine If Your Rankings Have Truly Dropped
Has your website actually experienced a sudden Google ranking drop, or has that always been its SERP position? That’s a fundamental question to settle before implementing any remediation measure.
Thankfully, you can deploy several free tools to determine if your website has plunged lower in Google rankings.
For instance, Google Search Console lets you track the site’s overall performance based on the keywords you typically rank for. Simply head to “Performance” and then “Search Results” to view your current Google ranking for the target keywords.
Some Google Search Console alternatives include Keyword-Tools.org and Sitechecker. Both options provide insights into your current, unpersonalized online visibility by analyzing your domain and keywords.
For more extensive diagnostics, you can utilize paid Google rank drop assessment tools like SEMrush, SE Ranking, and Ahrefs.
While using Google ranking analytics tools, don’t just focus on your current position on search results. Be sure to also assess other technical metrics like impressions, clicks, and click-through rates (CTRs). Moreover, use an incognito mode and analyze your rankings in different locations. This helps avoid skewed results.
2. Identify the Most Impacted Elements
A sudden Google ranking drop may result from one or several reasons. To implement the best remediation, you must understand the most impacted elements. Again, this is another area where you can leverage Google Search Console.
Head to Google Search Console and proceed to the “Performance” report. Here, you can learn about the specific web pages or keywords that took the biggest hit. Assume that your website has dropped in rankings because of policy changes that render your products illegal or obsolete. Ideally, such ranking dips should impact your ‘Services Page’ and not necessarily the ‘About Us’ or ‘Contact Us’ page.
But since webpages are intertwined, a drop in a single page’s online visibility impacts the entire website. Checking “Manual Actions” on Google Search Console may also reveal if you’ve suffered penalties, while the indexing report can uncover hidden crawl errors. It’s also important to probe the actual time that your website experienced a sudden ranking drop. That underscores the significance of regular SEO audits.
3. Improve Your Content’s Quality
The phrase content is king isn’t universal. Rather, it strictly applies to high-quality, people-first publications.
In fact, Google’s Panda algorithms detest thin and low-quality content. These programs are intelligent enough to distinguish publications that provide real value for users and those targeted exclusively for search engine optimization (SEO).
A good starting point is to review freshly authored blogs and articles extensively before publishing them. Avoid write-ups with very low word count, deplorable grammar, and keyword stuffing.
Besides, polish published content iteratively.
Most importantly, keep updated on Google’s fundamentals for creating helpful content. The search engine typically favors posts that fulfill the following criteria;
E – xperience
E – xpertise
A – uthoritativeness
T – rustworthiness
4. Update Old Content
When was the last time you audited your blogs for old or obsolete information?
Multiple studies have shown that online user behaviors are constantly changing. To keep up with emerging dynamics, it’s best to update posts that no longer align with the current intent.Google algorithms are always working in the background to analyze web content based on freshness and relevance.
If your website no longer provides real value to your audience, it will certainly get pushed lower on search engine result pages. Note that updating old content goes beyond surface-level actions like adjusting stats. It calls for more technical amendments, such as submitting your URLs for re-indexing and updating your Google Business Profiles.
5. Redistribute Keywords
Google ranks websites based on their target keywords. However, that’s not an excuse to keyword-stuff your content.
Excessive, unnatural use of keywords can lead to a significant Google ranking drop. As a general rule, sprinkle the primary short-tail keywords after 100 words. Longer-tail phrases should be integrated less frequently (preferably every 200 words). Replace stuffed keywords with their variations, focusing on geo-specific search terms for local SEO.
Distributing keywords uniformly lets you target your content both for online users and search engines. Avoid keyword cannibalism, too. This happens when multiple pages on your website compete for the same keywords, reducing the content’s relevance and usability for online visitors.
6. Audit Backlinks
Backlinks serve as authoritative bridges between your website and other online platforms. High-quality links are a stamp of credibility, improving your website’s Google rankings and overall online reputation. However, backlinks can be lost or corrupted over the passage of time. And depending on their quality, a lost URL can impact your Google search rankings significantly.
