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Website traffic is an important marketing metric for most companies. The more visitors who see your Web content, the more chances you have to make an impact, develop relationships and boost sales. That’s why a sudden and sharp decline in traffic can be such an unpleasant jolt—it represents lost opportunities to convert viewers to customers.
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Identifying the issue is one thing; diagnosing it can be much more tricky. There are many potential causes of a decline in website traffic, ranging from a Google algorithm update to technical issues. We asked members of Forbes Agency Council to offer tips on where a business should start investigating a significant loss in website traffic. Here’s what they had to say.
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Members of Forbes Agency Council offer tips for diagnosing a drop in your business’ website traffic.
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Photos courtesy of the individual members..
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1. Check For Recent Google Updates
.
For a dip in organic traffic, the first place to look is with Google to see if they’ve recently released an algorithm update that negatively affected your rankings and visibility. The most recent example of this happened in August 2018, when Google released its “Medic” update. – Steve Cross, iSynergy
.
.
2. Improve Your SEO
.
The best place to start is checking to make sure you are up on Google algorithms and that your content matches the parameters of how Google performs searches. It is ever-changing, which means you can’t just throw some keywords in and expect results. Lower traffic means fewer people are seeing you—improving your SEO strategy is how to fix that. – Jason Hall, FiveChannels Marketing
.
Do I qualify?.
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3. Check Your Traffic Sources
.
What’s great about analytics is that you can “see” why there is a decline in website traffic. Check your traffic sources before and after the decline so you can find which source was mostly affected. If it’s organic (search engines), look at your rankings; if it’s social, track down what you were posting before and after; and if it’s referrals, then make sure these sites are still linking to you! – Rafael Romis, Weberous Web Design
.
4. Determine If It’s A Technology Issue
.
In the markets we serve, a sudden drop in traffic is virtually always a technology issue. If you build great content that ideal prospects cannot resist and you market it appropriately and with respect, there is almost never a steep decline unless the technology breaks. There are all kinds of tech issues that can cause declines. This is why our clients rely on us to have really sharp tech skills. – Randy Shattuck, The Shattuck Group
.
5. Look At The Stories You’re Telling
.
Have you experienced a lull in new content? Have you made a shift to different types of stories? If you’re doing A/B testing to see what types of content your consumers prefer, then congratulations—you just figured it out. If not, then maybe it’s time to take a hard look at your strategy and find ways to tell new stories that will be more engaging for your readers and keep them coming back for more. – Lisa Arledge Powell, MediaSource
.
6. Check For Outdated Terminology
.
First, review your site’s text for the latest terminology. An example is “marketing” versus “sales enablement.” Second, review how prospective customers find or don’t find your site. Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is one approach. An example is a Web search for “marketing agency” versus “sales enablement agency.” As industry buzzwords change, so will your page rank. – Jim Caruso, MediaFirst PR – Atlanta
.
7. Check Web Hosting Infrastructure
.
I would recommend checking the server/Web hosting infrastructure to ensure everything is technically performing and optimal. Then I would look to SEO, including the page rank and any recent on-site changes that may have impacted index scoring. – Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC
.
8. Look At Your Bounce Rate
.
The first place to look is bounce rate to determine if traffic arrived but dropped off or if traffic never arrived in the first place. If the former, it’s time to look at design and navigation as well as website performance to figure out where the problem is. If the latter, then it’s time to review SEO and see if there was a change in the search algorithm that you can adjust for. – Stefan Pollack, The Pollack PR Marketing Group
.
9. Check Google Analytics
.
If you see an unexpected dip in traffic in Google Analytics (GA), you simply have to dig further to see what the cause is. Check the Acquisition Overview in Google Analytics to determine which channel had the biggest dip—organic, direct, referral, paid search or social. This typically will point you in the right direction to determine where you need to investigate further. – T. Maxwell, eMaximize
.
10. Do Analytics Integration And Messaging Audits
.
If the spike is sudden, it’s likely an issue with your analytics integration. If the decline is gradual, the situation is likely more serious. It might mean your messaging no longer resonates, the content you have on your website is stale or you’re not getting media coverage that can push additional readers to your site. Conduct a website audit or find out if a search engine algorithm changed. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
.
11. Make Sure The Drop Is Real
.
Start by making sure it’s an actual loss of traffic and not an issue with your analytics measurement tool (e.g., pages dropped GA code). Once you’ve ruled that out, investigate the source(s). In other words, what channel(s) dropped? Was it organic search? Paid media? Email? Direct? All of the above? Knowing which channels/sources/mediums were impacted will help you understand the cause. – Gyi Tsakalakis, AttorneySync
.
