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,
Marc
image url) -
@chuangmaeo Sorry for replying so late. you can contact me by visiting www.suvidit.com and please do add this communication reference.
-
@mhenshall said in 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,
MarcThe sudden fluctuations in organic traffic on your client's website could be due to various factors, and without more data and analysis, it's challenging to pinpoint the exact cause. It could be a combination of both data glitches and algorithmic changes. Further investigation, including reviewing content, backlinks, and any recent algorithm updates, may help provide more clarity. (best digital marketing agency) ( SEO Expert) (SEO Services)
-
Strange traffic movements can encompass a wide range of unusual and unexpected actions on the road. These can include erratic lane changes, sudden stops without apparent cause, excessively slow driving in fast lanes, and aggressive maneuvers. Such behavior can be dangerous and may indicate impaired driving, distraction, or road rage. It's essential for all road users to stay alert, practice defensive driving, and report any suspicious or dangerous traffic movements to the appropriate authorities to maintain road safety.(Canada PR)(aviation jobs in Canada) (study abroad) PMP Exam Prep ( best digital marketing agency
-
Cultural experiences in the Maldives tour package also extend to the preservation of the natural environment. Many resorts and local communities actively participate in marine conservation and environmental protection efforts. Visitors can engage in eco-friendly activities such as coral planting and beach clean-ups, fostering a sense of responsibility for the Maldives' fragile ecosystems.
-
Strange traffic movements on a website can be a cause for concern, as they may indicate potential security issues, bot activity, or other abnormal behavior. It's important for website administrators to closely monitor their site's traffic patterns and investigate any unusual movements.
-
Strange traffic movements on a website can be a cause for concern, as they may indicate potential security issues, bot activity, or other abnormal behavior. It's important for website administrators to closely monitor their site's traffic patterns and investigate any unusual movements.
(best digital marketing agency)
Common examples of strange traffic movements might include sudden spikes in traffic from unusual geographic locations, a high number of clicks on specific links or buttons, or repetitive actions by users that seem automated.Addressing these strange movements promptly is essential to protect the integrity of the website, user data, and overall user experience. Implementing security measures like firewalls, anti-bot solutions, and regular security audits can help mitigate the risks associated with unusual traffic behavior.
SEO Expert
Additionally, analyzing website analytics and user behavior can provide insights into the root causes of strange traffic movements, allowing website owners to take appropriate action, such as blocking suspicious IP addresses or implementing CAPTCHAs to deter automated bot traffic. Overall, vigilance and a proactive approach to website security are crucial in dealing with strange traffic movements. -
@Rehman-Khan-0
I also faced the same issue on my client's website https://alhaqglass.com/
This website was performing well but suddenly its traffic dropped. I investigated some lacks and I improved them one after the other. And Boom! The site started getting the same traffic as before.I would recommend you to find drawbacks in your client's site and fix them. It will help a lot.
Regards!
-
@mhenshall said in 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,
MarcHey Marc,
I understand your concern about the unusual organic traffic patterns your client's website is experiencing. It's difficult to determine the exact cause without more information, but I can offer some insights that might help you investigate further.
Firstly, it's essential to consider potential data glitches or tracking issues. Sometimes, sudden drops or spikes in traffic can occur due to inaccuracies in the data collection process. Double-checking your tracking tools and analytics settings can help ensure the accuracy of the data you're analyzing.
On the other hand, algorithm updates from search engines can also significantly impact organic traffic. It's not uncommon for search algorithms to be regularly tweaked or updated. These changes can cause fluctuations in a website's visibility and organic rankings, which might explain the patterns you observed. Stay updated with the latest industry news and search engine announcements to see if any major algorithm updates occurred around the time of the traffic changes.
Remember to consider other factors that could influence organic traffic. For instance, external events, seasonal fluctuations, changes in user behavior, or even technical issues with the website itself might contribute to the observed patterns.
To gain a better understanding of what caused the fluctuations, it's advisable to analyze additional data points such as referral sources, landing pages, and user engagement metrics. Looking for patterns in these areas might provide additional insights into the situation.
