4 Reasons Your Business Website's SEO Ranking Has Dropped

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is key to brand success in today's world. According to Google, 53% of American consumers say they research products using a search engine before purchasing. Consequently, ranking favorably in search engine results is key to making more sales and staying competitive. One of the worst things that can happen to you as a business website owner is to discover that your search engine ranking has dropped significantly overnight. Here are some surprising reasons that could explain a sudden drop in search engine result rankings.

1. Bad bot activity

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Your website gets most of its traffic from “human” visitors, but a tiny fraction comes from bots. Bots on a website may seem like evidence of a technological apocalypse. However, some of these bots are quite harmless, like Google web crawlers that visit your site and index pages. Bad bots are also out there, and their activities on your site can cause a major drop in your search engine ranking. The traffic from these bots can overwhelm your network and slow down your site's performance, frustrating visitors and causing a poor user experience. Google considers site speed as a key ranking factor, so your website's sudden drop in rankings can be due to bad bot activity that slows it down. Luckily, there's a lot you can do to block bots and significantly boost your site's speed and performance.

2. Routine algorithm updates
Updates are a central aspect of the functioning of a search engines' algorithm because they ensure better precision. However, your website will likely experience changes in rankings anytime these updates are performed. Your site may not necessarily have any problems if it drops in rankings after an update. Google explains that a drop in site rankings is much like a movie in the top 100 rankings for a particular year not appearing in a fresh, top 100 list four years on. Still, these updates are unannounced, giving you little to no time to prepare, and may happen several times a day. 

3. The rise in local SEO
Local SEO is booming in America and beyond, with Sagapixel data revealing that 60% of Americans search for local products using smartphones and tablets. Therefore, a sudden rise in local SEO might explain your site's search results ranking drop. An increase in new local competitors makes it difficult to rank higher in search results. Also, an old competitor may have created a new Google My Business account and invested in online marketing to outrank you in local search results. Fortunately, you can easily beat other local businesses in SEO by discovering why they are ranking higher and striving to do better.

4. Too many links pointing to other sites

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Your business website may perform poorly in search rankings if numerous links point to subpar and spammy sites. Fortunately, various search engines have tools to help you check if your site is a victim of this. For example, with Google, you can check if your site is filled with such links by logging into Search Console and looking for related messages. If there are any issues, eliminate links that are considered unnatural and deceptive to enjoy a ranking boost.