12. Analyze Trends By Source And Channel
.
When traffic is on the decline, it’s important to understand where the loss is coming from. This means a deep dive into the source (the origination of the traffic—e.g., Google) and the channel (the type of traffic—e.g., social media) to determine where the attrition is occurring. Once that’s uncovered, look at what has changed. Once you identify these factors, you can create a strategy to improve. – Bryan Shetsky, Lamark Media
.
13. Check Backlinks To Your Site
.
First check backlinks to your site on different directories, industry association pages and even paid listings that may be powering traffic to your website from a credible source. Changes to those sites that impact your links could be devastating. Quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant sites also help in getting better search engine rankings. – Jim Heininger, The Rebranding Experts
.
14. Catch It Early With A Daily Scorecard
.
With tools like Google Data Studio, it’s easy to create a custom scorecard for your analytics and have it emailed each day. The trick is setting up segmentations for monitoring changes in traffic against a monthly or yearly cadence. Next, breaking down site traffic by channel (SEO/paid/email/social) helps to quickly identify what’s happening by channel and fix small issues before they become big. – Jacob Cook, Tadpull
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Site traffic is an essential marketing metric for many companies. The more visitors who see your Web material, the more chances you have to make an impact, develop relationships and enhance sales. That’s why an abrupt and sharp decline in traffic can be such an unpleasant jolt– it represents lost opportunities to convert audiences to customers.
Identifying the concern is something; diagnosing it can be far more challenging. There are many potential causes of a decline in site traffic, varying from a Google algorithm update to technical problems. We asked members of Forbes Agency Council to use tips on where a business need to start examining a substantial loss in website traffic. Here’s what they had to say.
Members of Forbes Agency Council deal pointers for identifying a drop in your service’ site traffic.
Photos courtesy of the specific members..
1. Look For Recent Google Updates(****************
)
For a dip in organic traffic, the top place to look is with Google to see if they’ve recently released
an algorithm update that adversely affected your rankings and visibility. The most current example of this occurred in August 2018, when Google released its ” Medic” update.- Steve Cross, iSynergy
.
2. Enhance Your SEO
.
The very best location to start is inspecting to make sure you are up on Google algorithms which your material matches the parameters of how Google performs searches. It is ever-changing, which
indicates you can’t just toss some keywords in and anticipate outcomes.
Lower traffic implies less individuals are seeing you– improving your SEO method is how to repair that.- Jason Hall ,FiveChannels Marketing
3. Examine Your Traffic Sources
What’s great about analytics is that you can” see” why there is a decrease in site traffic. Check your traffic sources before and after the decrease so you can find which source was primarily impacted. If it’s organic( search engines), look at your rankings
; if it
‘s social, find what you were posting prior to and after; and if it’s referrals, then ensure these sites are still connecting to you!- Rafael Romis , Weberous Website Design
.
4. Determine If It’s An Innovation Problem
.
In the markets we serve, a sudden drop in traffic is virtually constantly a technology concern. If you build great material that perfect potential customers can not withstand and you market it appropriately and with respect, there is almost never a high decline unless the innovation breaks. There are all kinds of tech issues that can cause decreases. This is why our clients rely on us to have truly sharp
tech skills. –Randy Shattuck(****
),The Shattuck Group
.
5. Take a look at The Stories You’re Telling
Have you experienced a lull in new content? Have you made a shift to various types of stories? If you’re doing A/B screening to see what kinds of content your customers prefer, then congratulations– you simply figured it out. If not, then perhaps it’s time to take a hard appearance at your technique and discover methods to inform brand-new stories that will be more engaging for your readers and keep them returning for more.- Lisa Arledge Powell, MediaSource
6. Check For Outdated Terms
First, evaluate your site’s text for the most recent terms. An example is” marketing” versus” sales enablement.” Second, review how prospective consumers find or do not find your site. Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is one technique. An example is a Web search for “marketing firm “versus” sales enablement agency.” As market buzzwords change, so will your page rank.- Jim Caruso, MediaFirst PR- Atlanta
7. Inspect Web Hosting Infrastructure
I would recommend checking the server/Web hosting facilities to guarantee whatever is technically performing and ideal. Then I would seek to SEO, consisting of the page rank and any recent on-site changes that might have impacted index scoring.- Jordan Edelson , Appetizer Mobile LLC
.