Lastly, reaching out to your client directly might be helpful as well. Inquire if they made any changes to their website, marketing efforts, or if they noticed any other unusual events during the periods of fluctuation. Their input can provide valuable context to support your investigative efforts.
I hope these suggestions help you in your analysis! Feel free to provide more details if you'd like further assistance.
i have been studying traffic in 2 different sectors i found this article very helpful
-
Hi Marc,
The fluctuations in organic traffic you're observing on your client's website can indeed be perplexing, and it's important to investigate the possible causes. I've seen your attached screenshot, I can provide some insights into potential reasons for such patterns.
-
Algorithm Updates: Google frequently updates its search algorithms, and these updates can have a significant impact on organic traffic. It's possible that your client's website was affected by an algorithm update that led to the initial drop in traffic. Subsequent recoveries may be due to adjustments made to the site's content or SEO strategy to align better with the new algorithm's requirements.
-
Seasonal Trends: Some industries and websites experience seasonal fluctuations in traffic. For example, e-commerce sites often see increased traffic during the holiday season. If your client's website is in an industry with seasonal trends, this could explain the recurring patterns you're observing.
-
Technical Issues: It's crucial to rule out any technical issues with the website, such as server downtime, broken links, or changes in the site's structure that might have occurred coincidentally. These technical issues can cause temporary drops in traffic.
-
Competitive Factors: Changes in the competitive landscape can also impact organic traffic. If competitors have made significant SEO improvements or launched marketing campaigns, it could affect your client's rankings and traffic.
-
Data Anomalies: While less common, data glitches or reporting errors can occur in analytics tools. It's essential to ensure that the data you're analysing is accurate. Verify if other analytics platforms or sources show similar trends.
To determine the cause of these traffic fluctuations, I recommend conducting a thorough SEO audit, including:
- Reviewing the website's technical health.
- Analyzing changes in content and backlinks.
- Monitoring Google Search Console for any messages or warnings.
- Checking for any recent algorithm updates from Google.
Additionally, consider tracking specific keyword rankings and engagement metrics to identify which pages or keywords may be affected the most.
In many cases, traffic fluctuations are part of the dynamic nature of SEO, and recovery can be achieved through strategic adjustments to your SEO approach. If the issue persists, it might be beneficial to consult with an experienced SEO professional who can provide tailored guidance based on a deeper analysis of your client's website and industry.
Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and staying vigilant and adaptable to changes is essential for long-term success.
Best regards,
Rehman K. -
-
Hi Marc,
The fluctuations in organic traffic you're observing on your client's website can indeed be perplexing, and it's important to investigate the possible causes. I've seen your attached screenshot, I can provide some insights into potential reasons for such patterns.
-
Algorithm Updates: Google frequently updates its search algorithms, and these updates can have a significant impact on organic traffic. It's possible that your client's website was affected by an algorithm update that led to the initial drop in traffic. Subsequent recoveries may be due to adjustments made to the site's content or SEO strategy to align better with the new algorithm's requirements.
-
Seasonal Trends: Some industries and websites experience seasonal fluctuations in traffic. For example, e-commerce sites often see increased traffic during the holiday season. If your client's website is in an industry with seasonal trends, this could explain the recurring patterns you're observing.
-
Technical Issues: It's crucial to rule out any technical issues with the website, such as server downtime, broken links, or changes in the site's structure that might have occurred coincidentally. These technical issues can cause temporary drops in traffic.
-
Competitive Factors: Changes in the competitive landscape can also impact organic traffic. If competitors have made significant SEO improvements or launched marketing campaigns, it could affect your client's rankings and traffic.
-
Data Anomalies: While less common, data glitches or reporting errors can occur in analytics tools. It's essential to ensure that the data you're analysing is accurate. Verify if other analytics platforms or sources show similar trends.
To determine the cause of these traffic fluctuations, I recommend conducting a thorough SEO audit, including:
- Reviewing the website's technical health.
- Analyzing changes in content and backlinks.
- Monitoring Google Search Console for any messages or warnings.
- Checking for any recent algorithm updates from Google.
Additionally, consider tracking specific keyword rankings and engagement metrics to identify which pages or keywords may be affected the most.
