Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
Massive unexplained organic traffic drop; disappeared from Google
-
Hi there,
Our site has experienced a huge organic traffic drop, specifically from Google. The drop occurred on Feb 19 and I've got no clue why it happened. We have not made any significant changes to the website and it doesn't look like there was an algorithm update last week.We don't have any Google penalties or indexing issues noted, and the drop isn't specific to any particular segment/region/keyword.
What am I missing? Any advice or insight is super duper appreciated. Our site is a Wordpress/WooCommerice e-commerce site with a blog and long-standing #1 ranks for keywords related to our main product offering.
-
@gooday2day it is very interesting! can I ask you couple of more questions separately?
-
Experiencing a sudden drop in organic traffic can be incredibly frustrating and alarming, especially when it seems to happen out of nowhere. It's essential to delve deep into the analytics and explore potential causes behind this phenomenon. Sometimes, it could be due to algorithm updates or technical issues on the website that hinder its visibility on search engines like Google. Engaging with SEO experts or seeking assistance from Google's Webmaster Tools might shed some light on the situation and help in devising a strategy to recover the lost traffic. Hang in there, and don't lose hope – solutions often emerge once the problem is thoroughly investigated and understood. Click Here
-
Sorry to hear about the traffic drop. It's always frustrating when it happens out of the blue. It usually has to do with Google algorithm updates, it might have affected your site. Also, monitor your competitors' sites and do a comparative analysis to see if they've experienced similar drops. Capturing screenshots of the results can help track changes visually and have them handy. For example, with the screenshot api I use, I have folders with names and dates, nicely organized to save time. Compare these screenshots to identify any differences that might shed light on the issue. And of course, there's a Google Core update announced for March, so we all might experience more fluctuations. Hope this one will be kinder to your site.
-
@katelynroberts Google released core and spam updates. These might be the reason for the fall.
-
Certainly! Here are some brief SEO-friendly tips to prevent traffic loss on your website:
Regularly Update Content: Keep your website content fresh and relevant to attract search engine crawlers and engage your audience.
Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your site is mobile-friendly, as Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing. A responsive design improves user experience and search rankings.
Improve Page Speed: Faster-loading pages improve user satisfaction and search engine rankings. Optimize images, use browser caching, and consider a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
Social Media Integration: Promote your content on social media platforms. Social signals can indirectly impact search rankings, and social media is an excellent way to drive traffic.
Remember, SEO is an ongoing process, and staying informed about industry trends and algorithm updates is crucial for long-term success.
-
Experiencing a massive unexplained organic traffic drop can be concerning, especially if your website has disappeared from Google search results. alongside other can serve as reminders to investigate potential causes such as algorithm updates, technical issues, or penalties. Consult SEO experts and webmasters to diagnose the problem promptly and implement strategies to restore organic traffic and visibility on Google.
-
may be a new update coming soon
-
@Nidhibng said in Massive unexplained organic traffic drop; disappeared from Google:
A sudden and significant drop in organic traffic can be caused by a variety of factors, including algorithm changes, technical issues, and penalties from Google. It is important to conduct a thorough analysis of website analytics, backlinks, and content quality to identify the root cause and take corrective actions to regain lost visibility.
A sudden and notable decrease in organic traffic may stem from various factors such as algorithm shifts, technical glitches, or Google penalties. Analyzing website analytics, backlinks, and content quality is vital to pinpoint the issue and implement necessary measures for restoring visibility.
-
Have you checked your search console updates any time soon? Could've happened if a load of your pages couldn't get indexed . Happened with my https://code-b.dev/ blog page content. 3-4 pages didn't get indexed . Luckily , i saw the error soon enough and replaced the fault ( wrong links in the blog , material used isn't attributed ) could be anything else in your case. My point - Make sure keep an eye on your pages showing error , which could eventually not get your pages indexed .
-
A sudden and significant drop in organic traffic can be caused by a variety of factors, including algorithm changes, technical issues, and penalties from Google. It is important to conduct a thorough analysis of website analytics, backlinks, and content quality to identify the root cause and take corrective actions to regain lost visibility.
-
The first thing to do is not panic.
Check your Google Search Console if there is any manual penalty you have got in the security and manual actions.
Second use any tool like AHREFS, SEMRush, etc, and try to find which are the most affected keywords on which you are losing traffic and rankings. Search them on Google choose at least 10 top competitors and analyze their pages. Find the gap between your page and theirs. You will get an idea of why you are losing and why they are ranking. And if there are any new websites which is currently ranking then it will be more easy for you to understand.
3rd do a complete audit of your backlinks profile, especially the Anchor Text distributions. If you have a lot of Exact Match Anchors try to fix them.
