How To Bounce Back When Your Google Rank Dips
Blog
Mar 04 2024
A strong presence on Google’s search engine results page (SERP) carries major implications for a brand’s digital success. Search results (particularly those on the highly-coveted page 1) direct billions of users to new brands, services, and experiences every day, presenting massive opportunities for brands big and small to extend their reach and connect with audiences across the globe.
Despite the economy of the internet largely depending on this relationship between brand and search engine, it’s not uncommon for sites to experience significant fluctuations in their page rankings without warning. Understanding the contributing factors behind these surprise drops — and what options marketers have when it comes to correcting their ranking — is essential to staying ahead in today’s crowded digital environment.
Why Do Google’s Rankings Fluctuate?
Google’s foundational algorithm is a complex system. It’s tasked with reading a sea of data points from each webpage to determine a site’s relative usefulness to an interested user. The more relevant the results for every search, the more likely that user is to have a positive experience and continue turning to Google for answers in the future.
The basic challenge for the algorithm is determining context — something even the most complex AI-assisted algorithms have yet to master. As Google steadily improves this algorithm’s ability to identify information relevant to user search queries, its occasional updates send ripples (or shockwaves, depending on who you ask) throughout the SERP. Naturally, staying up-to-date on major algorithm updates is crucial for navigating changes to page rankings.
However, Google isn’t solely responsible for these sudden rankings shifts. The results page is a competitive arena full of like-minded marketers looking to push their respective brands into a more optimal position. Monitoring competitor activity and continuously refining your SEO efforts to align with Google’s algorithm updates is key to avoiding sudden dips in performance.
There’s also a matter of content quality to consider. If your website loads slowly and is full of broken links, Google will favor neighboring sites without these technical red flags. Similarly, spammy or outdated content may result in lower rankings if Google determines it is not providing real value to the user. Consistently developing engaging, authoritative content will positively influence your rankings.
Gauging the Impact of a Rankings Drop
While surprise drops can be disheartening, unexpected surges in certain keyword rankings can likewise provide valuable direction for your marketing efforts — but only if the underlying cause is properly assessed. Here are three key areas advertisers should evaluate to gauge the impact of a Google rankings drop and determine how to better cooperate with the search engine’s evolving formula:
Traffic Analysis. Using data available through Google Analytics, look for any significant drops in traffic that coincide with the rankings decline. By examining the affected pages and keywords, you can discern which specific areas need immediate attention.
Keyword Ranking Tracking. Common SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs monitor the performance of your target keywords and flag sudden drops. This data will help you pinpoint which keywords and pages likely require a refresh.
User Engagement Metrics. Assess user engagement metrics like bounce rates, time spent on pages, and conversion rates. A rankings drop might simply represent customers responding passively to your current messaging or creative strategies.
Bouncing Back From a Google Rank Drop
At some point, every marketer finds themselves re-evaluating digital strategy to gain ground on the SERP. Here are three go-to levers you can pull to reignite your website’s SEO performance:
Gear Content Toward Engagement: Content should appeal to both SEO and human eyes skimming your site for what might be their first interaction with your brand. Evaluate your content to ensure it is comprehensive, well-structured, and (most importantly) aligned with search intent. Always seek to include relevant internal and external links whenever possible to boost your website’s authority, and remember to optimize title tags, meta descriptions, and headings with your best-performing keywords.
Build Up Your Backlinks: Conduct a backlink analysis to identify and disavow any toxic or low-quality backlinks harming your rankings. You can also promote more high-quality backlinks through guest blogging, influencer outreach, and content promotion. Quality backlinks establish your site as a trusted resource within your industry, thus elevating your rankings.
Perform a Technical Audit: Improve page loading speeds that may be lagging, fix broken links, and ensure your website is mobile-friendly. This might even include a basic UI or UX evaluation to identify where your site is leaking users between the landing page and a conversion event. Intuitive navigation and clear calls-to-action make for a better user experience, which the algorithm favors.
Ranking fluctuations are a normal part of the SEO experience, but they can be mitigated and even overcome with a proactive approach to content and site performance. By understanding what causes a ranking to shift, accurately assessing the drop’s impact, and implementing effective bounce-back strategies, your Google rank can establish (or re-establish) a strong market advantage.
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