Seeing your website traffic plummet suddenly can be frustrating. You could have been performing well, with steady visitors, and then just that, everything was altered. If this is what you’ve gone through, then your website may have suffered from a Google algorithm update.
Google updates its search algorithm regularly to improve search results. Some of these updates are minor, while others (dubbed as core updates) can shift rankings on tens of millions of websites. But here’s the silver lining: traffic lost because of updates can be recovered with a correct action.
Below is a simple step-by-step guide on how to grasp the impact of core updates and recover lost rankings effectively.
Confirm the Drop Using Google Search Console
- Don’t guess, check your traffic first. Use Google Search Console to review actual drops in impressions or clicks.
- Go to the Performance section.
- Compare the past 28 days with the previous period.
- Review drops in total clicks, impressions, and average position.
- If many high-performing pages dropped at one time, it is likely a search algorithm update.
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Find Out What Kind of Algorithm Update Hit Your Site
Not all updates affect sites in the same way. There are some that affect content quality, some hit spam, some hit page experience or user intent.
To find out the update:
- Visit official sites like Google Search Central
- Keep an eye on legitimate SEO blogs like Search Engine Journal, Moz, or SEMrush
- Watch for what’s been affected in SEO forums and social media
- Knowledge of what the update hit will inform how to do it better.
Review Pages That Lost Traffic
- Consider what pages took the biggest traffic hit following the update. Refer to this quick checklist:
- Is the material still useful?
- Does it align with present-day user search intent?
- Is the competition providing improved, more comprehensive answers?
- One can compare your content with leaders in rank using tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or even a manual Google search.
Enhance Quality Content
Google algorithm updates tend to prefer helpful and trustworthy content. If your page isn’t fresh, it’s time to make it fresh.
- Fix the following:
Add new, factual information - Format improved (use headings, bullets, images)
Answer related questions or subtopics
Remove fluff and keep language simple - Make sure your content is original, helpful, and human-like.
Fix Technical SEO Problems
Technical problems sometimes get worse following an update to the algorithm.
Use tools like Screaming Frog or Site Audit tools to find:
- Broken links or 404 errors
- Slow page loading speed
- Mobile usability issues
- Crawlability or indexing errors
If WordPress is your platform, install the likes of WP Rocket for speed and Smush for image compression. Also, make sure your theme is mobile responsive.
Re-Optimize Metadata
Metadata affects your click-through rate (CTR), a signal which Google watches.
- Update your:
Title tags to be more clickable and keyword-oriented - Meta descriptions to give a clear account of what the page is providing
- Use WordPress SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math to make this easily manageable.
Improve Your E-E-A-T
Google now requires Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E-E-A-T) in content.
Ways to improve E-E-A-T:
- Show real author names and biographies
- Show credentials or qualifications
- Link to trusted sources
- Secure your website using HTTPS
- Show customer reviews or testimonials
This is especially important for sites in niches like health, finance, and law.
Internal Linking Strengthen
- Internal linking directs users to more content on your site and improves SEO.
- Link older articles to newer, updated editions
Use descriptive anchor links (not just “click here”)
Build topic clusters that connect related content
Good internal linking can improve dwell time and bounce rate — both positives for recovery.
Monitor Progress and Be Patient
Google core updates stabilize over time. After you’ve fixed your site, it may take weeks or months before seeing improvement.
Regularly check Search Console and Analytics for signs of improvement. Don’t make swift changes in a hurry — rather, use long-term SEO strategies.