{"id":158765,"date":"2023-05-11T00:39:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T05:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=158765"},"modified":"2024-06-16T17:14:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-16T22:14:28","slug":"google-ranking-dropped-dramatically","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ranking-dropped-dramatically\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Ranking Dropped Dramatically? (Here\u2019s What to&nbsp;Check)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">It can be alarming if your website\u2019s Google rankings drop suddenly.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But before you make any changes, it\u2019s important to check certain things first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"1. Check for any Google algorithm updates\" data-section=\"check-for-google-algorithm-updates\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Check for any Google algorithm updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/google-algorithm-updates\">Google\u2019s algorithm updates<\/a> are among the most common ways your website\u2019s rankings can be negatively impacted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google doesn\u2019t like low-quality or misleading results appearing at the top of its organic search results, so it runs regular <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/google-algorithm-updates\">algorithm updates<\/a> to preserve the quality of its search index.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Updates are announced on Google\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/status.search.google.com\/summary\">status page<\/a>. So it\u2019s worth checking if any dates align with your website\u2019s ranking drops.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1189\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image27-1.png\" alt=\"Google ranking updates, via Google\n\" class=\"wp-image-158810\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image27-1.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image27-1-680x404.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image27-1-768x457.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image27-1-1536x914.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes time to align these dates against your organic traffic data, so a faster way to understand the impact is to use a tool like Ahrefs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this, head to Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>, plug in your domain, and scan the \u24bc updates at the bottom of the <strong>Overview 2.0<\/strong> organic traffic chart.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"541\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image5-3.png\" alt=\"Google ranking updates highlighted in Overview 2.0, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158841\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image5-3.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image5-3-680x184.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image5-3-768x208.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image5-3-1536x416.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The highlighted \u24bc symbol indicates that there was a Google update at each of these points.&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hovering over the \u24bc<em> <\/em>symbols will give you more detailed information about the updates.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"2. Check your organic traffic in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" data-section=\"check-your-organic-traffic-in-ahrefs-site-explorer\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Check your organic traffic in Ahrefs\u2019 Site Explorer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve established there\u2019s been a Google update, you\u2019ll need to check its date against your total organic traffic to see if there\u2019s been a drop at the same&nbsp;time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To check your organic traffic in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>, you&nbsp;can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Plug in your domain and scroll down to the <strong>Overview 2.0<\/strong> chart.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uncheck everything apart from \u201cAvg. organic traffic.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set the timeline to \u201cAll\u201d and \u201cWeekly.\u201d This helps you to see the complete timeline for the organic traffic, giving you a better idea of how significant the drop&nbsp;is.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1740\" height=\"722\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image12-2-2.jpg\" alt=\"Avg. organic traffic filter with drop highlighted, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image12-2-2.jpg 1740w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image12-2-2-680x282.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image12-2-2-768x319.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image12-2-2-1536x637.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1740px) 100vw, 1740px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve highlighted the most recent traffic drop for this website. Let\u2019s see if we can work out why this happened. Let\u2019s zoom in and change the timeline to \u201c1Y,\u201d<strong> <\/strong>hovering our cursor around the time of the&nbsp;drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1402\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image13-3.jpg\" alt=\"March 2023 Core Update detail, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image13-3.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image13-3-606x425.jpg 606w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image13-3-768x539.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image13-3-1536x1077.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>March 2023 Core Update<\/strong> roughly aligns here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may have contributed to the loss of traffic, but we can also see that the <em>exact<\/em> date of the organic traffic drop doesn\u2019t align with the release of this update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we can\u2019t say that this algorithm update caused the drop. In this situation, it\u2019s usually best to keep investigating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your website\u2019s organic traffic drop does align exactly with an update, then a Google update has likely impacted you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"3. Check your top traffic-driving keywords\" data-section=\"check-your-top-traffic-driving-keywords\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Check your top traffic-driving keywords<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve established a significant drop in organic traffic, you\u2019ll want to know which of your website\u2019s keywords have lost rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this, head to the <strong>Organic keywords<\/strong> report in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>. I like to compare keywords year on year (YoY), so let\u2019s add a YoY \u201cCompare\u201d filter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1618\" height=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image22-1.png\" alt=\"Drop in traffic change, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158845\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image22-1.png 1618w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image22-1-680x156.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image22-1-768x177.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image22-1-1536x353.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We can see that in the \u201cChange\u201d column, there\u2019s been a significant drop for this website\u2019s top keyword, \u201cyamaha motorcycles.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"492\" height=\"114\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image15-2.png\" alt=\"Keyword closeup, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158847\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s head over to Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a> by clicking on the keyword \u201cyamaha motorcycles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scrolling down to the SERP overview, we can see what happened if we make a year-on-year (YoY) comparison.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1598\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image30.png\" alt=\"SERP overview with highlight on YoY comparison, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158849\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image30.png 1598w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image30-680x280.