If you’ve noticed a sudden dip in website traffic, don’t panic. There are many small factors that may be contributing to this change. If your website visits and performance is down, it’s time to investigate.
Step 1: Check your code.
Even seemingly simple website tweaks could result in the accidental deletion of your tracking code. Make sure you’re getting accurate performance data from your website. It may sound like an obvious check, but you never know what you might find.
Step 2: Analyze your keywords.
If your website pages are dropping in search result position, look at your larger traffic-driving keywords to see if there’s been a decline in placement. Even a small drop could be a sign that you’re in penalty – meaning Google sees suspicious or outdated tactics. This will lower your search result ranking and could even delete your website completely from it’s pages.
Just check your rankings and monitor for big keyword shifts, and then adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.
Step 3: Take a look at Domain Authority.
A key factor in calculating your search engine ranking is Moz’s Domain Authority. When Moz rolls out an update to the Domain Authority of all websites, if you’ve lost quality backlinks or stopped making updates, your ranking could fall and subsequently get a loss in website traffic.
Your website’s authority tells Google a lot, and if your authority is dropping, it’s a sign to Google that the quality of your site may be dropping. Keep an eye on this on a monthly basis and make adjustments as you see fit. If it’s getting better, keep doing what you’re doing! If it’s declining, try adding new content or reaching out tohigh quality sites for a link back to your site
Step 4: Analyze for toxic backlinks.
Although Google says bad backlinks can’t hurt you, they definitely can. Even if you believe you have strong and clean link building practices, you could be in penalty and not even know it. Look for referral links that you wouldn’t necessarily want your website associated with. If you discover toxic backlinks, compile a list and call in the professionals.
Step 5: Call in the outside reporting.
If you’ve made it this far and still haven’t found the issue, purchase a report to discover where you’re ranking, charts to show a drop in organic keywords and a look at whether there’s an algorithmic change. Analyze the data; if you’re seeing declines in keywords and traffic, then check and see if it coincides with an algorithm update.
Final Thoughts
The best way to keep your website visits from declining is to be diligent. Keep an eye out for algorithm changes and announcements from Google. Keep analyzing your online presence and stay up to date with tactics and trends – it’s all part of a strong inbound marketing strategy. If you need help, contact GiraffeBuilder for professional help with content marketing, SEO, and more.
