If your search rankings have taken a hit, you’re not alone. Thanks to Google’s constant tweaking of their algorithms and competitors who never seem to take a break, even well-optimized sites can experience ranking drops.
The good news? There are concrete steps you can take to diagnose the problem and get your website back to the top of Google.
Here’s what to do if you’re struggling with declining search rankings.
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1. Check for recent Google updates
Search engine algorithms change regularly, and these updates can significantly impact your rankings. Google’s core updates, spam updates, and helpful content updates can all shift how pages are ranked. If your traffic and rankings dropped suddenly, check the Google Search Central Blog or industry sources like Search Engine Journal to see if an update could be the culprit.
If an update did impact your site, analyze what changed and adjust accordingly—whether it’s improving your content quality, reducing thin content, or diversifying your link profile.
2. Analyze recent website changes
Have you made any major site updates recently? Changes to site structure, URL modifications, or switching web hosting platforms can unintentionally impact SEO. If your rankings dropped after a site redesign, migration, or technical update, you may need to:
- Check for broken links and redirects
- Ensure old URLs properly redirect to new ones (301 redirects)
- Validate structured data and meta tags
- Re-index your site using Google Search Console
Even seemingly minor tweaks can cause a shift in search rankings, so always monitor your traffic in Google Analytics after making site updates.
3. Evaluate content quality and relevance
Google prioritizes content that is valuable, relevant, and authoritative. If your rankings are slipping, it may be time for a content audit. Ask yourself:
- Does my content answer search intent?
- Is it up to date?
- Are competitors offering more in-depth or engaging content?
- Are there duplicate or thin content issues?
Use tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Semrush to identify underperforming pages. Then refresh them with better insights, data, and formatting.
4. Review technical SEO issues
Technical SEO issues can quietly erode your rankings over time. Run a regular site audit to check for:
- Slow page speed
- Mobile usability errors
- Indexing issues
- Crawl errors or disallowed pages in your robots.txt file.
Tools like Screaming Frog and Google Lighthouse can help you uncover technical SEO issues that are hurting your rankings. Fixing these issues can quickly improve user experience and search visibility.
Pro Tip: While site audits can certainly help during a crisis, it’s a good idea to run them regularly to proactively fix issues and keep your rankings high. Review this checklist for other SEO tasks you should complete year-round.
5. Assess backlinks and domain authority
If your site has lost high-quality backlinks, your authority may be decreasing—leading to ranking declines. Check your backlink profile using Ahrefs, Moz, or Google Search Console to see if:
- Your site lost any valuable backlinks
- You’ve experienced an influx in spammy or toxic links
- Your competitors are gaining links that you aren’t
Boosting your backlink strategy with high-quality guest posts, digital PR, and content collaborations can help restore rankings over time.
6. Improve user engagement metrics
Google factors in user engagement signals like click-through rate (CTR), time on page, and bounce rate. If your pages are ranking but users aren’t engaging, search engines may demote your content.
Start with these tips to improve user engagement and search rankings:
- Optimize your title tags and meta descriptions to boost CTR — but make sure they don’t overpromise what your content actually provides.
- Use clear heading tags, bullet points, and visuals to provide white space and enhance readability.
- Add relevant internal links throughout content to encourage visitors to continue exploring your site.
- Ensure your pages load quickly and are easy to navigate.
7. Check for competitor changes
Sometimes, search rankings drop not because you did something wrong but because a competitor did something better. If one of your rivals has surged ahead, analyze what has changed in their SEO strategy. For example, are they targeting new keywords, providing better content, or building more backlinks?
Identifying what your competitor is doing well can give you ideas on how to reclaim your position in the search rankings — and make sure you stay above them in the future.
Fix your declining rankings today
It’s frustrating when search rankings drop, but the good news is that they’re rarely beyond repair. By diagnosing the root cause and making strategic improvements, you can recover lost rankings and strengthen your site’s long-term SEO performance.
Need expert help with your SEO strategy? Stay ahead of the competition by partnering with the SEO experts at Your Marketing People. We know how to adapt to algorithm shifts and keep your site ranking high. Contact us today to learn more.
