Why Have My Google Rankings Dropped? The Essential Checks

Waking up to find your business’s Google rankings dropped is not something anyone operating in the digital economy wants to see. This can have massive consequences for your traffic levels, impacting your inquiries and ultimately, your conversion rate. 

Finding that your Google rankings dropped overnight can be caused by several factors, and understanding these factors is vital to making an effective Google recovery. In this blog, we’ll explore why someone might discover a Google ranking suddenly dropped, while also offering some tips for keeping an eye on things and enacting an effective recovery. 

How to check my Google ranking?

Before we start placing blame on specific issues, it’s important to understand how to check if your Google rankings dropped. The most straightforward way of doing so is by checking Google Search Console or a similar tool, which will show a clear chart of how your clicks are performing over a set period. Remember, not every ranking tool is the same, so third-party checks can be beneficial for increased clarity. 

Check for changes in the algorithm

The Google algorithm changes often – it’s how they maintain a high-quality search index. If the algorithm has changed, your website could be penalised. Recognising and addressing changes in the algorithm takes time, which is where professional guidance can come in handy. 

Note: It’s also worth being mindful of Google’s SERP updates

Check your SEO strategy & keyword performance

SEO is vital to ranking on Google, and if your keyword strategy is outdated you might find that your website Google ranking suddenly dropped. Checking how your target keywords are performing is a great place to start in this vein. 

SEO isn’t just about checking for a keyword ranking drop, it also encompasses: 

• Metadata (tags, descriptions and titles) 
• Content & page titling
• Use of headings
• Structuring
• Internal & external linking
• The value offered by the content
• Search intent (terms that can have multiple meanings)

Tools like Semrush can be especially useful when enacting an SEO strategy. 

Check for any changes in your website

Changes to your website’s technical side can be responsible when you discover your Google rankings dropped. It’s important to check with your web team on aspects such as: 

• HTTP status codes
• The presence of any error (404) pages
• Meta robots tags 
• Robots.txt
• Canonical URL issues
• Hreflang attributes
• Load time

These aspects can be mostly contained to the backend or more user-facing – either way this technical knowledge is essential when figuring out how to boost Google rankings. 

Eliminate any duplicate data

Duplicate data can be to blame if your Google ranking dropped dramatically. Google will penalise different URLs that lead to the same data, so it’s important to make sure that every page on your website is distinct and offers unique value. 

What to do after my Google rankings dropped?

If your Google ranking dropped suddenly, you need to act just as fast. However, for many the technical side of running a business in the digital realm can feel foreign. That’s when it’s beneficial to seek professional support, with the right team able to address all these factors and more to ensure you can perform as well as your product or service deserves. 

If you want to learn more about how to succeed on Google, check us out at Digital Next today – we live and breathe all things digital performance.