Why Is My Website Traffic Dropping? And How to Fix It
Many factors can result in website traffic dropping, including a Google update, outdated content, a new domain, or poor user experience.
In this article, I’ll discuss reasons your website traffic may be down and how you can improve it, with insights from SEO specialists. I’ll also share a blogger's experience increasing her traffic by 30% after a Google update.
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Google updates
Google performs core updates to its algorithms and systems a few times yearly. The updates are designed to ensure Google is sharing helpful, reliable results with users. Depending on how SEO-friendly your website is, updates may or may not affect your rankings and traffic.
“I worked with a large e-commerce platform that experienced a significant drop in organic traffic after a core Google algorithm update,” says Ludwig Makhyan, a Technical SEO Expert.
Upon conducting a technical SEO audit, Makhyan identified possible issues and helped the site surpass previous traffic with the following improvements:
Higher-quality content that’s helpful and well-written, which you can do for landing pages, product descriptions, and blog articles
Faster page speed by compressing images, reducing redirects, removing unnecessary plugins, etc.
Accurate structured data markup by organizing behind-the-scene information so search engines better understand the site
Optimized website crawl budget to ensure search engines focus attention on indexing the most important pages – this is usually only necessary for large websites
Lesley Stewart, Travel Blogger & Creator of Wander Somewhere had a similar experience on her website and blog after the helpful content update.
“I realized my traffic was starting to drop . . . I spent two weeks furiously updating everything on my site,” said Stewart. “By the end of the core update, my traffic had not only steadied but grown by 30%. And it’s still steadily growing.”
Outdated content
Blog content can help you reach more people, but Makhyan explains that it must be updated and aligned with user intent. Optimizing and creating thorough, high-quality content can quickly improve your rankings and traffic.
Your content should be helpful and include relevant examples, statistics, and expert insights. It should also offer your reader a satisfying experience by thoroughly answering the search query.
When Stewart saw her website traffic dropping after the Helpful Content Update, she updated old blog posts, which helped her exceed her previous traffic. After updating her articles, she resubmitted them to Google Search Console for re-indexing, encouraging Google to crawl and rank the content quicker.
In the video below, you’ll see how you can resubmit articles for indexing or submit any new page on your site:
Request indexing on Google Search Console
Seasonal changes
It’s not uncommon for websites to see a drop in traffic in certain seasons, especially if your blog covers seasonal topics, such as gift guides and travel itineraries.
If your website traffic is dropping due to seasonal changes, consider what kind of evergreen content you can create. For example, if gift guides perform well during holiday seasons, target keywords related to birthdays or other topics that get traction year-round. If you're a travel blogger or location-specific website, you could share more evergreen content, like how to budget for your travel.
While there are ways to overcome seasonal changes, it’s also okay to accept that your site performs better during specific times of the year. Other marketing strategies, like email and social media, can help balance this out.
New website host or domain
“Although changing hosts shouldn’t impact your SEO or traffic, temporary errors could occur, especially if you’re also changing your content management system,” says Alice Rowan, Website Copywriter & SEO Consultant. “However, this shouldn’t be a lasting issue unless you have a huge volume of continuous website traffic.”
On the other hand, Rowan explains that domains are an entirely different issue. “Changing your domain can damage your rankings and traffic if not handled properly. Full domain redirects are essential, plus there’s the challenge of building name recognition under your new domain and usually brand name.”
According to Rowan, it can be tempting to handle these changes yourself. However, working with a technical SEO specialist like Rowan can help ease the transition and minimize outages or site errors. Having someone external to your organization who’s specifically responsible for ticking all the boxes and fixing bugs increases your chance of a successful transition.
Poor user experience
88% of people are unlikely to return to a website if they don’t have a good experience.
You might have high-quality content and offers, but visitors won't want to stick around if your website doesn't offer a good user experience (UX). This can increase your bounce rate or the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing one page.
A high bounce rate is a red flag to Google that your site doesn't offer a good UX, which can affect your ranking and traffic.
