One of the most horrifying nightmares SEO professionals face at 9:00 AM? Logging into their Search Console and witnessing an unexpected drop in traffic.
In situations like this, it’s crucial to have a solid SOP in place. Your first step should be identifying where the ZEROS are – essentially, pinpointing which pages have dropped to zero impressions. Next, identify pages that have seen a decline in traffic due to various issues.
From my experience, 80% of traffic drops can be attributed to something that used to work but now doesn’t. The other 20%? They’re a result of deteriorating performance.
So, by 9:01 AM, take a deep breath and here’s your game plan:
- Compare page impressions by selecting a relevant time frame. If the traffic began its descent from the 10th to the 20th of the month, contrast these 10 days with the preceding 10 days to get things more accurate.
- Sort the traffic difference for both periods in descending order.
- Set your filters to display impressions that have dwindled to zero.
- The result will be a list of pages that have hit rock bottom, with the highest past performing pages listed first. These are your priority for inspection and fixing.
A bonus tip: Many times, the drop to zero is caused by a singular issue that leads to page de-indexing. In other cases, even a minor update like changing a single line can result in a traffic drop. It’s essential to scrutinize every minute change that might have occurred.
Stick to this strategy, and enjoy your 9:00 AM Cappuccino like a boss. 😉
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