Local SEO is a critical driver of organic traffic for small businesses, making it essential to maintain a strong ranking position. A sudden drop in rankings can be alarming for business owners, but it is not uncommon. Whether the cause is technical issues, changes in competitor strategies, or manual penalties, businesses need a comprehensive action plan to recover and restore their position on search engines.
In this detailed guide, we’ll walk through the steps necessary to troubleshoot and recover from a ranking drop, including practical tips to regain your visibility.
What is a Local SEO Ranking Drop?
A local SEO ranking drop refers to a decline in visibility in local search results, affecting where your business appears in Google Maps and other search engine rankings. Typically, businesses aim to secure a place in Google’s “local pack,” which includes the top three businesses relevant to a user’s search query.
A ranking drop can have a significant negative impact on a business’s organic traffic, resulting in fewer website visits, leads, and sales. Understanding why these drops happen and how to resolve them is essential for maintaining a strong online presence.
Why Do Local SEO Rankings Drop?
There are numerous reasons why local SEO rankings drop. Identifying the exact cause is the first step in the recovery process. Here are some common reasons for a drop in rankings and the action steps you can take to resolve each issue.
1. Google Business Profile Issues
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a key component of local SEO. Any errors or inconsistencies in your profile, such as outdated information, duplicate content, or keyword stuffing, can cause a sharp drop in your rankings. Google places significant weight on the accuracy and relevance of your GBP, so any technical issues here could lead to penalties.
Action Steps:
- Review and Update Business Information: Ensure that your business name field, address, phone number, and website are accurate and consistent across all platforms. Google checks for consistency, and any discrepancies between your GBP, website, and local citations can cause a drop in traffic.
- Check for Keyword Stuffing: Use relevant keywords naturally in your description. Avoid overusing them, as keyword stuffing can lead to a manual penalty from Google.
Example: Instead of writing “Best pizza, pizza deals, pizza delivery,” use “We offer delicious pizzas with reliable delivery services in [your city].”
- Verify Your Business: Ensure that your GBP is claimed and verified. An unverified business may not appear in search results, leading to a ranking drop.
Additional Tip: Regularly post updates, photos, and offers to keep your profile active. Businesses that regularly update their GBP tend to perform better in local rankings.
2. Review-Related Problems
Reviews significantly affect your SEO rankings. Both the quantity and quality of reviews matter. A sudden increase in negative reviews or a drop in customer feedback can harm your visibility in local search results.
Action Steps:
- Encourage Positive Reviews: Ask satisfied customers to leave reviews. You can do this via email, social media, or in person. Positive reviews help boost your rankings and signal to Google that customers value your business.
- Respond to Reviews: Engage with both positive and negative reviews. For positive reviews, a simple thank you can strengthen your relationship with customers. For negative ones, offer a polite and professional response.
Example: If someone leaves a negative review, respond with: “We’re sorry you had a poor experience. Please reach out to us at [email] so we can resolve the issue.”
- Avoid Fake Reviews: Google penalises businesses that engage in fake review schemes. Stick to authentic feedback and avoid practices like buying reviews, which could result in Manual Actions.
Additional Tip: Use Google’s review link generator to create a direct link for customers to leave feedback. This can make it easier for them to share their experiences.
3. Decreased User Engagement
Google monitors user engagement metrics like click-through rate, bounce rate, and interactions with your GBP. A decline in these metrics could indicate that your business is no longer providing relevant information or services to users, which could lead to a drop in rankings.
Action Steps:
- Improve Website Content and Experience: Review your website’s performance, including its load time, mobile optimisation, and ease of navigation. High bounce rates may suggest that users aren’t finding the information they need or are experiencing issues with your site.
- Update Your Google Business Profile: Regularly update your GBP with fresh photos, posts, and Q&A sections to encourage more interaction.
Example: Post new photos of your services or products every couple of weeks, or add seasonal offers to keep your audience engaged.
- Analyse Traffic Patterns: Use tools like Google Search Console to track keyword rankings, impressions, and click-through rates. This can help identify potential areas of improvement.
Additional Tip: If users are bouncing quickly from your website, consider simplifying your homepage, making key information more accessible, and ensuring that your site is mobile-friendly.
4. Competitor Activity
If your competitors are improving their SEO strategies, they may outrank you, causing your position to drop. It’s important to stay updated on competitor tactics and adjust your own SEO efforts accordingly.
Action Steps:
- Monitor Competitor Listings: Use rank tracking tools like Moz or Ahrefs to monitor your competitors’ keyword positions, backlinks, and online reviews. Knowing what they’re doing can help you adjust your approach.
- Adjust Your Content Strategy: If your competitors are ranking higher for certain search terms, create more targeted content to capture those same queries.
Example: If a competitor bakery is promoting “Vegan Menu Options,” consider adding similar offerings and optimising your content for those search terms.
- Evaluate Backlink Profiles: Use tools like Ahrefs to evaluate your competitor’s backlink profiles and identify any broken backlinks or new opportunities for you to gain backlinks from local sources.
5. Google Algorithm Updates
Google frequently updates its algorithms, and these changes can shift how local businesses rank in search results. Core updates may emphasise different ranking factors, such as Core Web Vitals, user experience, or search intent, which may affect your rankings.
Action Steps:
- Stay Informed About Updates: Follow SEO blogs, newsletters, and industry updates to keep track of algorithm changes.
- Perform SEO Audits: Regularly audit your website to ensure it meets the latest SEO best practices. Tools like Google Search Console can provide insights into technical SEO issues, crawl errors, and coverage report problems that may arise due to an algorithm update.
Example: Use Google Search Console to monitor any Manual Actions or warnings about unnatural links that may be affecting your rankings.
6. Backlink Profile Changes
Backlinks from authoritative local websites can strengthen your local SEO efforts. However, losing high-quality backlinks or gaining spammy backlinks can harm your rankings.
Action Steps:
- Monitor Your Backlink Profile: Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to track your backlink profiles. Look for any lost backlinks or low-quality links that could be affecting your ranking.
- Build Quality Local Links: Reach out to local businesses, organisations, or news outlets to secure new backlinks. Participating in community events or guest blogging can also help boost your SEO.
Example: A local café could collaborate with nearby businesses to create joint promotions, which will help generate backlinks and drive more traffic.
7. Technical Issues on Your Website
Technical SEO issues like server error responses, incorrect redirects, or broken internal links can prevent search engine crawlers from accessing and indexing your website properly, leading to a ranking drop.
Action Steps:
- Audit Your Site for Errors: Use tools like Google Search Console to identify crawl errors, status codes, or issues with your XML sitemaps. Correct any errors immediately to ensure that search engine bots can crawl and index your website effectively.
- Review Internal Links: Make sure that all internal links on your site are working correctly and leading to relevant pages. Broken links can confuse search engine crawlers and lead to a loss in rankings.
- Fix Any Broken Redirects: Ensure all redirects are functioning properly. Incorrect redirects can cause a poor user experience and impact your SEO performance.
Conclusion
A drop in local SEO rankings can be concerning, but it’s not the end of the road. By addressing potential issues like Google Business Profile inaccuracies, technical SEO issues, and user engagement problems, you can recover your organic ranking and regain visibility in local search results.
Regular monitoring through tools like Google Search Console, SEO tools, and backlink audit platforms will help you maintain a healthy local SEO profile and ensure your business remains competitive.
Local SEO requires ongoing effort and adjustments, but with the right strategies in place, you can improve your search engine rankings and ensure your business stays visible in local search results.
