Different landing page "stole" keyword.
-
Hi everyone.
So I optimized and used the on-page grader for landing page A. I got it down from 15 to 9 on its ranking. Weirdly, that keyword and landing page A tanked to 60 on its ranking, seemingly overnight. While this was all happening, landing page B, which was never optimized for this keyword, effectively "stole" the keyword and it now has a ranking of 9 for this keyword.
As I see it, this keyword and landing page B don't match as well as the keyword and landing page A, but I don't want to lose the increased organic traffic I now receive.
Does anyone have insight to this or direct me to an already answered question regarding this?
Thanks a ton,
-Josh
-
Ruth,
Thanks for the advice and help. I'll run analyses of both landing pages and see why this could happening and then continue to work with page B to further optimize it.
-Josh
-
Linda has a good point: on-page factors are only one element that determines whether a page will rank for a given phrase. Have you changed your internal linking recently? It could be that your site is sending signals that Page B is much more important than Page A, based on how you're linking to each internally. Page B may also have more external links.
One other hypothesis: Google may be deciding that even though Page A targets the keyword phrase more directly, Page B matches the intent of the search better. Take a look at the other pages that rank for that term - are they thematically closer to page A or page B?
I would recommend altering page B to better serve the new search traffic that you're getting from this phrase, rather than attempting to get page A ranking again.
-
It is hard to answer without seeing the pages in question, but there are ranking factors other than on-page that affect position. Maybe page B was less optimized but had a better backlink profile, for example.
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
-
Different audiences with same keywords
**How do wedding venue owners Google for a "restroom trailer rental" different than someone who is planning out their own event? I want to give venues an exclusive offer. Any tips on how they search for it different than regular users? **
Keyword Research | | Joseph-Green-SEO0 -
Keyword tracking for all keywords that contain a specific keyword
Hello, Is it possible to see keyword performance for all keywords that contain a specific phrase? Then see which landing page each keyword is most likely associated to? Thanks!
Keyword Research | | STP_SEO0 -
Sudden keyword rankings drop
Hi, My latest MOZ report has indicated there has been a significant drop in ranking for 65 keywords, some by as much as 30 places. This is not something I have experienced before and seems very drastic. Is there a reasonable explanation or fix for this? Thanks for any advice!
Keyword Research | | cudge0 -
Help needed on the keyword research tool
I am running the keyword research tool and the Google AdWords Broad Match Google AdWords Exact Match are coming up unavailable,i live in South Africa and i use this software for clients here, every time I run this it doesn't show, why...............? its not my internet, I have a 10mb line, even when I refresh the page it doesnt pick the volumes up Capturehelp.JPG
Keyword Research | | nick_pageone0 -
How can I get a list of keywords related to my specific keyword?
With a keyword such as 'vacant land,' how can I find related keywords?
Keyword Research | | Jeraldine0 -
On Page Optimization
Hey its question time for me today.....lol, I an using the SEOmoz On Page Optimization Tool and so far I have optimized my home page for one term"web design edinburgh" started at an F now its an A (Good Boy!) So I wasn wondering what poeples views were on the best way to do this? What I was thinking about doing was optimizing my site for 1 main Keyword/ Phrase per page. For instance Home Page - Keyphrase - "web design edinburgh" Web Design Page - "Web Development" not sure to make it" web development" or "web development edinburgh" SEO page - "Search Engine Optimisation" and so on........ So I would end up with a potential of say 6 landing pages each optimised for a certain keyword/phrase! Is this a good idea, or is there a better method I could employ? Thanks for sharing again. Kind Regards, Craig Fenton IT
Keyword Research | | craigyboy0 -
How do I find traffic for local keywords?
We're having trouble finding reliable traffic numbers for long-tail local keywords (ex. - "computer repair green bay"). We tried using Google Insights but it doesn't display long-tail keyword information, only broad keyword keywords searched for in a certain locale. We also tried using Wordtracker, but that hasn't been too reliable either. Is there a single tool that provides real traffic for local long-tail keywords?
Keyword Research | | optimalwebinc0