8. Take a look at Your Bounce Rate
The first location to look is bounce rate to determine if traffic showed up however dropped off or if traffic never ever arrived in the first place. If the former, it’s time to take a look at design and navigation in addition to website efficiency to determine where the issue is. If the latter, then it’s time to review SEO and see if there was a modification in the search algorithm that you can change for.- Stefan Pollack, The Pollack PR Marketing Group
9. Examine Google Analytics
If you see an unexpected dip in traffic in Google Analytics( GA), you simply have to dig further to see what the cause is. Check the Acquisition Summary in Google Analytics to figure out which channel had the greatest dip– organic, direct, referral, paid search or social.
This usually will point you in the best direction to identify where you require to investigate further. – T. Maxwell, eMaximize
10 Do Analytics Integration And Messaging Audits
If the spike is unexpected, it’s most likely a problem with your analytics combination. If the decrease is progressive, the scenario is likely more serious. It might imply your messaging no longer resonates, the material you have on your website is stagnant or you’re not getting media coverage that can push additional readers to
your website. Conduct a site audit or learn if an online search engine algorithm changed.- Kathleen Lucente , Red Fan Communications
11 Make Sure The Drop Is Genuine
Start by making sure it’s a real loss of traffic and not an issue with your analytics measurement tool( e.g., pages dropped GA code). Once you have actually ruled that out, examine the source( s).
Simply put, what channel( s) dropped? Was it organic search? Paid media? Email? Direct? All of the above? Knowing which channels/sources/mediums were impacted will help you comprehend the cause.- Gyi Tsakalakis, AttorneySync
12. Analyze Patterns By Source And Channel
.
When traffic is on the decrease, it’s crucial to comprehend where the loss is coming from. This suggests a deep dive into the source( the origination of the traffic– e.g., Google) and the channel( the kind of traffic– e.g., social media) to determine where the attrition is happening. As soon as that’s exposed, look at what has altered.
As soon as you recognize these elements, you can develop a strategy to improve.- Bryan Shetsky,(***********************************************
) Lamark Media
.
13 Inspect Backlinks To Your Site
.
First check backlinks to your site on various directories, market association pages and even paid listings that may be powering traffic to your website from a reliable source. Modifications to those websites that affect your links might be ravaging. Quality backlinks from reliable and pertinent websites likewise assist in getting much better online search engine rankings.- Jim Heininger, The Rebranding Experts
14 Capture It Early With A Day-to-day Scorecard
.
With tools like Google Data Studio, it’s simple to develop a customized scorecard for your analytics and have it emailed every day. The technique is setting up segmentations for keeping an eye on changes in traffic versus a regular monthly or yearly cadence. Next, breaking down website traffic by channel( SEO/paid/email/ social) assists to quickly determine what’s occurring by channel and fix little issues prior to they end up being huge.- Jacob Cook, Tadpull
” >
Site traffic is a crucial marketing metric for a lot of business. The more visitors who see your Web content, the more possibilities you need to make an effect, develop relationships and increase sales.
That’s why a sudden and sharp decrease in traffic can be such an undesirable shock– it represents lost opportunities to convert viewers to consumers.
Identifying the issue is something; identifying it can be a lot more challenging. There are many prospective reasons for a decline in site traffic, varying from a Google algorithm upgrade to technical issues. We asked members of Forbes Company Council to offer suggestions on where a service ought to begin investigating a significant loss in site traffic. Here’s what they needed to state.
.
Members of Forbes Firm Council deal tips for identifying a drop in your business’ website traffic.
Photos thanks to the private members.
1. Look For Recent Google Updates
For a dip in natural traffic, the top place to look is with Google to see if they’ve just recently launched an algorithm upgrade that negatively affected your rankings and visibility. The most current example of this occurred in August 2018, when Google released its “Medic” update.- Steve Cross, iSynergy
.
2. Improve Your SEO
The very best place to start is checking to make certain you are up on Google algorithms which your material matches the parameters of how Google carries out searches. It is ever-changing, which indicates you can’t simply throw some keywords in and anticipate outcomes. Lower traffic means fewer people are seeing you– improving your SEO technique is how to fix that. – Jason Hall , FiveChannels Marketing
Forbes Company Council is an invitation-only neighborhood for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, imaginative and advertising companies. Do I qualify?
