Google Ranking Dropped Dramatically Overnight - #1 Fix

Understanding SEO ranking drop

Have you noticed a sudden drop in your Google rankings overnight?

A sudden drop in Google rankings can be a bit of a shocker. It can happen due to a variety of reasons such as crawling errors, penalties or other reasons. But how can you know which one’s the actual reason for your ranking to drop?

Your Google rankings have a big role to play in your traffic. A sudden drop in rankings can affect your business.

The recovery process will depend on the kind of impact it may have on your website. Small issues like crawling & indexing can be fixed fast but other issues like duplicate or AI-generated content impact or manual penalties can take much longer to clean and start ranking again.

In this guide, you will learn about the possible reasons for SEO ranking drop suddenly and ways to fix it.

Do not panic and take drastic actions

First things first, don’t freak out. Seriously. Take a deep breath and stay calm. Panicking will only cloud your judgment and make it harder to think clearly. 

Instead, focus on understanding the situation. A ranking drop doesn’t necessarily mean disaster - it just means you need to dig a little deeper to find out what’s going on. Even with the best of SEO, some ranking drops are normal due to algorithmic changes.

It can be a matter of worry if the drop may be more serious.

Don't rush to start applying changes

When your rankings are down, it’s tempting to start making all sorts of changes in hopes of a quick fix. 

But hold on a second! Don’t rush into it. Random changes without knowing the exact cause can actually make things worse. 

You might end up fixing things that aren’t broken and miss the real issue altogether. Take your time to assess the situation carefully before making any moves.

Check Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is invaluable in providing insights into crawl errors, indexing issues or even manual actions, helping you identify and fix problems quickly.

You need to also check whether the problem is with a page or your entire site. Verify this by following the below steps:

• Open the Performance report and click on Pages.
• Locate the dip in your chart and identify the approximate start and end dates of the drop.
• Click the date filter and set it to the period from the start to the end of the drop.
• In the date filter, use the Compare tab to filter against a previous period. The Custom choice is helpful as it matches the identical timespan preceding the chosen period.
• Save the new date and comparison settings.

If most pages on your site are equally affected, this indicates a site-wide issue.

Check if your site had availability issues with Google by reviewing your index coverage. Consider if your site was impacted by common issues, such as:

• Improper URL
• Crawling issues
• Affected by manual action
• Seasonal drops

Check for manual action by Google

Sometimes, Google might manually penalise your site because you may have violated the guidelines.

Steps: Google Search Console >> Security & Manual Actions >> Manual Actions

This can happen if they think you’ve been naughty – like using black-hat SEO tactics or breaking their rules.

Check for security and malware

Critical security on your website like being impacted with malware can impact your SEO ranking.

Google aims to provide a safe user experience and if your website may be affected by security or malware issues then Google either alerts users that your website may have been compromised or it may be removed from the SERPs.

Steps: Google Search Console >> Security & Manual Actions >> Security Issues

Check for crawling & indexing errors

Crawling and indexing errors are common culprits for ranking drops. These errors prevent Google’s bots from accessing and indexing your site properly. In GSC, check for any crawl errors or indexing issues, such as errors in the robots.txt, firewall block etc. Pages may have been blocked by mistake, or there’s a server error.

Steps: Google Search Console >> Pages >> View data about indexed pages

Solution: Fix crawling & indexing errors

Once you identify the errors, fix them right away. It could be as simple as unblocking a page or fixing a broken link. Sometimes, it’s a bit more complicated, but sorting these issues out can help your rankings bounce back.

After fixing these errors, you can request a recrawl of your website. This will help Google to reindex your website and fix any crawling or indexing issues.

Check any recent technical changes on the website

Page(s) moved without redirection

Did you move any pages recently? It's easy to forget, but ensuring proper redirection is vital. 

If you moved a page and didn’t set up a 301 redirect, Google might lose track of it, leading to a drop in rankings. 

When you move a page without setting up a proper redirect, you leave search engines and users hanging. They won't know where to find the content they’re looking for, which can result in lost traffic and lower rankings.

Ways to check and fix:

1. Look for 404 pages not found in Google Search Console or third-party "404 page not found checker".
2. Once you find a list of 404 pages, check for any important that is left unattended and apply redirection to relevant pages.

Steps: Google Search Console >> Pages >> Not found (404)

Always double-check your redirects and make sure every page has a clear path. A quick fix here can work wonders!

Chain redirects

Chain redirects can slow down your website’s performance and confuse search engines. They happen when one redirect leads to another and then another, creating a long chain. Google prefer direct paths, so minimising these chains will help keep your site fast and SEO-friendly.

Make sure each page goes directly to its new location without any unnecessary hops. Your site (and Google) will thank you.

