Was your website hurled unceremoniously from its esteemed niche on the first page of Google to the pits of oblivion?
This is one of the most common issues that most entrepreneurs and marketers have to contend with. SEO experts know how challenging it is to deliver impeccable results, especially when it comes to website traffic, ROI and CTR. An immediate drop in your SERP rankings can be caused by so many things, running the gamut from low-quality content or backlinks to a recent overhaul in the Google algorithms, cheap hosting, tracking the wrong keywords, and losing quality backlinks.
If your SERP is constantly dropping, now is the time to maintain a high and stable positioning and figure out what you can do to fix these SEO mistakes and get the traffic and leads going smoothly again. Here are 5 common mistakes that marketers should avoid to keep their website SERP rankings from dropping on Google:
1. You Don’t Focus on On-Page SEO
Sadly, many marketers take Meta title tags and descriptions for granted. Ignoring on-page optimization is a huge missed opportunity for SEO that can discourage Google to rank your website against the keywords your target audience is searching for. It is advised to focus on the title tag and Meta description optimization techniques and come up with a unique title and description for every page.
Refrain from stuffing your Meta description with keywords, and make sure it doesn’t exceed the Google’s imposed character limit. Also customize other on-page elements, such as alt tags and header tags. Don’t forget to add targeted keywords on every page, as this will create a big impact in your search engine traffic.
2. You have Low-Quality Content
I’m sure you have definitely heard the adage, content is king. If truth be told, content has a great influence on the SERP rankings of your website. High-quality content is one of the most important SEO elements that can take your website to the first page of search engines. Google analyzes the quality of content and ranks only those pages that offer immense value and valuable information to readers. Higher quality content can create a positive impact on your engagement metrics, bounce rate, and CTR that are key factors to increase your site’s SERP.
In addition, useful and valuable content also plays a key role in building quality backlinks from trustworthy websites. Quality backlinks can lead to higher search results. Your website won’t rank higher on SERP if it has duplicate or low-quality content. So, carefully audit your content to make sure it is unique. Remove low-quality pages if any, as they can cause a SERP drop. You can use plagiarism detection tools such as Small SEO Tools, Quetext, Plagiarisma and Duplichecker to check the uniqueness of your content.
3. You Don’t Check Google Algorithm and Changes Regularly
Google rolls out a new algorithm update most frequently, and silently. There are many authentic resources such as MozCast, Search Engine Watch, and Search Engine Land that give you the latest updates about Google algorithm and upcoming changes. Sadly, there are only a few best SEO companies that regularly check these sites and stay aware of the constant Google algorithm updates.
If you experience an unexpected drop in your SERP rankings, you can simply go to Search Console to check messages. The best way to avoid algorithmic penalties is to come up with SEO strategies that would help you curry favors with Google.
4. Your Website is Too Slow
Google always factors in how fast your website loads when it comes to determining your site’s rankings. Do you know why the loading speed of your website is so paramount for Google? It is because when websites take forever to load, users tend to have a negative experience, which simply causes them to blame the delay on Google searches, eventually leading to dwindled traffic and sales.
In fact, your website speed is an important SEO ranking factor that allows your website to rank higher in the search engine results. The top ranking will bring in more website traffic, in turn, generating more page views and higher leads. So, it is important to improve your website speed. You can use Google Page Speed and figure out the best ways in which you can amp up the loading speed of your website.
5. Your Website is not Mobile Friendly
In this digital age, mobile and tablet devices are growing at a much faster rate. By ensuring that your website is compatible enough with every size and type of devices, you will increase your chances of getting higher rankings on SERP. If a large portion of your website visitors uses mobile phones, creating a mobile-optimized website that offers a good mobile experience is a sensible choice to rank higher on Google. You can use Google Analytics to check the most popular devices that are being used to access your website.
Google favors sites that offer a great mobile experience, as more than half of all Google searches occur on mobile. So invest your efforts in creating a mobile-responsive website that offers a great mobile experience.
Your Turn
A sudden drop in SERP rankings is a challenge to nearly every SEO company. However, when your rankings start falling, you can use these useful tips to eradicate the issues that tanked your website’s rankings in the first place. I hope this post will help you fix all the SEO mistakes that can cause an unexpected drop in SERP rankings on Google and help you devise an effective search engine optimization strategy to gain Google’s good graces for the long haul.