If you’re a website or blog owner, chances are you’ve experienced the dreaded drop in your Google rankings at least a few times. It can be frustrating and disheartening to deal with a sudden drop in website traffic, going from a great ranking one day to nearly invisible the next. 

You know something has gone wrong, but what precisely? Getting to the bottom of the issue requires some detective work — understanding why Google demoted your site is key to getting it back on track with improved search engine optimization (SEO).

This blog will discuss 8 common reasons your website keeps dropping on Google.

What Is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a form of internet marketing that aims to improve a website’s or web page’s visibility in organic search engine results. SEO uses keyword research, link building, content optimization, and metadata manipulation to boost visibility and rankings in the search engine index. 

Businesses can effectively increase their online presence by optimizing websites for search engines and ultimately generate more leads and sales.

Learn 78 SEO Statistics for 2023.

8 Common Reasons Your Website Keeps Dropping On Google

Some common Reasons for low website traffic that could cause website rankings to drop include the following:

1. Poor Quality Content

Low-quality content can majorly affect your website’s dropping Google rankings. It is important to ensure that all content is well-written and engaging and that it has been thoroughly proofread before being published on your site. Additionally, content should be regularly updated to stay relevant and interesting for visitors.

2. Unfocused Or Outdated Keywords

When choosing keywords for SEO purposes, it is important to select ones that accurately reflect the content of your website and are of interest to your target audience. If your chosen keywords become overused or outdated, this could lead to your website traffic suddenly dropping as Google may no longer consider them relevant.

3. Poor User Experience Design

The user experience of a website can make all the difference when it comes to SEO success, as Google prioritizes sites with positive UX design elements such as fast loading times and easy navigation; if yours falls short in these areas, then you could experience a drop in rankings as a result.

4. Low Authority Backlinks And Link-Building Practices

Building links from high-authority web pages can greatly benefit your website’s SEO ranking. However, if these backlinks come from low-quality websites, they may do more damage than good due to their lack of relevancy or authority. It is, therefore, important to research backlinks carefully before building them to avoid any negative effects on your website’s search engine ranking position.

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5. Inadequate Mobile Optimization Strategies

With the increasing number of people using mobile devices for internet browsing, websites must be optimized for mobile viewing by having responsive design elements so that users have an enjoyable viewing experience regardless of the device being used. If not, this will negatively impact SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) rankings for desktop and mobile queries, resulting in drop-in rates for pages not optimized for mobile devices.

6. Poorly Executed Technical SEO Strategies 

Technical SEO encompasses many different elements such as structured data markup, site speed optimization, structured URLs, etc., each requiring careful implementation to maximize the potential benefit of improving search engine visibility; failing to do so will result in less successful organic visibility, which could ultimately lead to a lower SERP ranking than previously enjoyed by the website concerned.

7. Duplicate Content Issues 

Duplicating content across various locations on the web can confuse when search engines attempt to determine which page should rank higher. As a result, they may choose not to list either around at all, resulting in an overall decrease in SERP positioning if multiple duplicate pages exist on one domain or across linked together through cross-linking tactics, e.g., blogs or sites with guest posting exchanges may find themselves adversely affected due to duplicate content issues related to it but not limited to it.

8. Not Following Best Practices On Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., often get overlooked when creating an SEO strategy but can play an important role when it comes to helping increase visibility online.

However, if best practices are not followed correctly, then there could be serious implications including decreased organic traffic due to poor social shares. This would ultimately lead to decreased SERP standings, depending upon how active the brand’s presence is on those platforms relative to its rivals. The competition who is better optimized their respective strategies within their niches gaining greater favor with Google’s algorithms at least close to it anyway.

Closing Thought 

Understanding the 8 common reasons your website keeps dropping on Google is essential for improving SEO and getting your website back on track. Whether Google’s ranking dropped dramatically, your website’s ranking is because of keyword stuffing, unnatural links, outdated content, lack of mobile optimization, slow loading times, lack of content depth, duplicate content, or not being updated regularly.

Each of these issues can profoundly affect your search engine rankings. With knowledge and effort, you can diagnose the cause and make the necessary changes to get you back to where you should be.