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
-
Unsolved Mobile Rankings for me and competitors disappear in Moz but still ranking.
Hi, I'm trying to create an SEO report for my client however their mobile rankings have completely disappeared for Google Mobile rankings. Competitors rankings have disappeared as well. Could this be a Moz configuration issue?
Moz Pro | | baddjuju0 -
Google Capital - Antitrust Conspiracy
I think we all have heard about Thumbtack breaking the rules w/ badges. Getting deindexed, then getting a 100M injection from Google capital and having the penalties removed: https://techcrunch.com/2014/08/20/service-marketplace-thumbtack-raises-100m-round-led-by-google-capital/ Our primary competitor is a different marketplace backed by Google Capital. Does anyone know of any low frequency products (reliant on SEO) backed Google Capital that has not won out within search? (i.e. is there any hope of competing against a low frequency marketplace after they have Google Capital backing?)
Search Behavior | | MarketGrowth0 -
Unsolved Have we been penalised?
Hey Community, We need help! Have we been penalised, or is there some technical SEO issue that is stopping our service pages from being properly read? Website: www.digitalnext.com.au In July 2021, we suffered a huge drop in coverage for both short and longtail keywords. We thought that this could have been because of the link spam, core web vitals or core update around that time period. SEMRush: https://gyazo.com/d85bd2541abd7c5ed2e33edecc62854c
Technical SEO | | StevenLord
GSC: https://gyazo.com/c1d689aff3506d5d4194848e625af6ec There is no manual action within GSC and we have historically ranked page 1 for super competitive keywords. After waiting some time thinking it was an error, we have then have taken the following actions: Launched new website. Rewrote all page content (except blog posts). Ensured each page passes core web vitals. Submitted a backlink detox. Removed a website that was spoofing our old one. Introduced strong pillar and cluster internal link structure. After 3 months of the new website, none of our core terms has come back and we are struggling for visibility. We still rank for some super long-tail keywords but this is the lowest amount of visibility we have had in over 5 years. Every time we launch a blog post it does rank for competitive keywords, yet the old keywords are still completely missing. It almost feels like any URLs that used to rank for core terms are being penalised. So, I am wondering whether this is a penalisation (and what algorithm), or, there is something wrong with the structure of our service pages for them to not rank. Look forward to hearing from you
Steven0 -
Higher rankings, low traffic
Hello There, My question is the following: How come my rankings are much higher than when I started with the optimization process (1 year ago) but my organic traffic is lower compared to the previous year (it didn't increase at all)? NB - I haven’t received any penalization and the keywords I am targeting are definitively searched and are the most important for my company. Thanks a lot 🙂
Search Behavior | | Midleton0 -
Tool Recommendations for Traffic Estimations
Hi Mozzers, Would appreciate your input on a tool (free or paid) that provides accurate information on the volume of traffic (paid and organic) that a site is getting every month. It would be nice if the tool can also provide data on the pages with most traffic (and number) page wise for a website? Cheers, SEO5..
Search Behavior | | SEO5Team0 -
Google keyword planner shows low search volumes
Hello, There are some terms that you'd expect to see a lot of results. In fact, in the old days of Keyword Tool, I recall seeing thousands of results for a keyword like "anderson cooper". Today, I see a small amount as a monthly average. Am I doing something wrong? All I really want to do is find search volumes on particular keywords either globally or local to a country. And it's proving soo hard! 😞 Screen_Shot_2013_11_26_at_11_13_20_PM.png
Search Behavior | | mhamilton0 -
What is the best way of tracking direct traffic coming from print ads?
I have numerous print ads running and I would like to see which ads are sending traffic to my site. What is the best way of doing this? Redirects? Is this a recommended practice? Thanks!
Search Behavior | | Lael0