Diagnosing Traffic Drops – Expert Guidance to Regain Momentum

PMS Difficulty Level: Advanced (Beginner – Advanced – Expert)

Introduction:

• The importance of monitoring website traffic and how a sudden drop in traffic can cause concern.
• Google Search Console is a valuable tool for diagnosing traffic drops and resolving issues that may lead to a drop in traffic.

Verify and Set up Google Search Console

If you still need to sign up for Google Search Console, do so now; once completed, you must verify website ownership.

How to Access Performance Reports in Google Search Console

1. Sign in to Google Search Console if you aren’t already signed in. Open your web browser and visit the Google Search Console website at https://search.google.com/search-console/. Could you sign in with your Google account credentials?
2. Select your property: Once you’ve signed in, you’ll see a list of properties (websites) you’ve added to Google Search Console. Click on the property (domain or URL prefix) for which you want to view the Performance report.
3. Open the Performance report: In the left-hand sidebar menu, click “Performance.” This will open the Performance report for your selected property.

How to View and Read Key Metrics in Google Search Console Performance Report

After opening the Performance report in Google Search Console, you’ll be able to view the key metrics: clicks, impressions, average position, and click-through rate (CTR). Here’s a description of each metric and how to view them:

• Clicks: The number of times users clicked on your website’s listing in search results. This metric indicates how effectively your site is attracting users from search results. To view clicks, make sure the “Clicks” checkbox is selected in the Performance report.
• Impressions: The number of times your website’s listing appeared in search results, regardless of whether it was clicked or not. Impressions provide an idea of your website’s visibility in search results. To view impressions, ensure the “Impressions” checkbox is selected in the Performance report.
• Average position: The average ranking of your website’s listing in search results for the selected queries. A lower average position indicates that your site is ranking higher in search results. To view the average position, select the “Average position” checkbox in the Performance report.
• Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of impressions that resulted in a click. This metric helps you understand how engaging your website’s listing is to users. A higher CTR indicates that your title tags and meta descriptions are effectively attracting users’ attention. To view the CTR, select the “CTR” checkbox in the Performance report.

Note that you can use the “Date range” filter in the top-right corner of the Performance report to adjust the time period for which you want to analyze these metrics.

How to Analyze Metrics in Google Search Console to Identify Traffic Drops

To analyze changes in clicks, impressions, average position, and CTR to identify the cause of a drop in traffic, follow these steps:

1. Identify the time period: Use the “Date range” filter in the Performance report to select the time period during which you experienced a drop in traffic. Compare it with a previous time period when your traffic was stable or increasing.
2. Analyze clicks and impressions: If both clicks and impressions have decreased, it may indicate a drop in your website’s visibility in search results, possibly due to a change in Google’s algorithms or a technical issue on your site. If clicks have decreased but impressions remain stable, it may indicate a change in user behavior or a decline in the attractiveness of your website’s listing in search results.
3. Examine average position: If your website’s average position has dropped significantly, it could mean that your site is ranking lower in search results, causing a decrease in traffic. This could be due to increased competition, loss of backlinks, or changes in Google’s ranking algorithms. Investigate on-page and off-page SEO factors to identify potential issues and areas for improvement.
4. Check click-through rate (CTR): If your CTR has decreased, it suggests that your website’s listing in search results is less appealing to users. Review your title tags and meta descriptions to ensure they accurately describe your content and are engaging to users. Make sure they are not too long, as they may be truncated in search results.
5. Segment by query, page, device, and country: In the Performance report, you can segment the data by various dimensions such as query, page, device, and country. Analyzing these segments can help you identify specific areas where the drop in traffic is occurring. This information can guide your efforts to address the issue and recover your traffic.
6. Monitor changes and fix issues: Once you have identified the potential causes of the drop in traffic, implement necessary changes to fix the issues. Monitor the metrics in Google Search Console to track the impact of your changes and ensure your traffic is recovering.

What is the Index Coverage Report and How Can It Help Diagnose Indexing Issues?

The Index Coverage report in Google Search Console provides an overview of the status of your website’s URLs in Google’s index. It helps you understand how Google is crawling and indexing your site, and it can help you identify and resolve any indexing issues that may be affecting your site’s performance in search results.

