Google’s John Mueller recently listed the reasons behind loss in traffic and rankings. In answer to a publisher, he exclaimed that particular links are not necessarily behind the gradual drop in rankings. There are other contributing factors, like change in the ecosystem, users searching differently and expecting different kinds of content or major changes in the algorithms.
This also means that you are doing something wrong, especially one or two things which are eventually leading to a constant loss in traffic over a longer period of time. However, these malfunctions in the ecosystem can be fixed step by step and here are John Mueller’s trouble makers causing a loss in rankings.
Ecosystem Changes
The first time when I came across the word ecosystem I was wondering what Mueller is trying to say. However, I think by ecosystem he means the changes caused outside of your website. For instance, the best example would be an increase in competition.
You see there are several killer ways to bring traffic to your website but as a matter of fact, your competitor is trying to do the same thing. In fact, your competitor might be promoting the website vigorously keeping the correct methods in mind. This also means that their ranking will go up and someone else will lose rankings.
Ranking a website is an unending process. With so many competitions and millions of websites on the internet, it is fair to say that some sites will be moving on the top while others will fall behind. There is no standing still.
Algorithm Changes
Algorithms change every now and then and they are something you need to be wary of. You see while ranking a site Google takes the data collected by these algorithms into consideration. Every major update brings about a huge change in how a site is ranked.
For instance, the BERT update seems to revolve around how users search and it tries to understand whether or not all these web pages are providing the user with the right answer. All in all, all the latest updates have redefined the way websites establish relevance and authority.
Look Back at Your Website
In the wake of reaching on top of the SERPs marketers pave a way for the website to get the utmost amount of traffic. In paving the way they tend to focus on many things at one time. Amidst all this, they forget to look back at the site and particularly those things that need improvement.
So, John Mueller points out that if your website is losing traffic or a drop in rankings, take a step back and generally go through your website. Look at all the aspects of your website and then make a list of areas that need improvement. However, those improvements should be based on relevancy and user experience. In other words, you have to change your site in order to make it more relevant for the user you are trying to convert into a customer.
Final Takeaways From Mueller’s Webinar
We all know that SEO and digital marketing changes constantly. In fact, to be precise it is an ever-evolving process. You may be following a certain strategy right now but your strategies may change in the near future. For most of you, there might be a particular cause causing the loss in traffic.
For others, some obvious reasons might be causing the drop in rankings. However, sometimes the most obvious reason is not the final explanation. Such reasons stand out and can be noticed easily. This is why you need to analyze your website keeping the latest trends in mind and be open about everything. Instead of focusing on the obvious reasons, keep looking for reasons that are relevant to your website and the users you are trying to reach.
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