Have you ever experienced a drop in your website traffic, even when your primary keywords consistently rank in the top position? While it may seem like Google is penalizing your success, that’s not necessarily the case.
Google is more familiar with users than with you. If your content consistently ranks at the top but your traffic is on the decline, the issue might not be your fault.
Here are steps you can take to revamp your website’s traffic.
How to Investigate Decreases in Traffic Despite High Rankings
Your stakeholders are applying pressure, and seeking answers, but there’s no need to panic—take a breath. While you can’t magically regain users to your site in an hour, conducting quick research can help pinpoint the reasons behind the decline.
Start by checking search trends; this should be your initial move. Examine keyword trends using SEO tools. Many SEO research tools now provide data on search volume interest over time, such as Semrush.
Let’s take this keyword for instance: Best Movie theater 2019
Anticipate a significant drop-off for most “2019” keywords once January 2020 arrives.
Keyword: Best Movie theater Near Me
Now, let’s explore a more evergreen topic. Notice a spike around August and September, followed by a decline. This could be linked to the newly opened Movie Theater in late July, sustaining popularity throughout those months.
If you’re the SEO for a major restaurant brand and your boss expresses concerns about a long-term decline in traffic, use Google Trends to zoom out for a broader perspective.
Check Google Trends
This tool can sometimes provide valuable insights into the cultural impact of search terms.
It’s important to quickly distinguish between search terms and topics in Google Trends. In simplified terms:
- Search terms are individual keywords or search queries.
- Topics are entities that may encompass multiple search terms.
Now, let’s input “Best Movie theater Near Me” and select Topic to gain a more comprehensive view of the landscape.
Before moving forward, take note that the “Best Movie theater ” as a topic closely follows our main topic. Remember this for later!
Next, let’s extend the date range to the longest option, say 2010 – Present. Note any substantial drop-down and wonder what happened. That corresponds with the global shutdown during one of the most significant pandemics in history. It’s no surprise that traffic plummeted during that period.
This also elucidates the heightened interest in “Best Movie theater ” on Google Trends during that time.
While the pandemic is technically over, and despite the reopening of various establishments, COVID-19 still lingers. However, the curiosity in searches hasn’t fully rebounded.
Streaming services like HBO Max and Disney demonstrated innovation by collaborating directly with film production companies, allowing for streaming theatrical releases. Although this trend has slowed, it hasn’t restored demand to pre-pandemic levels.
But what about that notable peak before 2020? Marvel movies played an important role, creating a unique demand for movie theaters during that time.
So, what’s the solution? While we may not all have the allure of Marvel or the star power of Robert Downey Jr. to draw people to our sites, I’ll delve into some tactics later in this article.
Adapting to Changes in Search Volume
The effectiveness of SEO is closely tied to both the quality of your product and people’s interest in it. When interest starts to wane, it’s time to explore innovative alternatives.
Examine Fresh SERP Features
Certain keyword tracking tools provide a useful metric that measures the distance in pixels from the top where your result appears. Observing the change in this metric can serve as a simple indicator that recent SERP features might be impacting your organic click-through rate (CTR).
This situation can be exasperating, given that Google frequently experiments with new features, making it uncertain how long they will persist.
Embrace Classic Approaches with Above-the-Line Ads
For those with budgetary flexibility, collaborating with the marketing department to invest in traditional advertising, specifically above-the-line advertising, can be a strategic move. This consists of avenues like TV commercials, streaming ads, radio ads, and magazine ads.
While the digital landscape has transformed advertising, traditional methods can still effectively influence specific demographics. The key lies in identifying where your audience allocates their time and exploring potential advertising opportunities.
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Embrace Social Engagement
In my experience working in the behavioral health sector, especially during the COVID era, I noticed a fascinating trend: a surge in interest in virtual therapy and psychiatry. Fortunately, my clients had already invested in these services before the pandemic. However, the question arose—how did our audience become aware and start searching for these services?
Upon investigation, I discovered that, during the early days of the pandemic, behavioral health professionals took to platforms like Instagram and TikTok. There, they shared valuable information on coping with depression during lockdowns and subtly promoted their telehealth services. This initiated a ripple effect, with more professionals endorsing telehealth options, spreading rapidly.
It’s evident that social media significantly influences search demand. While the impact may be temporary in some cases, at other times, it has the potential to rekindle demand. Therefore, if you find yourself in a situation like a struggling movie theater chain, leverage social media creatively to draw people back to theaters. Provide compelling reasons why they shouldn’t wait for streaming services.
For B2B: Explore Below-the-Line Strategies
If you operate in the B2B, above-the-line strategies might not align with your objectives. In such cases, below-the-line strategies become crucial. Consider approaches like trade shows, direct mailers, conferences, and more.
Occasionally, your audience might be unaware of what to search for or might not recognize their need for your services. In such instances, it becomes imperative to proactively engage with them and showcase the value you offer.
Addressing New SERP Features
As mentioned earlier, the emergence of new SERP features can be a challenging indicator of traffic declines. It’s common for stakeholders to seek solutions, even when the situation may be beyond your control. So, what steps can be taken?
Understand the Functionality of SERP Features
If your goal is to reclaim click share in the SERPs, it’s essential to strive for ranking in any new SERP features. To achieve this, gain a thorough understanding of how these features operate. Typically, SERP features rely on content structure or schema markup to identify the most relevant pages. Analyze who is currently ranking in these features and identify commonalities. Determine if there are quick implementations you can undertake.
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Exercise Patience
As much as it may be challenging, sometimes taking no immediate action is the most prudent approach. SERP features undergo continuous changes, and some may be temporary. Trust your instincts and assess whether it’s worthwhile, in terms of both time and resources, to strive for ranking in these new features, or if it’s a temporary test that will phase out over time.
Assessing Permanence or Cyclicity
It falls upon us to ascertain whether the decline in traffic is a lasting consequence of our niche or a cyclical occurrence.
Consider the scenario of movie theaters; there’s a potential that a new franchise or a novel theater experience could emerge, enticing audiences back to the cinematic experience.
However, if your business revolves around CD sales, it might be necessary to explore alternative avenues. The resurgence seen in vinyl is improbable for CDs.
Use available tools to scrutinize audience behavior, exploring possibilities beyond the SEO to revive search demand.
Would you like to read more about “Understanding the Causes of Traffic Decline Despite High Rankings” related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
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