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image30-768x316.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image30-1536x632.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1598px) 100vw, 1598px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Google has switched the <code>\/motorcycle<\/code> page for the homepage. So there may be an issue with the <code>\/motorcycle<\/code> page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For reference, in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>, we can see the exact date of the drop is March&nbsp;14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1420\" height=\"610\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image14-3.jpg\" alt=\"March 14, 2023, traffic drop, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image14-3.jpg 1420w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image14-3-680x292.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image14-3-768x330.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1420px) 100vw, 1420px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s remove the comparison and plug this date into the SERP overview in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"742\" height=\"268\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image18-3.png\" alt=\"404 page, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158852\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image18-3.png 742w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image18-3-680x246.png 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 742px) 100vw, 742px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Using the SERP overview, we can see that this page was a 404 page on that date. If we change the date to March 16, 2023, we can see that this page disappears from the&nbsp;SERPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image8-3.png\" alt=\"SERP overview for &quot;yamaha motorcycles,&quot; via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158854\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image8-3.png 750w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image8-3-680x245.png 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As this date matches up, it\u2019s likely to be the reason for the significant drop in traffic for this website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a> in conjunction is a great way to diagnose the reasons for ranking drops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"4. Check any recent technical changes to the site\" data-section=\"check-recent-technical-changes-to-the-site\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Check any recent technical changes to the&nbsp;site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Technical issues can impact your Google rankings. You\u2019ll need to run a website crawl to determine these issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my opinion, the easiest way to identify technical issues with your site is to run a crawl using Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To set one up, head to Site Audit, click \u201c+ New project,\u201d<strong> <\/strong>and follow the prompts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"246\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image21-1.png\" alt=\"Navigating to Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" class=\"wp-image-158856\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image21-1.png 800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image21-1-680x209.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image21-1-768x236.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve completed the crawl, you\u2019ll see an \u201cOverview\u201d screen similar to the screenshot below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1473\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image33.jpg\" alt=\"Overview example, via Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" class=\"wp-image-158858\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image33.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image33-577x425.jpg 577w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image33-768x566.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image33-1536x1132.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This page gives a bird\u2019s-eye view of technical issues and monitors your website\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/help.ahrefs.com\/en\/articles\/1424673-what-is-health-score-and-how-is-it-calculated-in-ahrefs-site-audit\">health score<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve clicked on a specific issue, click \u201cWhy and how to fix.\u201d A sidebar will then appear, explaining the problem and how to fix it\u2014this information is critical to helping you solve your technical issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image25-1.png\" alt=\"&quot;Why and how to fix&quot; closeup, via Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" class=\"wp-image-158860\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image25-1.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image25-1-680x225.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image25-1-768x254.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image25-1-1536x509.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If your website crawl reveals that you\u2019ve got many technical issues, it\u2019s worth spending time fixing each problem until your overall health score improves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve done this, you\u2019ll be able to eliminate the possibility of any technical issues impacting your site\u2019s Google rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Tip<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">Technical issues can occur any time but often happen during a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/website-migration\/\">website migration<\/a>. Running <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a> before and after your migration allows you to compare crawls to see if there\u2019s been an increase in technical issues following the migration.<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we know how to set up and analyze a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>, let\u2019s look at some specific technical issues that often result in lost rankings and organic traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4XX Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1096\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image4-3.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs 404 page, via ahrefs.com\n\" class=\"wp-image-158862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image4-3.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image4-3-680x373.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image4-3-768x421.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image4-3-1536x842.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>4XX pages are error pages. You\u2019ll probably be most familiar with the classic \u201c404 page not found.\u201d When these types of pages occur, it can result in lost traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we return to our earlier website (<code>\/motorcycle<\/code> page) example in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a> and scroll down to the SERP overview, we can see it\u2019s a 404&nbsp;page.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"742\" height=\"268\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image18-3.png\" alt=\"404 page, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158852\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image18-3.png 742w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image18-3-680x246.png 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 742px) 100vw, 742px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But are there any more 404 pages on this site? Let\u2019s return to the <strong>Organic keywords<\/strong> report and click through other top keywords, such as \u201cr7\u201d and \u201cyamaha r1.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"852\" height=\"386\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image1-5.png\" alt=\"List of keywords, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158864\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image1-5.png 852w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image1-5-680x308.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image1-5-768x348.