In today’s digital marketplace, the best way to run a successful business is to have a steady flow of traffic to your website. Unfortunately, success can quickly be disrupted if your site experiences a sudden drop in traffic.
It’s no secret that there are countless reasons why web traffic patterns change.
At times, changes to your website traffic can be challenging to understand. Dips in traffic volume can occur due to a large scale market shift, a change in your reputation or even for reasons outside of your control.
Here are six of the most common reasons why web traffic suddenly drops:
- Google updating its algorithms
- A lack of mobile support
- A lack of meta information that hurts search engine optimization
- Security issues
- Changing user habits and trends
- Technical issues such as failing servers or bugs in your website design
A drop in web traffic isn’t always a bad sign of things to come. The most critical factor is WHY.
If you can single out the reason why your web traffic has dropped, you will have the necessary insight to take charge and make changes to your website that will lead to an uptick in traffic.
In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the top six reasons why your search and web traffic is down and what you can do to fix it.
1. SEO is Evolving Around Your Website
Google’s search engine algorithm is always changing for two reasons. Primarily, Google strives to deliver the best search results it can, so it will consistently roll out updates to improve the quality of results. Second, Google will update its algorithms to prevent users and companies from abusing it.
As a result, it’s important to continually look for ways to improve your SEO and keep up with all the latest changes.
2. Your Website Isn’t Mobile Friendly
In 2018, most people use their smartphones, tablets and mobile devices to access the Internet. As a result, you’ll want to focus heavily on mobile-friendly content and websites in order to stay relevant. This makes it more convenient for your customers and will ultimately boost your website traffic.
Failing to appeal to mobile audiences will result in a steady drop in website traffic.
3. Your Website Isn’t Secure
Browsers are starting to warn people about unsecured websites, so if you noticed that your web traffic is down, then it could be because your security license has expired or your website simply isn’t secure.
With hacking and cybercrime becoming a huge problem, more and more people are worried about their safety and will actively avoid any websites that Google warns them about.
4. Hackers Have Compromised Your Website
If your website has suffered a hacking attempt, then it’s fairly common to see a drop in web traffic. This can negatively affect your search rankings and could even prompt Google to warn visitors about the compromised site.
Recovering from this type of event is difficult and usually requires a backup to be restored, but ultimately, you want to try and avoid having your website compromised in the first place.
5. Trends Are Changing Leaving Your Website Outdated
Website traffic could simply be affected by a change in trends among consumers.
This is something that you need to continually monitor so that you can update your content and steer your website in a different direction.
6. Technical Problems are Plaguing Your Website
If you’ve recently installed a new plugin on your website or made some changes to the design, then it could create technical issues which are preventing users from accessing your website.
Technical issues can usually be fixed very easily as long as the source is identified. Locate these issues and deal with them quickly so that they don’t affect your web traffic.
Ready to Drive Traffic To Your Website?
Have you noticed a sudden drop in your website traffic? We can help! Digital Marketing team at Sprout Media Lab will develop an SEO strategy that will boost your rankings, increase your website traffic and generate more leads for your business.
Request a quote online or call (800) 617-6975 for a free consultation with one of our experts!