Purpose of the Index Coverage report

The primary purposes of the Index Coverage report are to:

• Show you the number of indexed and non-indexed URLs on your website
• Provide information on the indexing status of your URLs, such as errors, warnings, valid URLs, and excluded URLs
• Help you identify and fix indexing issues that may affect your website’s visibility in search results

Using the Index Coverage report to diagnose indexing issues

Follow these steps to use the Index Coverage report to diagnose indexing issues on your website:

1. Access the report: Select your property, and click “Index” in the left-hand sidebar menu. Then, click “Coverage” to open the Index Coverage report.
2. Review the summary: The report provides a summary of your website’s indexing status, including the total number of valid, error, warning, and excluded URLs. Analyze the summary to get an overview of your site’s indexing health.
3. Examine errors and warnings: Click on the “Error” or “Warning” tabs to view a list of URLs with indexing issues. Each issue will have a description and a link to a help article with more information on how to fix the problem. Addressing these issues can help improve your website’s visibility in search results.
4. Inspect excluded URLs: Click on the “Excluded” tab to view a list of URLs that Google has intentionally not indexed. Review these URLs to ensure they are not important pages that should be indexed. If you find any important pages in this list, investigate the reason for their exclusion and take appropriate action to get them indexed.
5. Request indexing: After fixing any indexing issues, you can request Google to crawl and index the affected URLs again by using the “Inspect URL” tool in Google Search Console. Enter the URL in the search bar at the top of the page, and click “Request Indexing” after the inspection is complete.

How to Identify and Resolve Common Errors in Google Search Console

Common errors in Google Search Console, such as crawl errors, server errors, and blocked resources, can impact your website’s performance in search results. To identify and resolve these issues, follow these steps:

1. Crawl Errors

Crawl errors occur when Googlebot is unable to access or crawl a URL on your website. To identify and resolve crawl errors, use the Index Coverage report:

1. Access the Index Coverage report by selecting your property, and clicking “Index” > “Coverage” in the left-hand sidebar menu.
2. Click on the “Error” tab to view a list of URLs with crawl errors.
3. Review the error descriptions and follow the provided guidance to fix the issues. Common crawl errors include 404 (Not Found), 403 (Forbidden), and 500 (Internal Server Error).
4. After fixing the issues, use the “Inspect URL” tool to request indexing for the affected URLs.

2. Server Errors

Server errors occur when your web server is unable to serve a requested URL, usually due to issues with your hosting provider or server configuration. To identify and resolve server errors, follow these steps:

1. Access the Index Coverage report in Google Search Console as described above.
2. Click on the “Error” tab and look for server errors such as 500 (Internal Server Error), 503 (Service Unavailable), or other 5xx errors.
3. Contact your hosting provider or web developer to investigate and resolve the server issues. This may involve fixing server configurations, upgrading server resources, or resolving other server-related problems.
4. Once the server issues are resolved, use the “Inspect URL” tool to request indexing for the affected URLs.

3. Blocked Resources

Blocked resources are elements on your website, such as images, scripts, or stylesheets, that are blocked from being crawled by Googlebot. This can impact your website’s appearance and functionality in search results. To identify and resolve blocked resources, use the “Blocked Resources” report:

1. Access the Blocked Resources report by selecting your property, and clicking “Index” > “Blocked Resources” in the left-hand sidebar menu (Note: This report is available in the old version of Google Search Console).
2. Review the list of blocked resources and their hostnames.
3. Update your website’s robots.txt file to allow Googlebot to access the blocked resources, or move the resources to a location that is not blocked by your robots.txt file.
4. Use the “robots.txt Tester” tool in Google Search Console to test your updated robots.txt file and ensure the resources are no longer blocked.

By addressing crawl errors, server errors, and blocked resources, you can improve your website’s performance in search results and ensure a better user experience. Regularly monitor Google Search Console for any new issues and resolve them promptly to maintain your website’s visibility and search engine ranking.

Understanding the Impact of Manual Actions and Security Issues on Website Traffic

Manual actions and security issues can have a significant impact on your website’s traffic by affecting its visibility in search results and user trust. It’s crucial to address these issues promptly to maintain your website’s performance and reputation.

Impact of Manual Actions

Manual actions are penalties imposed by Google when a website is found to be violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. These penalties can result in lower search rankings or even removal of your website from search results, leading to a significant drop in traffic. Common reasons for manual actions include:

• Unnatural links to or from your website
• Thin or low-quality content
• Cloaking or sneaky redirects
• Hidden text or keyword stuffing

Impact of Security Issues

Security issues, such as malware, phishing, or hacked content, can harm your website’s users and damage your reputation. Google may display a warning message in search results or even block access to your site, resulting in a loss of traffic and user trust. It’s essential to resolve security issues quickly to protect your users and maintain your website’s performance.

Finding and Resolving Manual Actions and Security Issues in Google Search Console

To find and resolve manual actions or security issues reported in Google Search Console, follow these steps:

1. Find Manual Actions

1. Sign in to Google Search Console and select your property.
2. Click “Security & Manual Actions” in the left-hand sidebar menu, then click “Manual Actions.”
3. Review the manual actions report to see if there are any issues affecting your website.