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If we click through on the keyword \u201cr7\u201d to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>, scroll to the SERP overview, and set the date to March 14, 2023, we can see that this keyword also has a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/http-status-codes\/\">404 status code<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"712\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image6-3.png\" alt=\"404 page shown in SERP overview, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image6-3.png 712w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image6-3-680x271.png 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 712px) 100vw, 712px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Repeating the process with the \u201cyamaha r1\u201d keyword, we can see this page is also a 404 page on March 14,&nbsp;2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"714\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image9-2.png\" alt=\"404 page shown in SERP overview, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image9-2.png 714w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image9-2-680x253.png 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 714px) 100vw, 714px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems fair to conclude that this website\u2019s top traffic-driving pages were dead&nbsp;pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although we have quickly used <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> to find this information, the same information can be found using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what it will look like once your crawl has been completed and where you can identify the 404 or 4XX pages in the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"793\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image10-3.png\" alt=\"4XX issues, via Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" class=\"wp-image-158870\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image10-3.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image10-3-680x270.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image10-3-768x305.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image10-3-1536x609.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Canonicals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"674\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image31.png\" alt=\"Canonical tag illustration, via Ahrefs Blog\n\" class=\"wp-image-158872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image31.png 900w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image31-568x425.png 568w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image31-768x575.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Lack of or poorly implemented <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/canonical-tags\/\">canonical tags<\/a> is another technical issue that can cause problems for your&nbsp;site.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to identifying them, you can spot-check them on a page-by-page basis using Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo-toolbar\">SEO Toolbar<\/a>, or you can run a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a> crawl to get a full&nbsp;view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve highlighted below the types of issues that can be flagged by the <strong>Overview <\/strong>report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"616\" height=\"996\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image26-1.png\" alt=\"Canonical tag issues, via Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" class=\"wp-image-158874\" style=\"width:462px;height:747px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image26-1.png 616w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image26-1-263x425.png 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 616px) 100vw, 616px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For more tips, check our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/canonical-tags\/\">\u201ccanonical tags\u201d beginner\u2019s guide<\/a> to learn&nbsp;more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Redirects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Forgetting to add or poorly implementing redirects is one of the most common reasons for a drop in rankings and organic traffic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a couple of simple points to remember with redirects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/301-redirects\/\">301 redirects<\/a> to redirect one webpage to another<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Try to avoid <a href=\"https:\/\/help.ahrefs.com\/en\/articles\/79340-what-are-redirect-chains\">redirect chains<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/help.ahrefs.com\/en\/articles\/2754354-what-does-the-redirect-loop-issue-in-site-audit-mean\">redirect loops<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Detecting these redirect issues is best done using Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>. Simply run a crawl of your website and then check the <strong>Redirects <\/strong>report to get a view of the issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"861\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image23-1.png\" alt=\"Redirects report, via Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" class=\"wp-image-158876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image23-1.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image23-1-680x293.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image23-1-768x331.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image23-1-1536x662.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/redirects-for-seo\/\">redirects for SEO<\/a> guide to learn&nbsp;more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Robots.txt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Changes to a website\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/robots-txt\/\">robots.txt<\/a> file can also impact how Google crawls your website. Sometimes you, or another stakeholder, can accidentally block some essential pages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can keep track of your robots.txt file changes if you run a regular crawl of your site using Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For each crawl, <strong>Page Explorer<\/strong> stores the details of your robots.txt file, making it easy to understand if any changes have been made to the file that could negatively affect the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"853\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image29.png\" alt=\"Disavow store, via Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" class=\"wp-image-158878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image29.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image29-680x290.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image29-768x328.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image29-1536x655.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve seen a ranking drop while migrating your site, it\u2019s worth heading to your robots.txt file to see if you are blocking the crawling of any search engine bots or essential pages of your website.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/robots-txt\/\">robots.txt beginner\u2019s guide<\/a> to learn&nbsp;more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"5. Check your competitors' rankings\" data-section=\"check-competitors-rankings\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Check your competitors\u2019 rankings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re confident your website\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/technical-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-seo\/\">technical SEO<\/a> is in order, it\u2019s worth checking to see if your competitors have outranked your website on some of its keywords.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may sound obvious, but this is another common reason a website loses rankings. Unfortunately, sometimes your competitors are better at SEO than you&nbsp;are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The quickest way to monitor a competitor\u2019s rankings is by plugging its domain in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> and heading to the <strong>Organic keywords<\/strong> report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this example, I\u2019ve entered Backlinko\u2019s domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"970\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image32.jpg\" alt=\"Organic keywords report with positions highlighted, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image32.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image32-631x425.jpg 631w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image32-768x517.