Unintended firewall blocks

Firewalls are great for security, but sometimes they can block legitimate traffic by mistake. Check your firewall settings to ensure that Googlebot isn’t being blocked. 

If your firewall blocks Googlebot, it can’t crawl and index your site properly. This can lead to significant drops in rankings because Google won’t be able to access your content.

Add Googlebot to your firewall’s whitelist to allow it full access. Use tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog to check if Googlebot can crawl your site without issues.

robots.txt file mistake

Your robots.txt file tells search engines what they can and cannot access. A tiny mistake here can cause big issues. Review your robots.txt file to ensure you’re not accidentally blocking important pages from being crawled. 

Why It's Important: An incorrect robots.txt file can block search engines from crawling essential pages, leading to lower visibility in search results.

Check your robots.txt file regularly for any disallow rules that might be blocking important pages.

Allow Important Pages: Ensure that critical sections of your site are not blocked, such as home pages or product pages.

Check for any lost or broken External Links

External links are like votes of confidence from other sites. If you’ve lost some or have broken ones, it’s time to fix them up! Losing high-quality backlinks can significantly impact your rankings because these links contribute to your site's authority and trustworthiness.

Broken links can lead to a poor user experience and negatively impact your SEO. Fixing them helps maintain your site’s integrity and value.

For lost links, use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to identify any lost backlinks. Reach out to the site owners and kindly ask if they can restore the link. A little effort here can bring back those valuable connections.

Now for broken links, use tools like Google Search Console to find any links not pointing to your site. Fixing these can help restore lost link equity.

Internal linking and SEO ranking impact

Internal linking plays a vital role in page discovery and ranking. Internal linking target pages from high authority pages increases the chances of ranking better on SERPs.

Check for internal link errors or removal

Pages that are linked internally more frequently tend to rank higher in search results according to Backlinko. So it makes sense that you need to find out any internal link errors and address them immediately. 

Internal link errors can disrupt the flow of link equity throughout your site and make it harder for both users and search engines to find important content. This includes broken links, misdirected links, or links that lead to irrelevant pages. So fixing them ensures a good user experience as well as proper indexing. It’s a simple step that can have a big impact!

Also, If you’ve made updates to your site’s content or structure, review these changes to ensure no valuable internal links were accidentally removed. You don’t want any important links to maintain your site’s integrity and SEO value to be removed.

A simple way to find broken links is by running a scan using third-party sites like:

• https://www.deadlinkchecker.com/
• https://www.brokenlinkcheck.com/

Assess the scan report and fix any 404 pages to ensure all working as intended.

Check if you are blacklisted due to malicious software or code

Does Google blacklist sites? Yes, it does!

If your website is compromised by hackers or affected by malware, then Google might blacklist your site. Google scans websites regularly to ensure it is safe for users, and blacklisted websites are excluded from the SERP, making you lose significant organic traffic. 

You can check if your site has been blacklisted by looking into the issues given below:

• A warning on your site showing it is unsafe to access
• The site not showing up in the SERP, even though it previously used to
• Alerted by Google regarding your site’s safety

The immediate solution is to scan for malware in your website using tools like https://sitecheck.sucuri.net/ Google’s safe browsing plugin or other third-party applications to remove the issue permanently.

Website migration & ranking drop

If you have recently migrated your website, it can be a reason for your rankings to drop. Improper website migration or modification without proper planning can lead to serious SEO issues that can cause your rankings to drop.

But why does website migration drop my rankings?

When you migrate your website, search engines need to re-evaluate your site. This involves re-crawling, re-indexing, and sometimes reassigning value to your content and backlinks. If not handled properly, you can lose the equity built up in your old site, leading to significant drops in rankings and traffic.

The solution: check out our detailed guide on website and SEO migration. You will learn more about:

• Website migration
• Website migration checklist
• SEO migration checklist
• Troubleshooting
• And more

Duplicate or AI-generated content SEO penalty

The rule is simple if your content doesn’t add value to users most likely they will not perform well on search.

Whether it’s due to duplicate content or AI-generated content both can lead to trouble. Let's understand both.

Duplicated content SEO penalty

Duplicate content refers to blocks of content that appear on multiple pages within your site or across different sites. Search engines like Google prefer unique, high-quality content, and having too much duplicate content can confuse them, leading to potential ranking drops.

When Google encounters duplicate content, it can struggle to decide which version is the most relevant. This can dilute your site’s visibility and reduce your chances of ranking high in search results. But hey, the good news is that this is totally fixable!

You can refer to our duplicate content SEO penalty guide, where you can learn in detail about:

• Google duplicate content penalty
• Internal duplicate content issues
• Keyword cannibalisation
• Cross-Domain duplicate content
• Importance of an SEO copywriter
• etc.