2. Resolve Manual Actions

1. Read the details of the manual action, including the reason for the penalty and examples of affected pages.
2. Take appropriate steps to fix the issue, such as removing unnatural links, improving content quality, or correcting technical issues.
3. Once the issue is resolved, submit a reconsideration request through Google Search Console. Provide a detailed explanation of the steps you’ve taken to fix the problem and any supporting documentation.

3. Find Security Issues

1. Sign in to Google Search Console and select your property.
2. Click “Security & Manual Actions” in the left-hand sidebar menu, then click “Security Issues.”
3. Review the security issues report to see if there are any issues affecting your website.

4. Resolve Security Issues

1. Read the details of the security issue, including the type of issue and examples of affected pages.
2. Take appropriate steps to fix the issue, such as removing malware, updating vulnerable software, or restoring hacked content.
3. Once the issue is resolved, request a review through Google Search Console. Provide a detailed explanation of the steps you’ve taken to fix the problem and any supporting documentation.

By promptly addressing manual actions and security issues, you can minimize the impact on your website’s traffic and maintain your site’s visibility and user trust. Regularly monitor Google Search Console for any new issues and resolve them quickly to ensure your website’s ongoing performance and reputation.

Understanding the Importance of Mobile Usability and Core Web Vitals

Mobile usability and Core Web Vitals are essential factors that influence user experience and search rankings. Improving these aspects can lead to better user engagement, higher search visibility, and increased website traffic.

Mobile Usability

Mobile usability refers to how well a website functions and displays on mobile devices. With the increasing number of users accessing websites via smartphones and tablets, it’s crucial to optimize your website for mobile devices. Google considers mobile usability as a ranking factor, meaning that websites with poor mobile experiences may rank lower in search results.

Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of performance metrics that measure the user experience of a website. They focus on three aspects: loading performance (Largest Contentful Paint or LCP), interactivity (First Input Delay or FID), and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift or CLS). Google has incorporated Core Web Vitals into its ranking algorithms, making them an important factor for search rankings and user experience.

Reviewing and Addressing Mobile Usability and Core Web Vitals Issues

To review and address any issues related to mobile usability and Core Web Vitals, follow these steps:

1. Review Mobile Usability Issues

1. Select your property.
2. Click “Experience” in the left-hand sidebar menu, then click “Mobile Usability.”
3. Review the Mobile Usability report to see if there are any issues affecting your website’s mobile experience.

2. Address Mobile Usability Issues

1. Read the details of the mobile usability issues and follow the provided guidance to fix the problems. Common issues include viewport configuration, font size, and touch element spacing.
2. Implement responsive design techniques, such as using CSS media queries, flexible grids, and scalable images, to ensure your website adapts well to different screen sizes and orientations.
3. Test your website on various mobile devices and browsers to ensure a consistent user experience. Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to verify that your website is mobile-friendly.

3. Review Core Web Vitals Issues

1. Sign in to Google Search Console and select your property.
2. Click “Experience” in the left-hand sidebar menu, then click “Core Web Vitals.”
3. Review the Core Web Vitals report to see if there are any issues affecting your website’s performance.

4. Address Core Web Vitals Issues

1. Read the details of the CoreWeb Vitals issues and follow the provided guidance to fix the problems. Focus on optimizing the LCP, FID, and CLS metrics.
2. For LCP, optimize your website’s loading performance by compressing images, using efficient caching policies, and minimizing server response times.
3. For FID, improve interactivity by minimizing JavaScript execution time, using browser caching, and optimizing code splitting and lazy loading.
4. For CLS, enhance visual stability by specifying dimensions for images and videos, avoiding inserting content above existing content, and using CSS containment properties to prevent layout shifts.
5. Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse to analyze your website’s performance and get recommendations for optimization.

By reviewing and addressing mobile usability and Core Web Vitals issues, you can improve your website’s user experience and search rankings. Regularly monitor Google Search Console for any new issues and resolve them promptly to maintain your website’s performance and visibility.

Using Google Search Console to Analyze Search Queries and Keywords

Google Search Console is a powerful tool that allows you to analyze search queries and keywords driving traffic to your website. By understanding which keywords and search queries are performing well, you can optimize your content and SEO strategy to attract more targeted traffic. To analyze search queries and keywords, follow these steps:

1. Access the Performance Report

1. Select your property.
2. Click “Performance” in the left-hand sidebar menu.

2. Review Key Metrics

In the Performance report, you can view key metrics such as clicks, impressions, average position, and click-through rate (CTR) for your website. These metrics provide insights into your website’s overall search performance.

3. Analyze Search Queries

1. In the Performance report, scroll down to the “Queries” section.
2. Review the list of search queries driving traffic to your website. Pay attention to the number of clicks, impressions, and CTR for each query.
3. Identify high-performing queries with a high number of clicks and impressions. These are the queries that drive the most traffic to your website.
4. Also, look for queries with a low CTR but a high number of impressions. These queries may represent opportunities for optimization, as they are visible in search results but not generating many clicks.