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, you can see the rankings of your competitor\u2019s website and performance week on week, month on month, or any other custom date comparisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Check your tracked keywords against theirs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another way to check your competitors\u2019 recent activities is with Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/rank-tracker\">Rank Tracker<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1828\" height=\"1046\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image2-6.jpg\" alt=\"Competitors overview report, via Ahrefs' Rank Tracker\n\" class=\"wp-image-158882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image2-6.jpg 1828w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image2-6-680x389.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image2-6-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image2-6-1536x879.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1828px) 100vw, 1828px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The great thing about this tool is that you can compare the rankings of your competitors and your website side by&nbsp;side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of me looking at three different competitors\u2019 rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1912\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image19-2.png\" alt=\"Competitors' and ahrefs' rankings for &quot;google discover,&quot; via Ahrefs' Rank Tracker\n\" class=\"wp-image-158884\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image19-2.png 1912w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image19-2-680x154.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image19-2-768x174.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image19-2-1536x349.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1912px) 100vw, 1912px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve established that a competitor performs better than you on specific keywords, you might want to learn more about their total strategy. It\u2019s worth checking out our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/keyword-competitive-analysis\/\">keyword competitor analysis<\/a> to learn more about this&nbsp;topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"6. Check your links\" data-section=\"check-your-links\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Check your&nbsp;links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As links are a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ranking-factors\/\">confirmed Google ranking factor<\/a> (yes, <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/impact-of-links\/\">they still matter<\/a>), here\u2019s what you should check:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Check for broken links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping track of all broken links to your website can be a time-consuming task. Many websites rarely check broken links that point to&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>, we can look at any website\u2019s broken links by plugging in a domain and heading to the <strong>Broken backlinks<\/strong> report.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of the broken backlinks for the website we looked at earlier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"728\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image24-1.png\" alt=\"Broken backlinks report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158886\" style=\"width:546px;height:263px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image24-1.png 728w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image24-1-680x327.png 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There are 3,442 groups of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/dofollow-link\">follow links<\/a> that we can fix&nbsp;here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can\u2019t see anything else wrong with your site, looking at this report is an excellent place to&nbsp;start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report shows this website has lost three high Domain Rating (DR) links from high-profile sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1198\" height=\"958\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image28-1.jpg\" alt=\"Broken backlinks examples, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image28-1.jpg 1198w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image28-1-531x425.jpg 531w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image28-1-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1198px) 100vw, 1198px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do a backlink audit (and if you need to, disavow)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve checked your broken links, it\u2019s a good idea to run a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/backlink-audit\/\">backlink audit<\/a> on your site if you believe there is an issue with the overall quality of your website\u2019s links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In some instances, you may see <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/unnatural-links\">unnatural links<\/a> pointing to your site that may impact your rankings. Here are some examples of what Google may classify as \u201cbad&nbsp;links\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/paid-link\">Paid links<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/private-blog-network\">Private blogging network (PBN)&nbsp;links<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low-quality directories<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comment and forum&nbsp;spam<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hacked sites<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you believe you have some links that negatively impact your site, you may want to consider using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-disavow-links\/\">Google Search Console\u2019s disavow tool<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But remember to use the disavow tool with caution:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>We said multiple times that the disavow tool is a very heavy gun. And if you don\u2019t know what you are doing, you can shoot yourself in the foot with&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gary Illyes\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/google-gary-illyes.jpg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Gary Illyes,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Webmaster Trends Analyst <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\" target=\"_blank\">Google<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"7. Check your content\" data-section=\"check-your-content\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Check your content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If your site has a lot of low-quality content and you lost rankings during a content-focused Google update, you\u2019ll need to improve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But how exactly can you improve your content? The first step is to do a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-audit\/\">content audit<\/a> of your website. Here\u2019s a visual representation of the process we use to audit content at Ahrefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1527\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image7-3.png\" alt=\"Flowchart showing how to do a content audit, via Ahrefs Blog\n\" class=\"wp-image-158889\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image7-3.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image7-3-445x425.png 445w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image7-3-768x733.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image7-3-1536x1466.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Google also offers some <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/creating-helpful-content\">self-assessment questions<\/a> that you can use to further audit and improve your content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Does the content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does the content provide a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the&nbsp;topic?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information beyond the obvious?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does the main heading or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does the main heading or page title avoid exaggerating or being shocking in nature?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is this the sort of page you\u2019d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Would you expect to see this content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopedia, or&nbsp;book?