Every good website offers a satisfying user experience with the following:
Page load time of 3 seconds or less - Check yours on PageSpeed Insights
Straightforward navigation - Include a dropdown menu in your header and call-to-action buttons throughout the site
Helpful design - Use dark font on a light background and an aesthetically pleasing yet simple layout
Limited marketing
If you want people to find your website, you must market it. Is this something you once prioritized, and now you're not as much? You may be getting organic traffic from Google, but that's decreased.
It's common for website traffic to fluctuate as new websites and content are created and competition changes. However, multiple marketing strategies can help you encourage people to continue visiting your website.
I recommend using at least a few of the following strategies for getting traffic to your website:
Email marketing - Start an email list and send helpful email newsletters. Link your website in your email content and the footer.
Social media - Share links to helpful pages on your website on your social platforms. You can also join related Facebook pages and share your website when people make relevant posts.
Website SEO - Increase your rankings on Google with an SEO-friendly website. Blogs are incredibly helpful for this because the more content you have, the more opportunities you have to show up on Google.
Business cards - Hand out business cards at events, to people you know, and at local businesses.
Podcast guesting - Being a podcast guest is one of the best ways to put yourself out there, make connections, and let people get to know you. Most podcast hosts will also let you share how listeners can find you and link your website in the show notes.
Guest blogging - Offer to write guest blog articles for sites with similar audiences to yours. You can include links to your site in the article and reach more people.
Article features - Websites like Qwoted and Featured offer opportunities for sharing insights with publications, most of which will credit you and link to your site in the article.
How to Identify Website Traffic Issue(s)
If your website traffic is down, you can identify what’s causing the issue(s) by using Google Search Console, performing a website audit, or hiring support.
Use Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free platform that tracks your site’s performance and helps you resolve possible issues.
With Google Search Console, you can:
See how many clicks each page on your site gets from Google
Identify which pages are or aren’t indexed and why
Review the page experience for your audience
Receive alerts when Google discovers issues on your site
I check Google Search Console for my own site and clients at least weekly to monitor website performance. This can potentially help you catch issues before they occur instead of waiting for your website traffic to drop.
Perform a Website Audit
Auditing your website can inform you about specific issues your site may be experiencing, such as page speed and SEO elements.
I recommend doing this at least twice yearly before website traffic drops, but it can also be especially important after the fact.
Keysearch is one of my favorite SEO tools, and its audit feature is incredibly user-friendly. It’ll run an audit on your site and tell you what errors it found, giving you actionable steps for improving website traffic.
If you decide to try Keysearch, use code KSDISC for 20% off.
Use Keysearch to perform a website audit
Hire Support
If you don’t have the knowledge, time, or desire to identify your website traffic issues, you can hire an SEO specialist for support.
While many writers specialize in SEO-friendly content, it's important to hire someone who understands technical SEO to determine issues with your site.
Contact me to inquire about working together if you’d like help determining traffic issues and improving your website’s content and SEO for better results.
How to Improve Website Traffic
“My top tip for improving your website traffic is staying on top of your site’s admin,” says Stewart. “Set aside one day per week and make sure you’re doing all the less exciting parts correctly. It’s extra work, but it is definitely worth the time.”
Even if you can’t set aside a full day, create an admin schedule that works for you – whether that’s two hours twice weekly or two days monthly.
Website admin tasks may include the following:
Check Google Search Console - Explore how your site is performing and what pages and queries are or aren’t seeing results. Use this information to guide updates and future content.
Prioritize blogging - Blogs allow you to target and rank for various SEO keywords, which helps you reach more people and increase your website traffic.
Create helpful content - The more content you have, the more opportunities Google has to notice and rank your site. However, Google aims to rank helpful content, such as blog articles that answer questions for your target audience.
Be patient - There are many possible reasons for website traffic dropping, so it might take time to determine and improve the issue(s). If there’s been a recent Google update, it may require simply waiting for the algorithms to reconfigure.
Why is my website traffic dropping? Conclusion
If your website traffic is down, it’s important to understand the issue and if it’s something you can control. While website traffic dropping can be a normal part of Google updates and timing, it can also be related to your site experience.
I hope you found this article helpful in learning how to improve your website results so you can reach your goals.
