Slipping Down the Rankings? A Few Points to Consider

It’s a common nightmare none of us would like to face but sadly most will. All seems to be going as it should, you best efforts are being rewarded and then, all of a sudden you experience a drop in the rankings. No word from Google and no obvious problems with the site you run, but for one reason or another, your name is no longer in lights and you’ve fallen somewhere to a new low…one that’s getting lower by the minute.Of course, the kneejerk reaction is one of blind-panic – did you outsource SEO to a dodgy provider or has Google simply got it in for you? Well, in reality it’s unlikely that either of these are the case, so rather than screaming blue murder and licking your wounds, it’s far more proactive to look into what really could be the cause and subsequently begin making amends.   Hosting IssuesMore often than not, a slip in the rankings that seems to come out of nowhere ends up being the result of a simple performance issue with the website. If and when your hosting services let you down or the site itself become buggy and unreliable, Google finds this out pretty quickly and doesn’t exactly sing your praises. They aren’t in the habit of sending people to sites they know to be in any way less-than user-friendly, so if your site appears to be as such – even if temporarily – you might experience a slide. This is always a good place to start checks before moving forward.CompetitionWhen was the last time you did a solid check on the competition? How about keyword research? Also, who is outpacing you for the keywords you’re supposed to have solid control over? There’s always the chance that rather than doing anything wrong as such, you’ve instead been pushed down the list a little by the competition – brands that may have invested more in their SEO efforts than you. Is it time to take things to the next level?Algorithm UpdatesAnother common cause of slips is the dreaded Google algorithm change. If and when this happens, it means you’re no longer fulfilling requirements as you once were and have therefore been pushed down a few places…you and about a million other businesses. A quick look around Webmaster forums will help you find out if any changes have been made – they’re hardly kept secret!SpamBe honest with yourself – does your site contain anything that Google might consider spam, or is it all 100% top-notch stuff of the highest order? If the answer in any way leans toward the spam side of things, you might have rubbed Google up the wrong way and need to make reparations…fast!SEO BluesAnd finally, it’s rarely the case but if all else seems to be failing, it could be your SEO provider that’s letting you down. If you’ve slipped, they should be able to tell you how it happened, when it happened, why it happened and what they are going to do to fix it. If they can’t tick all these boxes and more, chances are you have your problem right there!