In many cases, traffic fluctuations are part of the dynamic nature of SEO, and recovery can be achieved through strategic adjustments to your SEO approach. If the issue persists, it might be beneficial to consult with an experienced SEO professional who can provide tailored guidance based on a deeper analysis of your client's website and industry.
Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and staying vigilant and adaptable to changes is essential for long-term success.
Best regards,
Rehman K. -
-
@Suvidit-Academy Can you check Google Analytics and Google Search Console regarding this oddity? there will answer everything. Learn more Ole777 Asia
-
The likelihood that the cliff falls in organic traffic are data glitches is low. It is more likely that they are caused by algorithm changes by Google.
Google makes changes to its algorithm all the time, and these changes can sometimes cause sudden fluctuations in organic traffic. The fact that the cliff falls happened on the same day of the month suggests that it is related to an algorithm change.
Here are some other possible reasons for the cliff falls in organic traffic:
- A new competitor entered the market and started ranking higher for your target keywords.
- One of your pages was penalized by Google for violating its quality guidelines.
- There was a technical issue with your website that caused it to lose ranking.
To determine the exact cause of the cliff falls, you can use a tool like Google Search Console to analyze your website's organic traffic data. You can also use a tool like SEMrush to track your website's ranking for your target keywords.
Once you have identified the cause of the cliff falls, you can take steps to address it.
- If the cause is an algorithm change, you may need to adjust your SEO strategy.
- If the cause is a new competitor, you may need to improve your content or your website's user experience.
- If the cause is a technical issue, you will need to fix the issue.
I hope it helps, for more help please feel free to interact.
Warm Regards
Rahul Gupta
Suvidit Academy
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
-
Migrating Subfolder content to New domain Safely
Hello everyone, I'm currently facing a challenging situation and would greatly appreciate your expertise and guidance. I own a website, maniflexa.com, primarily focused on the digital agency niche. About 3 months ago, I created a subfolder, maniflexa.com/emploi/, dedicated to job listings which is a completely different niche. The subfolder has around 120 posts and pages. Unfortunately, since I created the subfolder, the rankings of my main site have been negatively impacted. I was previously ranking #1 for all local digital services keywords, but now, only 2 out of 16 keywords have maintained their positions. Other pages have dropped to positions 30 and beyond. I'm considering a solution and would like your advice: I'm planning to purchase a new domain and migrate the content from maniflexa.com/emploi/ to newdomain.com. However, I want to ensure a smooth migration without affecting the main domain maniflexa.com rankings and losing backlinks from maniflexa.com/emploi/ pages. Is moving the subfolder content to a new domain a viable solution? And how can I effectively redirect all pages from the subfolder to the new domain while preserving page ranks and backlinks?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | davidifaso
I wish they did, but GSC doesn't offer a solution to migration content from subfolder to a new domain. 😢 Help a fellow Mozer. Thanks for giving a hand.0 -
Best SEO Structure For E-Commerce With Products Using Multiple Categories
Hi all, I am in the process of re-structuring my e-commerce website for better SEO and user experience. I have done some keyword research and would like some advice on how best to structure my site around those keywords. For example, my site (All Things Nature) sells a brand of wooden sculptures (Woodsculp) and I would like to rank for keywords related to that brand, the brand by animal, the brand by collection and the brand by release date.