AI-generated content and SEO ranking

Have you been using AI-generated content for your website?

Chances are, this might be the reason for your rankings to drop. Google hates duplicate content and low-value AI-generated content. If your site is full of copied content or poorly written AI articles, you’re bound to get hit.

But not all AI-generated content is bad for you. Google rewards quality, helpful content; whether it's AI-generated or not. The key is to focus on providing value to your users and ensuring your content meets Google's standards. So, always review and refine your AI-generated content to maintain high quality and relevance, or just produce original content.

Case Study: How we fixed AI-generated content (Real SEO Experience)

We had a website where we were producing content regularly. The content writer smartly used AI to enhance the written content in the manual. While it was mostly meaningful some pages lacked a personal touch and they were not performing well on search.

We made a list of pages where AI was used to enhance the content.

The content cleaning task was planned and executed to ensure the generic AI bit was removed and highly optimised manual written content added with various SEO inclusions.

As pages got cleaned, they were re-indexed and over time they started to do well.

Poor Link-building SEO impact

Getting a manual penalty from Google for poor link-building practices is tough. If you’ve been buying links, participating in link schemes, or getting links from low-quality sites, you might be in trouble.

Google’s algorithm places significant importance on the quality of backlinks. Links from reputable, relevant sites can boost your rankings, but links from spammy or unrelated sites can do the opposite. 

This means a real person at Google has reviewed your site and determined that you’re breaking the rules. So make sure you’re not using any black hat tactics to generate links for your website. 

You can check for link-building penalties:

• If you have messages from Google about unnatural links or manipulative link-building practices.
• If you notice a sudden, sharp drop in your rankings
• If you have a high number of low-quality or spammy links, it’s a red flag.

New major algorithm changes & ranking drop

Google’s algorithms are always changing. Some updates are minor, while others can shake up the entire search landscape. If everything seems fine on your end – no technical issues, no content problems – a recent algorithm update might be to blame.

Stay updated with the latest SEO news and algorithm changes. There are plenty of SEO forums and communities where people discuss these updates. If a new algorithm change aligns with your ranking drop, you might need to adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.

How long does SEO take to rank again?

Various factors impact SEO ranking, if the reasons for the drop may be something minor then it may take 1 to 3 months to recover.

However, if you have serious website issues, it can take even longer.

For example, you may have minor technical issues like Page URLs changed without planning or the website being offline - these issues can be fixed promptly to rank again. On the other side if you have serious content or link-building issues then it can take months to clean and apply changes to to see the ranking change again.

Visit our detailed guide on how long SEO takes to work to gain in-depth ideas about the timeline.

SEO ranking dropped audit checklist

The following SEO ranking drop checklist should help you perform different checks to ensure you have a methodical process to tackle the issue. You can also download the printable PDF checklist.

SEO ranking drop infographics

FAQs

Why has my google ranking dropped?

If your Google ranking has dropped, it might be because of algorithm updates, penalties, or losing valuable backlinks. Other reasons could include poor or duplicate content or technical problems on your site.

How to fix google ranking drop?

To fix a drop in Google rankings, start by identifying the cause through an SEO audit. Update and improve your content, fix any technical issues, and work on building high-quality backlinks. Since Google's algorithm changes regularly, make sure you are updated about the latest changes and adjust your strategy accordingly.

How to recover from google algorithm update?

There are several things you can do to recover from a Google Algorithm update. The first thing to do is to conduct a site audit and identify the changes you can make. Update your content to make sure it's high-quality and relevant. If any backlinks are lost, try to build new strategies. Make sure to read the algorithm update and adjust your strategy accordingly.

How long does it take to recover after a sudden ranking drop?

It will depend on the reasons for the ranking drop. If something is due to a technical error on the website then it may take 2 to 4 weeks. If something more serious like a link-scheme issue then it can take months.

Who should I contact after my SEO ranking is dropped?

You should hire an SEO trusted advisor who has a proven record of doing quality SEO. Get the audit done and then create a recovery plan.

How hard is it to recover from a penalty from Google?

It is hard as it will require a series of activities and it may take months and in some cases, you may not be able to clean the site as you may like if the SEO work had been done by many agencies. It is possible to recover but you should always have a realistic expectation.

Can I contact Google if my SEO ranking is dropped?

Google does not provide direct support for search engine optimisation services as it's free. But you can ask your questions in the Google webmaster forum. You will be able to contact Google if you may have received a manual penalty. The best solution is to work with a reputed SEO agency.

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Author: Pankaj Yadav

Blog: https://www.webapex.com.au/blog/author/pankaj-yadav/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aboutpankaj/