How To Restore Your Website Ranking On The SERP

Have you ever faced a situation where your website is suddenly gone from Google?

Did you know that sometimes websites can lose their positions on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) for various reasons—algorithm updates, penalties, or even technical glitches. If your website has seen a significant drop in rankings or visibility, it's crucial to act swiftly to restore its position.

Here’s how to get your website back on the SERPs.

Assess the Problem

First of all, you need to identify what caused the drop. Was it a Google algorithm update? A manual penalty from Google? Or did your website suffer from poor on-page optimization or technical issues?

Here are some possible situations where your website might suddenly disappear or drop significantly in Google search results:

1. Manual Penalty - Google might have applied a manual penalty due to violations of their guidelines (e.g., unnatural backlinks, spammy content, or cloaking).
2. Algorithm Update - A major Google algorithm update (like Core Updates, Penguin, or Panda) could have affected your site's rankings.
3. Technical Issues - Problems like server downtime, broken links, or issues with your site’s robots.txt file could block Google from crawling or indexing your site.
4. Crawl Errors - Google may be unable to index your pages if there are crawl errors, like broken pages, slow loading times, or misconfigured redirects.
5. Unnatural or Toxic Backlinks - If Google detects spammy or unnatural backlinks, your site could be penalized or de-indexed.
6. Manual De-Indexing or Removal - You or your hosting provider may have mistakenly removed your site or pages from Google’s index.
7. Duplicate Content - If Google identifies duplicate content issues (especially on a large scale), it might remove or demote your site to avoid redundancy in search results.
8. Domain or Hosting Issues - If your domain expires or there are issues with your web hosting (like DNS problems), Google might temporarily lose access to your site.
9. Content Violations (e.g., Copyright Infringement) - Google could remove your site from search results if it's involved in copyright infringement or violates other content policies.
10. Google Penalty for Low-Quality Content (E-A-T Issues) - If your content doesn't meet Google’s standards for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T), especially for YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics, your site could be demoted.
11. Poor Mobile Usability - If your site is not mobile-friendly and Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, it could hurt your rankings or cause your site to drop.
12. Unusual User Behavior (High Bounce Rates) - A sudden spike in bounce rates or low user engagement can signal poor quality to Google, potentially affecting your rankings.
13. Blocked by Security Issues - If Google detects security issues, such as malware or hacking, it might remove your website from the search results for safety reasons.
14. Changes to Search Engine Ranking Factors - Google could introduce new ranking criteria, and your site may no longer meet those standards, causing a sudden drop.

If your site disappears or drops from Google, it's essential to identify the root cause and take corrective action.

Fix Technical SEO Issues

To check whether your website is facing one of the problems that might cause it to disappear from Google search results suddenly, follow these steps:

1. Check for Manual Penalties

• Google Search Console: Go to Google Search Console.
  • Navigate to Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions.
  • If there is a manual penalty, it will show up here with a detailed message explaining the issue.

2. Review Google Algorithm Updates

• Track Algorithm Changes: Use tools like MozCast, SEMrush Sensor, or Google’s Search Central Blog to check for recent algorithm updates.
  • You can also monitor fluctuations in rankings using Google Search Console or rank tracking tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to see if your rankings dropped around a specific update.

3. Test for Technical Issues

• Google Search Console: Check the Crawl Errors section in Search Console for any errors like "404 errors" or "server errors".
  • Look for issues under Coverage > Excluded or Errors.
  • Ensure your robots.txt file is not blocking important pages.
• Website Speed: Use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to check if your site is slow. Slow loading times can negatively impact rankings.

4. Check for Crawlability and Indexing

• Google Search Console: Go to URL Inspection in Search Console to check if specific pages are indexed.
  • Use the Coverage Report to see if Google is encountering issues crawling or indexing your pages.

5. Check for Toxic Backlinks

• Google Search Console: Go to Links > External Links to see which websites are linking to you.
  • Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Majestic to analyze your backlink profile. Look for any suspicious or spammy links that might be harming your rankings.