3. Inspect Your Traffic Sources
What’s terrific about analytics is that you can “see” why there is a decline in site traffic. Examine your traffic sources prior to and after the decline so you can find which source was mostly impacted. If it’s organic( search engines), look at your rankings; if it’s social, locate what you were posting prior to and after; and if it’s referrals, then make certain these sites are still linking to you! – Rafael Romis, Weberous Web Design
4. Determine If It’s A Technology Problem
In the markets we serve, an abrupt drop in traffic is essentially constantly an innovation issue. If you build great content that ideal potential customers can not resist and you market it appropriately and with respect, there is almost never ever a high decline unless the innovation breaks. There are all kinds of tech concerns that can cause decreases. This is why our customers count on us to have actually sharp tech abilities. – Randy Shattuck , The Shattuck Group
5. Take a look at The Stories You’re Informing
Have you experienced a lull in brand-new content? Have you made a shift to various kinds of stories? If you’re doing A/B screening to see what types of content your consumers choose, then congratulations– you simply figured it out. If not, then perhaps it’s time to take a difficult take a look at your strategy and find ways to tell new stories that will be more engaging for your readers and keep them returning for more. – Lisa Arledge Powell , MediaSource
6. Examine For Out-of-date Terms
First, examine your website’s text for the most recent terms. An example is “marketing” versus “sales enablement.” Second, evaluation how potential customers discover or do not discover your site. Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is one technique. An example is a Web search for “marketing firm” versus “sales enablement firm.” As industry buzzwords alter, so will your page rank. – Jim Caruso , MediaFirst PR – Atlanta
7. Examine Web Hosting Infrastructure
I would advise examining the server/Web hosting infrastructure to make sure everything is technically performing and optimum. Then I would aim to SEO, including the page rank and any recent on-site modifications that may have impacted index scoring. – Jordan Edelson , Appetizer Mobile LLC
8. Look At Your Bounce Rate
The first location to look is bounce rate to identify if traffic showed up but dropped off or if traffic never ever got here in the first location. If the previous, it’s time to take a look at style and navigation as well as website efficiency to figure out where the problem is. If the latter, then it’s time to review SEO and see if there was a modification in the search algorithm that you can adjust for. – Stefan Pollack , The Pollack PR Marketing Group
9. Check Google Analytics
If you see an unanticipated dip in traffic in Google Analytics (GA), you just have to dig more to see what the cause is. Check the Acquisition Summary in Google Analytics to identify which channel had the most significant dip– natural, direct, referral, paid search or social. This typically will point you in the best direction to determine where you need to investigate further. – T. Maxwell , eMaximize
10 Do Analytics Combination And Messaging Audits
If the spike is abrupt, it’s most likely a problem with your analytics integration. If the decline is steady, the situation is likely more serious. It may mean your messaging no longer resonates, the content you have on your site is stale or you’re not getting media protection that can push additional readers to your website. Conduct a site audit or discover out if an online search engine algorithm altered. – Kathleen Lucente , Red Fan Communications
11 Make Certain The Drop Is Real
Start by making sure it’s a real loss of traffic and not an issue with your analytics measurement tool (e.g., pages dropped GA code). As soon as you have actually ruled that out, examine the source (s). Simply put, what channel (s) dropped? Was it organic search? Paid media? Email? Direct? All of the above? Understanding which channels/sources/mediums were affected will help you comprehend the cause. – Gyi Tsakalakis , AttorneySync
12 Analyze Patterns By Source And Channel
When traffic is on the decline, it is very important to comprehend where the loss is coming from. This means a deep dive into the source (the origination of the traffic– e.g., Google) and the channel (the type of traffic– e.g., social media) to figure out where the attrition is happening. As soon as that’s exposed, take a look at what has changed. As soon as you identify these factors, you can produce a strategy to enhance. – Bryan Shetsky , Lamark Media
13 Examine Backlinks To Your Site
First check backlinks to your site on different directories, industry association pages and even paid listings that might be powering traffic to your website from a reputable source. Modifications to those sites that affect your links might be devastating. Quality backlinks from reliable and appropriate websites also help in getting much better online search engine rankings. – Jim Heininger , The Rebranding Experts
14 Catch It Early With An Everyday Scorecard
With tools like Google Data Studio , it’s easy to create a custom scorecard for your analytics and have it emailed each day. The trick is establishing segmentations for keeping track of changes in traffic versus a regular monthly or yearly cadence. Next, breaking down website traffic by channel (SEO/paid/email/ social) assists to quickly identify what’s occurring by channel and fix little issues before they become big. – Jacob Cook , Tadpull