Content Development | | nb2e4fg
Examples of keywords could be: Brand by Animal: Woodsculp Dogs, Woodsculp Cats, Woodsculp Elephants
Brand by Collection: Woodsculp Pets, Woodsculp Safari
Brand by Release Date: Woodsculp Christmas 2023, Woodsculp Summer 2022 I would create each of these keywords as a category so that they can be found by a search engine and by users. I would then structure as follows: All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp by Animal -> Woodsculp Dogs
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp by Animal -> Woodsculp Elephants
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp by Collection -> Woodsculp Pets
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp by Collection -> Woodsculp Safari
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp by Release Date -> Woodsculp Christmas 2023
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp by Release Date -> Woodsculp Summer 2022 The only problem with this structure is it would take more than 3 clicks (4) for the user to reach a product. How critical is this for good SEO and user experience? Would I be better off getting rid of the ‘Woodsculp by Animal’, ‘Woodsculp by Collection’ and ‘Woodsculp by Release Date’ categories? Structure would look as follows: All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp Dogs
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp Elephants
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp Safari
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp Christmas 2023 The only thing with this is there would be a lot of categories under the brand name which might make it more difficult for search engines and users to logically follow. Would I be better off getting rid of the brand category and replace them with the keyword categories? Structure would look as follows: All Things Nature -> Woodsculp by Animal -> Woodsculp Dogs
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp by Animal -> Woodsculp Elephants
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp by Collection -> Woodsculp Safari
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp by Release Date -> Woodsculp Christmas 2023 This would organise things more logically but I would then lose the brand category (and the potential of the brand keyword ranking?) Would I be better off choosing one main keyword to use as a category and then use tags for the other categories? Categories: All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp Dogs
All Things Nature -> Woodsculp -> Woodsculp Elephants Tags: Woodsculp Safari
Woodsculp Christmas 2023 The next issue I have is that I have products which could fall under several different categories. A product called Elijah Elephant, for example could fall under Woodsculp Elephants, Woodsculp Safari and Woodsculp Summer 2022. In previous e-commerce sites I have never assigned multiple categories to one product (I instead have used tags). Is it good practice to organise products under multiple categories for an e-commerce site? Thanks in advance for any help and advice.0 -
Put a 301 from /main to home page, now I'm panicking
Hi, Our website is 10 years old, but I only noticed last night we had a https://curveball-media.co.uk/main page which has some badly formatted copy on. I redirected (301) to the home page https://curveball-media.co.uk/ Then I had a slight panic that maybe this was the wrong thing to do and it should be like it was with the home page and the /main page. Should I have left it or did I do the right thing?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | curveballmedia0 -
Dark Traffic & Long URLs - Clarification
Hi everyone, I've been reading the 2017 report by Groupon and the 2017 article by Neil Patel r.e. dark traffic. Both of these articles work on the assumption that most long URLs are not direct traffic because people wouldn't type a long URL into their browser. However, what happens to me personally all the time is that I start typing a URL into the browser, and the browser brings up a list of pages I've visited recently, and I click on some super long URL that I didn't bookmark but have visited in the past. That is legitimate direct traffic, but it's a long URL. I'm just wondering if there's something flawed in my reasoning or in the reasoning of Patel and Groupon. Maybe most people aren't relying on browsers like I am, or maybe things have changed a lot in the past 3 years. What do you think? And are there any more recent resources/articles that you would recommend r.e. trying to parse out dark traffic? https://neilpatel.com/blog/dark-traffic-stealing-data/ Thanks!
Search Behavior | | LivDetrick0 -
Strange traffic.
We are a norwegian bakeshop (sykkelkompaniet.no) and we have started getting a lot of direct traffic from Miami and Chico. Wondering why, and suspect that someone is trying to hack our system. Any suggestions? We have never been in Chico or in Miami... and we don't spend anything on marketing so far, furthermore we don't ship to the US. The traffic is about 800 unique hits a day.
Search Behavior | | sykkelkompaniet0 -
What is Responsible for All My "Direct" Traffic?
We have a broad content site - the majority of our traffic overall comes in via deep links.Google analytics consistently shows 17-20% of daily traffic under the "direct" bucket, with the rest of the traffic about equally split between Referring sites and Organic search.However, if we look at the specific content in the "direct" bucket, the URLs that are being hit do tend to mirror rather closely the Search traffic. The close mapping to our Search traffic doesn't seem to make much sense - while some of it is probably bookmarks, it seems doubtful that that could be responsible for more than, say, 20% of this direct traffici based on the # of pages and types of pages (many of the pages that do well in search are honestly not ones that someone would be likely to bookmark). The traffic reported by google as "direct" for a given day tracks a lot closer to Search than Referral URLs (which tend to be he more viral content on our site). Any idea what could be causing this traffic to show as Direct? Do people tend to bookmark pages while doing searches to come back to them or something? THANKS everyone for the responses. Still not quite sure what it is, continuing to look into it, particularly technical issues that the link to the Avinash post might prove very helpful for
Search Behavior | | BG19850