6. Look for Duplicate Content

• Google Search Console: Use the Coverage Report and URL Inspection Tool to see if Google is flagging any pages for duplicate content.
• Plagiarism Checkers: Use tools like Copyscape or Siteliner to find any duplicate content on your website.

7. Check for Security Issues

• Google Search Console: If your site is infected with malware or has security issues, you might see a notification in the Security Issues section of Search Console.
• Manual Security Scan: Use security tools like Sucuri or Google’s Safe Browsing tool to check if your site is flagged for malware or other security risks.

8. Check for Mobile Usability Issues

• Google Mobile-Friendly Test: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check if your site is optimized for mobile. A lack of mobile optimization could negatively affect rankings.

9. Check for Content Violations

• Google Search Console: Review the Manual Actions section to see if there are penalties related to content quality, copyright, or other violations.
• Content Review: Make sure your content meets Google's quality guidelines (no thin, copied, or low-quality content) and complies with E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

10. Review User Engagement Signals

• Google Analytics: Check for sudden drops in traffic, especially in terms of high bounce rates or short session durations. These metrics can indicate that users are not engaging well with your content.
• Google Search Console: Check if there's a drop in click-through rate (CTR) or impressions in your Performance Report.

11. Domain or Hosting Issues

• Check Domain Registration: Ensure that your domain is active and hasn't expired. Use a WHOIS lookup tool to verify your domain's registration status.
• Hosting Issues: Check your server’s uptime. Use tools like Pingdom to monitor for any downtime that may affect your site’s availability to Google.

Review Your Content

If you’ve been hit by an algorithm update like Google’s Core Web Vitals or a content-related update, it’s time to optimize your web content:

• Conduct a Content Audit: Identify underperforming pages and analyze them. Are they outdated, thin, or lacking in value? Update old content, expand on important topics, and remove irrelevant or low-quality posts.
• Focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Especially for YMYL websites, improving your E-A-T is key. Showcase credentials, provide authoritative references, and ensure your content is fact-checked.
• Optimize for User Intent: Research the keywords that matter most to your target audience. Your content should not only rank well but also serve the specific needs and intent of users. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to understand what people are searching for and optimize accordingly.

Submit a Reconsideration Request (If Necessary)

If you've been penalized by Google and have made the necessary changes, it's time to submit a reconsideration request via Google Search Console. In your request, explain the actions you’ve taken to address the issues, providing any supporting evidence if necessary. Be patient, as it can take several weeks for Google to process and respond.

Here’s how you can go about submitting a reconsideration request to Google:

If your website has been penalized, follow these steps to submit a reconsideration request:

1. Check for Manual Penalties:
   • Go to Google Search Console > "Security & Manual Actions" > "Manual Actions" to see if your site has been penalized.
2. Fix the Issues:
   • Disavow toxic backlinks, improve thin content, and address technical issues like crawlability, mobile usability, and page speed.
3. Prepare Your Explanation:
   • Write a clear explanation of the issues and the actions you've taken to fix them (e.g., removed harmful links, and updated content). Provide evidence, if possible.
4. Submit the Request:
   • In Search Console, click "Request Review" under "Manual Actions" and enter your explanation.
5. Wait for Google’s Response:
   • Google may take several weeks to process your request. Check your email and Search Console for updates.

Tip: Be honest, thorough, and patient. If the penalty is not lifted, address any remaining issues and reapply.

Conclusion

Restoring your website on the SERP is a strategic process that requires technical knowledge and a deep understanding of your audience's needs. You will have to identify the problem and fix it to get your website ranked on the SERP again.

Restoring your website’s rankings doesn’t happen overnight, and you must continuously monitor your progress—track changes in rankings, traffic, and crawl errors using Google Search Console and Google Analytics. If your rankings improve, keep monitoring key metrics to ensure stability.


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