4. Analyze Keywords

While Google Search Console does not provide a specific report for keywords, you can extract valuable keyword insights from the search queries data:

1. Examine the high-performing search queries to identify common keywords and phrases.
2. Analyze the context and intent behind these keywords to understand why users are searching for them.
3. Use these insights to inform your content strategy and SEO efforts, focusing on creating content that addresses the user intent behind the top-performing keywords.

By using Google Search Console to analyze search queries and keywords, you can gain valuable insights into your website’s search performance and identify opportunities for optimization. Regularly review and update your content and SEO strategy based on these insights to maintain your website’s visibility and attract more targeted traffic.

Why Understanding Competitors is Crucial for Website Traffic

Competitor analysis is an essential aspect of digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Understanding your competitors and their impact on website traffic helps you make informed decisions for your online strategy, improving your website’s performance and visibility. Here are some reasons why understanding competitors is crucial:

1. Identify Industry Trends

Keeping an eye on your competitors allows you to identify industry trends and stay up-to-date with the latest developments in your niche. This insight enables you to adapt your strategy and maintain a competitive edge in the market.

2. Benchmark Your Performance

By analyzing your competitors, you can compare your website’s performance to industry standards. This benchmarking process helps you set realistic goals and identify areas where your website is underperforming or excelling.

3. Discover Effective Marketing Strategies

Studying your competitors’ marketing strategies can provide valuable insights into which tactics are most effective in driving traffic and generating leads. This information can guide your marketing efforts and help you allocate resources more efficiently.

4. Uncover Content and Keyword Opportunities

By examining your competitors’ content and keyword strategies, you can identify gaps and opportunities to target specific keywords or create content that addresses user needs not currently met by your competition. This approach can help you attract more targeted traffic and increase your search visibility.

5. Enhance Your Website’s User Experience

Analyzing your competitors’ websites allows you to identify best practices in design, navigation, and user experience. By adopting these practices, you can improve your website’s usability and engagement, which can have a positive impact on your search rankings and traffic.

In summary, understanding your competitors and their impact on website traffic is essential for creating an effective online strategy. Regularly analyze your competition to stay informed about industry trends, benchmark your performance, and uncover opportunities to improve your website’s visibility and user experience.

Using tools like Google Trends, PMS SEO Signals, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to monitor competitors and industry trends can help you better understand competitor data as well.

Why Google Search Console is Important for Diagnosing Traffic Drops

Google Search Console is a valuable tool for website owners and digital marketers looking to diagnosing traffic drops and resolving issues causing drops in website traffic. By utilizing the various features and reports available in Google Search Console, you can effectively identify and address problems that may be affecting your website’s search visibility and performance. Here are some reasons why Google Search Console is essential for diagnosing traffic drops:

1. Identify Indexing Issues

Google Search Console’s Index Coverage report helps you identify indexing issues that may be preventing your website from appearing in search results. By resolving these issues, you can ensure that your website is properly indexed and visible to users searching for relevant content.

2. Monitor Search Performance

The Performance report in Google Search Console provides insights into your website’s search performance, including metrics like clicks, impressions, average position, and click-through rate (CTR). By monitoring these metrics, you can quickly identify drops in traffic and investigate potential causes.

3. Discover and Resolve Technical Errors

Google Search Console can help you identify and resolve technical errors, such as crawl errors, server errors, or blocked resources, that may be negatively impacting your website’s search performance. Addressing these issues can help improve your website’s visibility and user experience, leading to increased traffic.

4. Address Manual Actions and Security Issues

Manual actions and security issues can have a significant impact on your website’s search visibility and traffic. Google Search Console allows you to check for any manual actions or security issues affecting your website and provides guidance on how to resolve them.

5. Optimize Mobile Usability and Core Web Vitals

Google Search Console provides reports on mobile usability and Core Web Vitals, which are important factors for user experience and search rankings. By addressing issues related to mobile usability and Core Web Vitals, you can improve your website’s performance and search visibility, resulting in increased traffic.

In conclusion, Google Search Console is an essential tool for diagnosing traffic drops and resolving issues that may cause drops in website traffic. By leveraging its various features and reports, you can effectively monitor your website’s search performance, identify potential problems, and take corrective action to maintain and improve your website’s visibility and user experience.

It’s important for all webmasters, website owners of any type to regularly monitor their website’s performance and make necessary improvements to maintain a strong online presence.

This very detailed Google Search Console outline should give you a good starting point to begin using Google Search Console. It should be extremely helpful to troubleshoot sudden or gradual drops in website traffic.

If you’re experiencing an unexpected drop in traffic and need expert guidance to get back on track, don’t hesitate to reach out to us – we’re here to help you regain your momentum!