Check for Technical Errors
The first step is to rule out technical issues that may be blocking search engines from crawling or indexing your pages properly. Use Google Search Console and other webmaster tools to check for:
- Crawl errors like blocked robots.txt files or “not found” errors
- Broken links and redirects causing pages to return 404 or 500 status codes
- Slow page speed due to bloated code, multiple redirects, or inadequate hosting
- Server downtime or temporary unavailability preventing crawlers from accessing your site
Fix any technical problems immediately so search engines can easily crawl and index your website again.
Analyze Traffic Sources
Check Google Analytics to see if your traffic drop is limited to just organic search, or if direct visits, social media, and referrals have also taken a hit.
Look at your top landing pages to identify underperforming entry points. See if any campaign, channel or source has seen an unusually steep decline compared to others. This analysis will help you focus your recovery efforts on the worst affected areas first.
Review On-Page SEO
Scrutinize your on-page SEO to ensure your content is fully optimized for the right keywords:
- Optimize page titles and meta descriptions with primary keywords
- Use target keywords appropriately in headings and image file names
- Include keywords naturally in page content at a density of 2-3%
- Ensure alt text for images contains relevant keywords
- Check that URL slugs contain keywords where suitable
Creating pages targeted to rank for specific keywords is key for search visibility. Ensure existing pages are optimized, not just new content.
Produce New Content
Adding fresh, useful content optimized for your focus keywords gives search engines new quality pages to crawl, index and potentially rank.
Aim for long-form, in-depth articles and videos that satisfy user intent rather than short blog posts. Promote new content through social media, email newsletters, etc.
Get More Quality Backlinks
Earn backlinks from relevant high-authority websites related to your niche. Focus on contextual backlinks integrated naturally within content, not paid links.
Quality backlinks signal search engines to trust your domain authority on related topics, improving rankings. But be patient - good links take time to build.
Leverage Social Media
Promote your content extensively on social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Reddit. Encourage social sharing, clicks back to your site, and engagement.
Social media is a channel for generating referral traffic to your site. It also helps boost content credibility. Leverage it while working on organic search rankings.
Try PPC Ads
Run Pay-Per-Click ads through Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising to get immediate traffic to your site while you work on long-term organic growth.
Use retargeting ads to keep engaging previous visitors. Take advantage of the advertising platforms’ advanced targeting options.
Monitor and Iterate
Use analytics to continuously measure the success of your strategies. Identify areas that show positive results to double down on. Refine or replace tactics that don’t move the needle.
SEO is an ongoing process. As search algorithms and best practices change, you must evolve your approach. Stay up to date on trends.
A sudden drop in traffic is jarring, but it’s never too late to course-correct. With a strategic, comprehensive recovery plan targeting multiple channels, you can regain lost ground. Don’t lose hope; just get to work. The payoff will be worth it.
