Google traffic plummeted on Sunday - what can I do?

[2bloggers]

On Sunday, my google traffic plummeted. I was getting 320 hits a day from Google on my best days - my site is just about to turn 3 months old so I was thrilled with that. On Sunday it was 110 and I think it is getting worse. Edit: Yep, yesterday was 65.

Google Webmasters shows the drop today. One day, my impressions were 5,500 and the next just 1,000. Yikes. My traffic is so depressing now after so much hard work.

Is this Google Panda? What can I do? I have no idea why this happened. I am getting several quality backlinks a week, sometimes a day.

[2bloggers]

Yes I am doing my best to add value. Tips, reviews, info - and only the best deals on the best products that moms love. I know moms like my site based on the response. Plus - the big deal sites (DA: 68-73) are using my deals and giving me backlinks.  I write from a first person point of view and I don't do paid posts or anything like that. My site is better than some ranking on the first page right now - sites that don't update frequently on some category pages, that have very little content, go off-topic just to make money, but high DA because they are older sites.

How can I nofollow my affiliate links? I have about 600 posts. I can't go back and do it one by one.

[MarieHaynes]

Affiliate sites are often prime targets for Panda.  IMO the only way to succeed with an affiliate site is if you are adding plenty of value along with the affiliate products.  Sites that use the stock product descriptions and add little else will not do well.  For your products make sure that people are able to get much more value out of reading the information on your site than they can on other sites who sell the same products.

Also, make sure that your affiliate links are nofollowed.  But, this is not likely the cause for your traffic drop.

[2bloggers]

A honeymoon boost does make sense. I am getting some awesome backlinks but my Domain Authority is 17 and I have been on the first page with sites that are 40+. However, I attributed that to the backlinks.

I am still on the first page for my main keyword. Not getting much traffic but at least I have that.

I have no copied content whatsoever. But I do have a lot of affiliate links that are not cloaked as my blog is deal/coupon related with an audience of moms.

[MarieHaynes]

This can be really common for a new domain.  Often Google will give a new site a boost in the SERPS to see how it does and how users interact with it.  Then, after a few weeks or months it can decrease to its rightful place.  My guess is that this is what has happened.  However, it can only be a guess without having a deeper look.

Panda is a potential issue as well although we don't really know how this "10 day rollout" works.  It seems to me that most sites that were affected by Panda this time were affected on July 18 but I suppose the 20th is possible as well.  If you have a lot of content that is copied from other sites then I would think Panda is a high possibility.  Otherwise I'm guessing it is just that you had a honeymoon boost.

[jesse-landry]

Well what's the domain? I'd be happy to take a look

[2bloggers]

Thanks. I have been trying to build proper, awesome content and links and google was loving me. I just don't get why all of a sudden everything plummeted.

[jesse-landry]

Build proper, awesome content and links. That's what you can do and the best thing we can suggest without any further info.

Also don't rely on GWT for any sort of actual data. (Or GA for that matter COUGH 'not provided' COUGH)

[Jonathan_Murrell]

Hi,

Could you share the URL?  It does seem like your site might have been affected by Panda. Panda was rolled out on Thursday, but might not have affected you until Sunday since this Panda update is being rolled out over a 10 day period.  What kind of content have you focused on?

[KevinBudzynski]

You said your site was only 3 months old--it could be a reverse sandbox effect. Also, the last algo update was on July 12 (possibly) and it could of moved it around.

[dashesndots]

Can you share your site url so we can take a look.

Tracy