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Although there is no guarantee that improving content will immediately impact your rankings, ensuring your content is the best for your visitors is a good&nbsp;idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-write-great-content\/\">How to Create Great Content for Search<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/website-content\/\">How to Write Website Content That Ranks (And People Want to&nbsp;Read)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-creation\/\">Content Creation: The Complete Guide for Beginners<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"8. Check the SERPs\" data-section=\"check-the-serps\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Check the&nbsp;SERPs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/serps\/\">Google SERPs<\/a> are constantly changing. And yes, it\u2019s another factor that can impact rankings and organic traffic to your site\u2014one that you have little control over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To explain this concept, let\u2019s look at a historical example of a dramatic SERP intent shift by plugging the keyword \u201ccorona\u201d into <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll set the date to March 31, 2020, and compare it to the SERP pre-pandemic on January 3,&nbsp;2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1740\" height=\"1302\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image17-2.jpg\" alt=\"SERP overview and comparison for &quot;corona,&quot; via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image17-2.jpg 1740w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image17-2-568x425.jpg 568w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image17-2-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image17-2-1536x1149.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1740px) 100vw, 1740px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this example, we can see Corona beer\u2013related websites on the left-hand side were displaced by websites covering COVID-19 and \u201cTop stories\u201d in the space of a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we set the date to something more recent, we can see that Corona, the beer, has regained its number #1 position. Why? Well, the search intent has reverted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"830\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image3-3.png\" alt=\"Corona beer SERP overview, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\n\" class=\"wp-image-158892\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image3-3.png 830w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image3-3-680x210.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image3-3-768x237.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you think a SERP intent shift may have impacted your website, then it\u2019s worth using the \u201cSERP overview\u201d tool in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a> to see how the historical SERP has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"9. Check Google Search Console for a manual action\" data-section=\"check-gsc-for-manual-action\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Check Google Search Console for a manual action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If your website has lost all organic search traffic, you should check <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/9044175?hl=en\">Google Search Console\u2019s \u201cManual actions\u201d report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this, click on the tab on the left-hand side:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"354\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image11-2.png\" alt=\"&quot;Manual actions&quot; tab highlighted, via Google Search Console\n\" class=\"wp-image-158893\" style=\"width:540px;height:266px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image11-2.png 720w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image11-2-680x334.png 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If there\u2019s no issue, you\u2019ll see a \u201cNo issues detected\u201d notice in Google Search Console that looks like&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"430\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image20-2.png\" alt=\"&quot;No issues detected&quot; under &quot;Manual actions&quot; tab, via Google Search Console\n\" class=\"wp-image-158895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image20-2.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image20-2-680x146.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image20-2-768x165.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image20-2-1536x330.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If there is a problem, it will look similar to this. This is a \u201cPure spam\u201d manual action.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1361\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image16-1.png\" alt=\"Example of manual action identified, via @rainprofit's Twitter page\" class=\"wp-image-158897\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image16-1.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image16-1-624x425.png 624w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image16-1-768x523.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image16-1-1536x1046.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If your site gets a manual action, a human reviewer at Google believes you have violated the <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\">search quality guidelines<\/a> severely. Google will then generally remove your website and its pages from the search index.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a list of the different types of manual actions you can receive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Site abused with third-party spam<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>User-generated spam<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spammy free&nbsp;host<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Structured data&nbsp;issue<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unnatural links to your&nbsp;site<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unnatural links from your&nbsp;site<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thin content with little or no added&nbsp;value<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cloaking and\/or sneaky redirects<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pure spam<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cloaked images<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hidden text and\/or keyword stuffing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AMP content mismatch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sneaky mobile redirects<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>News and Discover policy violations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Guidance from Google on how to fix these types of issues can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/9044175\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s usually rare to receive a manual action, but it\u2019s not unheard of. To stay on the right side of Google, remember to take our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/academy\/seo-training-course\">SEO training course<\/a> and follow the <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\">Google Search Essentials<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s never easy working out why your website\u2019s rankings have dropped dramatically. It involves investigating, analyzing, and finding data you can rely on to make decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\">Ahrefs<\/a> can help, as they enable you to look behind the curtain to see what\u2019s going&nbsp;on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got more questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chris_at_b449?lang=en-GB\">on Twitter<\/a>. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; But before you make any changes, it\u2019s important to check certain things first. Google\u2019s algorithm updates are among the most common ways your website\u2019s rankings can be negatively impacted. Google doesn\u2019t like low-quality or misleading results appearing at the<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"coauthors":[437],"class_list":["post-158765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Google Ranking Dropped Dramatically? (Here&#039;s What to Check)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You may feel alarmed when your Google ranking drops significantly. But before you press the panic button, check these things first.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ranking-dropped-dramatically\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Google Ranking Dropped Dramatically? 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