Things started out just fine. THEN, suddenly your web traffic shut off like a water hose for the winter. You find yourself on page 15 of any search engine and you’re scratching your head, wondering how on earth did this happen!?
Most people do not have the time or expertise required to keep their site at the top, or at least close to the top of google search results. Here are some factors that possibly led to your demise - AND at the conclusion, some answers to stop the free fall.
When rankings begin to drop, it’s probably the tip of the iceberg. This means that beneath the surface, there are probably several things to check. General things to consider include:
Server Overload. Your server needs to be prepared for traffic surges - otherwise it can take your site down very quickly.
Page Speed. If your site has lots of large images, files and pop-ups, it will naturally take longer for them to load. Use them wisely.
Redirections. This is perhaps one of the most common causes of a drop in rankings. This happens when you migrate to a new server, OR you change the structure of the site and forget to change the links etc. This will cause search engines to fail when indexing your site and you can be penalized for duplicate content or missing content.
Basic Errors. This is a time consumer. It just takes time to find errors and make the changes. There are various SEO tools and site audit tools that speed up the process - still it’s something that has to be done.
Wrong Keywords. How do you know if you’re using the right keywords? Are the keywords used in such a way that Google understands your site’s intent?
Over the last several years, Google’s search engine algorithm has been updated frequently. Some of you may recall “Mobilegeddon” which was a HUGE update in 2015. There was the “Fred” update, followed by several more over the months to come. Last month marked the THIRD update Google rolled out this year, dubbed the “October 2023 Core Update.” With each update there is a push to demote sites that refuse to comply and make the necessary changes. In one previous update, Google even added a mobile-friendly testing tool for website owners to verify their site’s mobile readiness.
Greg Alexander, VisionAmp CEO, Owner and Lead Developer says “The Mobile Intrusive Interstitials Penalty is just the beginning for Google’s push for websites to create a more positive and satisfying user experience for those choosing to search on their mobile devices. This is due in part to the rising number of people switching to a smartphone and using those smartphones to search everything from medical advice to the latest movie review. Google has changed their indexing methods to a Mobile First Indexing method.”
How your site is constructed is one of the key elements to ranking higher with Google. VisionAmp is absolutely your best solution to having a site that ranks high, loads fast and produces results. Building websites that work is what we do best. We have years of experience, not only creating stunning mobile-friendly and responsive websites, but they also stay up to date with all of Google’s changes and demands in order to make sure your site stays at the top of search engine results.
Don’t let your site become buried. Give VisionAmp a call today at 870.580.0909. Let’s start the conversation on how to stop the free fall and get you headed in the right direction once again!
