Over the last 4 years Google has implemented sweeping changes to its ranking systems in a series of algorithm updates. Each update has marked a significant change in the types of websites Google targets as well as changes to the way information is presented within the search results. Both of which have had significant impact both positive and negative on many websites across the internet.
For those that have seen ranking declines the impact can be devastating. Some will notice an immediate drop off in organic traffic and rankings. While others will notice a gradual decline over time. Either way if a website was significantly dependent on organic traffic before the update, these types of declines can have an overwhelming negative impact on the marketing and business objectives going forward.
Many smart SEOs claim to understand the correct strategies to reverse these negative trends, and most of them are right. However very few SEOs are willing to tell you what needs to be done in order to never recover. If you wanted to continue your websites downward spiral, what steps would you take? It might seem ridiculous and counterproductive to even focus on continuing negative trends, however I’ve noticed for most businesses they are unable to do what needs to be done until they understand their own negative behavior completely.
Here are five negative behaviors that are holding back your website from recovering after a negative algorithm update.
Do Nothing
In the last several years I’ve seen a lot of people outside of the SEO community complain about these algorithm updates. Many have been hit by the Helpful Content Update. In each instance I will reach out to them and ask what have you done to fix the problem. In almost every example I found of a website owner complaining publicly, none of them have done anything to fix the situation they’re in. It seems as if the only thing they think will help them is complaining to Google or the rest of the world of the dire situation that they are in. I can promise you as an SEO that’s been doing this for over 15 years that complaining to Google and others will never fix your SEO problems. You have to take decisive action to fix the problem that you’re in. On the rare occasion that someone from Google will pay attention to your complaints, they are 10 times more likely to help you if you can demonstrate that you’re already trying on your end to fix the problem.
Ignore Experts
Generally speaking there are three types of SEOs: SEOs that only participate in online discussions may have interesting things to say and sometimes can provide different perspectives worth considering, however they lack the real world experience to provide value and quality guidance. The SEOs that ignore the online community entirely may have tons of experience however lack the context of a broader professional community that can provide different ideas and perspectives that they had considered before. And, finally those that participate in both real world experience along with the vibrant conversations in the community.
Can you guess which of these three are borderline obsessed and passionate about algorithm updates? Some of us eat, breath, and sleep SEO. So much so that I can list more than five in our industry that I think might have legitimate mental health problems as it’s related to their obsession with SEO. Which is why I’m always flabbergasted when I see site owners that are experiencing real dramatic damage to their traffic and marketing efforts because of a search engine algorithm update, completely ignore the experts that are telling them what to do. Many of the SEOs that you speak to will have all of the answers you need if you are willing to listen and believe in what they’re saying. We provide this guidance based on experience working with other websites and helping them recover. We are not doing “guess work” everything is quantifiable and we can show examples of our work. Which is why I just don’t understand why so many people ignore SEOs.
Make No Changes
Some website owners impacted by negative algorithm updates DO listen to the experts. In fact, occasionally they hire us to help them fix their problems. Typically for me this means doing an exhaustive SEO audit that focuses on the types of technical SEO and content that are most likely related to the update impacting their site. My SEO audits are extremely detailed and exhaustive. For each recommendation I provide not only an explanation of what went wrong but also detailed steps on how to resolve the issue, oftentimes including code that a company’s developers can simply copy and paste to implement the required changes that I’m recommending. After the audit is completed I make sure that everyone understands the entire document fully and I do everything I can to position the client in a way to best possibly implement my recommendations.
Which is why it’s so frustrating when many clients fail to implement the recommendations I’m making. In some instances they will implement several of the high priority items and ignore the rest. In other instances they ignore the audit completely and carry on without making any substantial changes at all. For each website owner the reasons behind this inaction may be different but the results are always the same: Continued failure within the search results. Oftentimes a lack of budget or resources is cited as a reason not to implement specific changes. This is due in large part because the websites profitability has declined since the algorithm update occurred. However these changes are meant to increase your websites organic ROI if implemented quickly, therefore the expense required to implement the SEO audit will pay for itself and more after an update rebound occurs. I think many website owners are also surprised to find such dramatic recommendations made. In some instances I’ve heard of websites rebounding from the Helpful Content Update after deleting 90% of their content. That might seem like an extreme scenario however if the website has lost 60% or 70% of its total traffic extreme measures may be needed.
No matter the reasoning continuing the status quo will almost guarantee no recovery going forward. If you’re concerned about cost I encourage you to do an opportunity cost analysis on doing nothing. It always shows continued loss in traffic, rankings, and revenue.
Blame Someone Else
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve spoken to clients who have experienced an algorithm update decline, or a manual penalty and instead of taking responsibility for the situation they’re in, they point the finger at someone else. I’ve spoken to clients who have received manual link penalties and swear that they are the victim of their competitors sabotaging their SEO efforts with toxic backlinks. Or that the repetitive content template stuffed with keywords on hundreds of pages, was placed on their website by a former SEO they didn’t know about. At the end of the day none of this matters. To fix the problem you need to take ownership over it and do what needs to be done to resolve the issue. In situations like manual penalties it’s always easier to get them revoked if you admit to your wrongdoings in your reconsideration request. Failure to exhibit an act of contrition (sorry I was raised catholic) will result in complete apathy and lack of sympathy from search quality engineers that always have more data than you do. To fix your problems you have to own them and take responsibility.
Listen To Google
Despite there being many talented SEO consultants that can help you recover from an algorithm update, many website owners wrongfully assume the best advice for their situation will come directly from Google itself. While it is true that representatives from Google may understand the inner workings of their search engine much more than SEO consultants, their input to your problems are likely not to provide real benefit. Probably the most common reason for this is that each algorithm update and ranking system judges every domain individually within the context of the website’s content, technical infrastructure, and backlinks. Which means that any strategy developed to recover from a negative decline in rankings needs to be customized specifically with your website’s data in mind. Representatives from search engines rarely if ever make statements that fit a specific and targeted context that is required to meet the needs of your individual situation. Instead the majority of statements and advice that come from Google representatives are meant to be applied in a general sense without an understanding of any unique issues that your site may be experiencing.
Another common misunderstanding of statements from Google representatives is their difference in perspective. A search engine representative will be an expert on their systems alone; this is not the same as being an SEO expert. Search engine representatives can talk in detail about how their ranking systems work and how your site may have been negatively impacted as a result. However they do not have the same experience in responding to these systems from the outside. This is a substantial difference in perspective that is often confused and misunderstood by website owners that take search engine representatives’ statements and recommendations verbatim. Instead you should partner with SEO experts that understand how to work with these ranking systems from the outside in order to achieve better results. A search engine representative will not have that same level of expertise.
If you’ve been impacted negatively by an algorithm update or system change and you are committed to doing what is required to reverse the negative decline in traffic and rankings you should contact me today. I will start with an honest discussion with you about your recovery chances before we agree to a consulting engagement. If you decide to move forward with working with me, I’ll develop a custom audit and strategy focused on recovering from your decline. I’ll review the entire thing with you and your complete team and provide any available resources for additional learning and understanding. Through the entire process, until your recovery is seen, I’ll hold your hand and answer any questions that you might have. Because the only thing that makes all the frustration I’ve described in this article worth it, is seeing my clients succeed and regain traffic, rankings, and lost revenue. Together we can make it happen!
