When rankings drop…your traffic is down. What’s the first thing to do?
Consider your options.
Step 1. Do You Want Someone Else To Handle SEO?
Do you want someone else to handle the search and rescue operation to figure out the problem and drive more traffic to your site?
If you don’t want to deal with all this DIY stuff, book a call. If you have other priorities and want this off your plate, get in touch with the Local View team. We are happy to analyze and revitalize your rankings.
Step 2. Do You Want To Handle SEO Yourself?
As seductive as it is to panic, scream, and head for the hills…if you see rankings drop, stay calm. Fluctuations are common, and there are specific steps to take to get your search engine optimization (SEO) heading in the right direction.
There are loads of steps that are advanced — but for now, start with the basics. Check to make sure that your site is communicating successfully. This is called a 200-series status code. It means that your site is operating correctly.
You can use a free tool like HTTP Status Code Checker to confirm everything is A-OK.
Step 3. Look at Super Simple Fixes First
Check all the SEO basics to make sure something super simple isn’t the source of your rankings dropping.
Check title tags. Are they all correct?
Check meta descriptions. Are they optimized?
Check headings. Are they displaying correctly?
These are not huge fixes or extremely technical. Fix these essential issues and you may notice that search performance rises in tandem.
Step 4. Check on Google’s Updates
Google is known for being updated constantly. If you obsess about this, you might never sleep. But you could track SEO news sources and follow people who are compulsively in the know about google’s algorithm.
If everyone is screaming about their website performance, Google has likely switched things up overnight. Check Twitter. Type in “google algorithm update” and see what the newest changes are.
Hang tight. Keep on with the basic principles of providing value, offering unique content, checking site functionality, and tracking the loading time…and you will ride the storm.
Step 5. Check The Console (GSC)
GSC stands for Google Search Console. This is a free service that Google offers. It helps you optimize your site’s visibility, as well as monitor and maintain your site.
You can measure search traffic and performance. The tool helps you fix issues and as stand out with shining perfection.
If this whole process is making you feel a little queasy, please reach out to us. At Local View, we get it — techy fixes are not everyone’s thing. We are here to help – and when your rankings tank, it is natural to feel kind of funky until problems get identified and fixed.
Step 6. Visit Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a service from Google that enables you to see under the hood. You can identify how people find your site, what they do on your site, and what happens that makes them leave.
Sometimes these changes are from internal changes – like someone in your office changing the site design or removing content. It’s not fun to realize that the source of the problem originates inside, but at least you’ll know what’s what.
Step 7. Evaluate Website Content
When you look at content, look at how long people engage with your content. If you notice that people don’t stay on pages for long, it could mean your content needs help.
Consider adding more relevant content. Think about hiring expert writers to develop unique articles. Look at visually engaging your audience with infographics, photos, and diagrams.
Step 8. Investigate Online Reputation
If your search rankings drop suddenly, check on your online reputation. Have you just gotten an unfavorable review?
Instead of waiting for a poor review to affect your business, protect your reputation in advance.
Set up reputation management software before you need it…you’ll be so grateful you did.
Step 9. Evaluate For Mobile
People are impatient, especially mobile users. If your site takes too long to load, you could be losing traffic just because of the site speed.
To improve loading speeds, check out Google’s PageSpeed Insights. You’ll get key suggestions to shorten site speed.
Google has a great free tool called Mobile Friendly test. This test offers feedback to help your site achieve top marks for being mobile-friendly. This can include actions such as removing pop-ups, fixing content, and removing content that doesn’t help mobile users.
If loading speed and mobile friendliness are a problem, there are some high-tech geeky moves to optimize images and text. If you are getting blurry-eyed just reading about this, let Local View make your site load like lighting.
Step 10. Revisit Your Backlink Profile
Backlinks provide information to search engines. According to Neil Patel, backlinks are like the currency of SEO. Valuable backlinks to authority sites like CNN, CDC, and other government sites can show that your site matters and is trusted by other people.
On the other hand, if you have no authority links or a lot of links to questionable or spammy sites, it can hurt your rankings.
In Conclusion
If your search engine rankings drop, take these 10 practical steps. Stay calm. Don’t freak out. We understand how tough this can be, but stressing won’t help solve the issue.
We are here to help you identify the source of the problem, handle the basics, explore the super techy interventions, and move the needle back in the right direction.
The team at Local View is here to help you recover if your search rankings drop. Don’t wait until things get better on their own – this is the time to call us. Let’s talk today.