4th - Update your content with fresh, unique, and useful content.
5th - If you are an e-Commerce you can add some informatonal blogs and interlink to Category pages. Also, re-optimize the category pages after analyzing your competitors.
(I hope this will help)
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Strange Traffic Movements
Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on this... I'm working with a client whose website is experiencing some odd organic traffic patterns. See screenshot attached. As you can see, there was a sudden cliff fall about a month ago, and then it recovered (almost) entirely. Then, a month to the day later, the same thing happened again. What is the likelihood that this is a data glitch vs an algorithm thing? Any light you can shed on this would be appreciated. Thanks,
Search Behavior | | mhenshall
Marc
Screenshot 2023-08-18 at 09.37.26.png image url)0 -
How .ae and .com domain in SEO performance for UAE region?
I have a domain for my UAE based project called https://mydubaiseo.com/ and however, one of my colleagues suggested going with .ae option.
Technical SEO | | 0eup.ombitao
Whether if we change the domain like as suggested get earlier results than .com domain or what?\Which domain .com or .ae ranks faster in UAE location if the SEO strategies followed in the same way?0 -
HUGE spike in Google Analytics Traffic
Hi there, I am witnessing a giant spike in my Google Analytics data (website: www.exchangecapital.com ) and I am completely stumped. My website usually gains roughly 15-20 visitors a day at most--and as of 11:10 am today my sessions for the day are up to 150. The traffic spike started on Friday at 132 sessions, Saturday at 261, Sunday at 247, etc. It's common that our sessions don't even hit the double digits over the weekends, so you can imagine my confusion. After trying to pin down some irregularities in geography, browser, and behavior, I'm still at a loss. I'm seeing a big spike in organic traffic (all not provided), as well as direct page visits, and I'm gaining traffic from US, Brazil, United Kingdom, Mexico, Spain, Malaysia, etc. etc--so not just one specific area. Is anyone else witnessing this in their data? Does anyone have any insight or ideas as to how I can look further into this? I am at a loss and any information would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! Lauren McLaughlin
Search Behavior | | LMcLaughlin0 -
& And + symbols - How does Google read these?
How does/can Google read the plus and ampersand symbols? For instance if I optimise a webpage for 'black & white football' and another page for 'black + white football' would there be any difference in ranking position? Does Google take notice of such symbols or will it only pick up on the keywords 'black white football'?
Search Behavior | | Adam_SEO_Learning0 -
Free Tool that allows you to compare traffic for multiple websites
I'm banging my head on this one. In the past I was able to use Compete.com, Quancast, Google Trends, and Alexa, but now all these sites either required you to have Pro membership (pay) or they discontinue it like Google Trends for website. I need to do this comparison for one of my client... their traffic versus 4 of their competitors. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Have a blessed Day, Benny
Search Behavior | | ACann1 -
Industry Benchmarks for Google Analytics
Hey Mozites! I was wondering if anyone has come across any good resources for industry benchmarks relating to google analytics? (Social stats would be great as well, but Google Analytics is my main concern) Specifically, I have a client that is a bank and I would love to be able to compare their stats (traffic, unique visitors, bounce rate, time on site, conversion rates...) to other regional banks. Any ideas? Thanks for reading and for your help!
Search Behavior | | iBecC0 -
My website disappears off google!
So this might be kinda of a weird question... Every morning and night I check the ranking of a website that I am building.. The ranking has gone up a lot the last two months. It went from the fifth page to now the second page. I have a issue where some days I check Google my website is completely gone! I go through every page for my keyword and it's not there! After a couple of days of frustration I check again and all of a sudden it is there but now at a higher ranking... I went through the code to make sure there's a not a not follow code in the robots.txt page... Btw another weird thing is so then I look up my website on a google out of country like google.sg and I'm ranking first page like number 5 but again disappeared off google usa. Literally driving my crazy.. does anyone know why this could be? Btw the first time it disappeared I went into webmasters and sent a request because I thought I got penalized but they responded they could not find any spam and I was NOT penalized...
Search Behavior | | BecCan0 -
What is your traffic mix?
Read Rand's post on the blog about diversity in traffic source http://www.seomoz.org/blog/traffic-source-diversity-is-essential-for-successful-seo. I would be very interested to know from mozzers, how their experience has been with traffic share. While you answer, please be kind enough to share the following: 1. The niche of the website you wish to quote in your answer. 2. The means of promotion you use (SEO, Social Media, PPC, Display, Affiliate) 3. The reason you think you cited this example and do you think it has been a success or a failure or somewhere in the middle? Appreciate your time, thanks.
Search Behavior | | saibose0