That explains why regular backlink auditing is a fundamental small business digital marketing strategy. Use SEO tools like Ahrefs to diagnose backlink issues, such as broken internal links and spammy URLs. A 404 error is solid proof that your website requires an immediate backlink update. If your diagnosis uncovers harmful or spammy URLs, utilize the Google Disavow Tool to disavow such links. You may also want to build new links afresh. This is highly encouraged where certain URLs are lost or irreparably damaged.
7. Perform Technical SEO Audits
A comprehensive, technical SEO audit may uncover hidden content issues that could be hampering your Google search engine rankings. Start by checking for accidental robots.txt files or noindex tags.
These incidents can block Google’s search engine bots from freely crawling your website, throwing the site lower on SERPs. They’re typically due to recent web migrations or redesigns. Fortunately, there are multiple SEO audit tools at your disposal. Just ensure you pick an application designed for technical audits.
Next, optimize your website for mobile devices. With over 90% of online users accessing their social accounts via smartphones, it’s understandable why Google algorithms favor mobile-friendly content. Remember to also audit your website’s load speed. Determine that your site meets Google’s Core Web Vitals for load speed, which is three seconds or less.
8. Fix A GBP Policy Violation
A Google Business Profile policy violation may also lead to a sudden decrease in Google rankings. The ranking drop happens when the search engine company restricts access to your GBP or delists it altogether, making it invisible to potential customers.
Guideline violations are the leading cause of a GBP suspension. For instance, using a Post Office (PO) Box or virtual office address rather than a physical address will most certainly hurt your online search rankings. Suspensions may also be due to suspicious activity, such as drastic changes in your GBP business details. Other possible causes include keyword stuffing and algorithm changes. Identify and remediate the GBP policy violation. Then, appeal for a reinstatement via the “Help” tool on your profile.
9. Align with Recent Algorithm Changes
Google is constantly updating its search algorithms to align with emerging user behaviors and the company’s content policy. Each update improves access to relevant, high-quality, and people-first content for online users. Use SEO tools like MozCast or SEMrush Sensor to determine if your website’s poor ranking is due to a recent Google algorithm update. If yes, adjust the content to align with the new algorithm requirements.
Most algorithm changes seek to combat spam. So, assess your website for spammy content (such as keyword and link stuffing) and amend as required. Besides, Google may undertake algorithm updates to relist websites based on their load speeds and mobile-friendliness. Understanding how a recent change impacts your site is critical in finding the right solution.
10. Remove Malware
Any digital marketing campaign would be incomplete without a robust cybersecurity plan. And with hackers consistently perfecting their craft, security audits should be an ongoing process rather than occasional events. Google will directly issue warnings if it suspects your website is infected by malware.
Timely notifications, such as “This site may harm your computer,” are your cue to probe the alert further. Head to myaccount.google.com/security-checkup to learn more about the reported incident. Other signs your website could be infected include; Suspicious activities, such as unauthorized logins, failed logins, sent emails you didn’t write, Unusual traffic spikes, or Suspicious redirects usually to malicious sites.
The good news is that many AI marketing tools come with robust anti-hacking capabilities. By deploying these programs, you can forestall breaches and prevent your website from experiencing sudden Google ranking drops.
Addressing Google Ranking Drop Swiftly For Optimized Visibility
Low search engine rankings can reduce your organic website traffic significantly, impacting your online visibility. Poor visibility may set off a chain of adverse reactions, including losing valuable potential clients. As noted, a sudden drop in Google rankings may be due to multiple factors. Understanding the root cause is a critical step towards remediating the problem. If you can’t figure out the underlying cause behind sudden Google ranking drops, you can always enlist professional help.
Seek out a reputable digital marketing strategist with a proven record of helping similar businesses recover their online visibility. Besides, the agency must possess in-depth knowledge of on-page, Off-Page, and technical SEO. Needless to mention, choose a company that already enjoys high Google rankings.
