What can I do to improve my website's keyword rankings and organic traffic?

[motivationgyan]

My website's keywords were ranking well, but now all the rankings have dropped, and the organic traffic is down to just 10 users. What should I do to fix this and improve my website's performance?"

 

[Ethernet Servers]

You should consider addressing the issues as below:

PageSpeed Insights

pagespeed.web.dev

PageSpeed Insights

pagespeed.web.dev

Ultimately, it is not all about SEO, but user experience - as a well built site is likely to encourage people to recommend your site to others, contributing to more traffic.

 

[HughBriggs]

Check for recent algorithm updates, website penalties, or technical issues like broken links or slow loading speeds. Review your content for relevance and quality, update outdated pages, and ensure proper keyword optimization. Analyze your backlinks for any harmful links and disavow them if needed. Use tools like Google Search Console to identify issues and focus on creating fresh, high-quality content to regain rankings and improve organic traffic.

 

[Goovdea]

You can try to raise the dropped requests through link pumping. I also recommend paying attention to PBN.

 

[Doesntsleep]

First of all, analyze the work you have done on the site in the interval between good and bad performance. Perhaps some of these works caused a deterioration in the ranking. Maybe the site has been penalized by search engines. Fix it.
Then determine which keywords have dropped in rank and check which of your competitors are now ranking ahead of you. Analyze their promotion strategy and maybe try to adopt it.

 

[ashleydent4u]

First, check if there was a Google algorithm update that might have impacted your rankings. Then, analyze your Google Search Console for any penalties, indexing issues, or lost backlinks. Run a site audit (using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google PageSpeed Insights) to check for technical issues, slow speed, or broken links. Also, review your competitors—did they improve their content or SEO strategy? Refresh and optimize your content, update outdated info, and ensure you're targeting the right keywords. Lastly, focus on quality backlinks and user engagement to regain your rankings!

 

[KarmaDomains]

My website's keywords were ranking well, but now all the rankings have dropped, and the organic traffic is down to just 10 users. What should I do to fix this and improve my website's performance?"

Most likely, it’s an issue with the quality and completeness of your content. The best approach is to check which sites are now ranking for those keywords and carefully compare their content with yours. This often provides some valuable insights.

 

[unitedweb]

My website's keywords were ranking well, but now all the rankings have dropped, and the organic traffic is down to just 10 users. What should I do to fix this and improve my website's performance?"

There are several potential reasons for this, and you'll need to take a systematic approach to diagnose the issue and improve your website's performance. Here's what you can do:

1. Check for Google Algorithm Updates

• Google Updates: Sometimes, Google makes algorithm changes that can cause rankings to shift. Make sure to check if there was a recent Google update (like the Core Update, Product Reviews Update, etc.) that might have impacted your website.
• Tools to Use: You can check resources like Moz, Search Engine Journal, and Google’s Search Central Blog for news on updates. You can also use tools like Rank Ranger or SEMrush to track your rankings and see if they correlate with a specific update.

2. Audit Your Website for Technical Issues

• Crawl Your Site: Run a technical SEO audit using tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefsto check for issues such as:
  • Crawl Errors: Broken links or pages that are not being crawled by Google.
  • Page Speed Issues: Slow-loading pages that may affect user experience and SEO.
  • Mobile Usability Issues: Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, so ensure your site is mobile-friendly.
  • Duplicate Content: Check if there are duplicate pages that might be diluting your content’s authority.
• Fix any issues that are identified in the audit. Google's Search Console can show you exactly which pages are having problems.

3. Analyze Keyword and Content Performance

• Keyword Cannibalization: Make sure you’re not targeting the same keywords on multiple pages. If you have multiple pages ranking for the same keywords, it can cause your rankings to drop.
• Content Relevance: Ensure that your content is still relevant and up to date. Google tends to favor fresh and informative content.
• Search Intent: Verify that the content matches the user intent behind your target keywords. Search intent changes over time, and your content needs to align with what users are searching for.

4. Backlink Profile Check

• Check Backlinks: Look at your backlink profile using Ahrefs, Moz, or Majestic. A loss in backlinks or having toxic backlinks can hurt your rankings.
• Toxic Backlinks: If you suspect that negative SEO tactics (like toxic or spammy backlinks) have been used against your site, you can disavow those links via Google Search Console.

5. Check Competitor Activity

• Competitor Analysis: Analyze what your competitors are doing and see if they’ve made any significant changes to their websites or content. Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to evaluate their backlinks, content, and keywords.
• Are they outranking you? If they’re providing more valuable content or have improved their SEO, you may need to update your site to better compete.

6. Review Google Search Console Data

• Performance Report: Use Google Search Console to see which queries are driving traffic to your site. Look for drops in impressions and clicks for your top-performing keywords.
• Index Coverage Issues: Ensure all your important pages are indexed properly. Pages not being indexed may cause a drop in traffic.
• Manual Actions: Check if Google has imposed any manual penalties on your site in the Search Console.

7. Improve User Experience (UX)

• Bounce Rate and Engagement:If users are bouncing off your site quickly, Google may interpret this as a sign of poor content. Focus on improving engagement by:
  • Making your content more engaging and interactive.
  • Enhancing site navigation.
  • Improving calls to action.
  • Implementing internal linking to guide users through your site.
• Improve CTR: If your click-through rate (CTR) is low, your title tags and meta descriptions may not be compelling enough. Consider optimizing them to make them more appealing in search results.

8. Focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness)

• Google increasingly emphasizes E-A-T, especially for YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) websites. To boost your website's E-A-T:
  • Add author bios and credentials to articles.
  • Use reputable sources to back up your claims.
  • Include trust signals such as customer reviews, secure website (SSL), and industry affiliations.

9. Improve Internal Linking

• Make sure your important pages are easily accessible via internal links. This helps Google crawl and index those pages more efficiently, improving their chances of ranking well.

10. Focus on Core Web Vitals

• Core Web Vitals (page experience signals like loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability) are now ranking factors.
• Use Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to check and improve these metrics.

11. Consider Paid Traffic or Social Media

• If you’ve noticed a drastic decline in organic traffic, consider using paid ads like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to boost visibility temporarily while you work on improving SEO.
• Additionally, social media can drive traffic and help build backlinks. Sharing your content on social platforms can help recover some of your organic visibility.

12. Monitor Your Results

• As you implement these changes, track your progress regularly using tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and third-party SEO tools. Look for gradual improvements in rankings and traffic, and be patient—SEO is a long-term effort.

By systematically addressing these factors, you should be able to pinpoint the cause of the traffic drop and take steps to improve your site's SEO and user experience.