Do you find yourself concerned that your business’ website traffic has seen a decline? There are multiple reasons as to why the number of users visiting your site could have dropped, making resolving the issue a complex matter. Below, we have compiled a list of some factors known to cause problems in this area, hopefully helping you to solve the issue and bring your web traffic back to normal levels.
New Website
It’s not uncommon for issues such as a decline in web traffic to be seen as a result of a website upgrade; many websites may find that they lose organic search traffic when site design is seen to be upgraded or migrated to a new platform. This could be due to something as simple as a small oversight, such as an SEO component of the website redesign process not being managed in the correct manner, 301 redirects not put in place or existing SEO optimisations not carried over; this is one of the most common reasons for sudden organic search result traffic loss.
Hacked Website
Another reason that your website traffic could be facing a decline could be due to the security of your website being compromised. Google is able to easily identify domains that they suspect could have been hacked, potentially choosing to exclude them from showing within the organic search results as a result. Normally, a message will be sent over to the owner of the website via the Google Search Console, however, if you don’t have access to this platform, you are not likely to receive clarification as to why a drop in web traffic is being seen; creating cause for further issue. Sites hosted on the WordPress platform are more likely to become the targets of hacking, commonly occurring when WordPress website versions are not properly kept up to date, leaving them susceptible to issues, such as bugs, that any updates may work to resolve.
To work to solve web traffic issues caused as a result of your website being hacked, you should first begin by gaining access to your Google Search Console account as to check for any errors or notifications reported by Google. Otherwise, your web developer or SEO agency should be contacted as to conduct an on-page audit and identify the issue.
Issues with Google Rankings
This issue could be seen as the result of a change being made to Google’s algorithm in a way that has worked to impact the performance of your website within the organic search results; causing your domain to be ranked lower. Google’s algorithm tends to be updated a few times each month, undergoing larger core updates from time to time. These changes can potentially result in your traffic levels dropping drastically.
The reasoning behind why your website may have been impacted by an algorithm change can vary, meaning an in-depth SEO investigation further into this may be required as to assist in the determination of the best course of action. This issue could be one of relative minority, or it could be a case of Google singling out your website, assigning penalties for the practice of disapproved SEO techniques.; there are a number of SEO mistakes that you should be avoiding to decrease the risk of your website being penalised.
To conclude, there are multiple reasons as to why your website traffic could be facing a decline, making the identification and resolution of the issue vital to the success of your site. For assistance with resolving any issues you may be having, and to get your web traffic back up to its former numbers, get in touch with our In Front Digital’s SEO experts and discover what we can do to help you.