Why Does My Search Ranking Fluctuate So Much?

One of the biggest problems that a lot of small business owners encounter when they first start tracking their website stats is the problem of seeing their traffic and search ranking fluctuate on an almost daily basis. This fluctuation is actually pretty standard, and it is really nothing to

get too excited about. As long as you are not taking any shortcuts or trying to trick Google into artificially boosting your ranking using blackhat SEO methods, then it’s highly unlikely that you will experience a Google penalty. The only time you really need to worry about seeing your search ranking fluctuate is when your ranking is continually dropping over a period of weeks and months. If you see this happening, it’s very possible that your site has been penalized, and you should check your webmaster tools to see if Google has sent you any warnings about your content or promotional tactics.

You Should Expect To See Your Search Ranking Fluctuate In Some Circumstances

If your website is still fairly new, then you’re going to see your search ranking fluctuate quite a bit during the first several months to a year. And while adding content to your website is the best way to improve search rankings and traffic levels, many webmasters will see a drop in traffic after adding lots of new content. If this is happening to you, don’t freak out. Google is just trying to figure out where to place your new content in its search rankings, so you’re going to see your search ranking fluctuate for a variety of different keyword phrases during this time. But as the months go by, and the search engines start to see your site as having authority in your industry, these fluctuations will begin to level out by themselves. But if you see your search ranking fluctuate negatively for weeks at a time, then that is when you know something is wrong, and it’s time to call in a professional to look things over.

What To Do If Your Rankings Are Falling Over Long Periods Of Time

If you’re using a reputable digital marketing agency to handle your search engine optimization (SEO) needs, and you’re not seeing any warnings in Google Webmaster Tools, then you can be confident that they are going to be using only the most current and acceptable white hat, organic SEO and local SEO practices to bring traffic to your site. As long as you are adding high quality, relevant, helpful content on your website and following SEO best practices in your promotional tactics, then you don’t need to do anything except continue to provide high-quality content, products, and services for your readers and customers. Now if you’re not sure about the kinds of SEO methods that have been used on your website, and you should talk to and SEO consultant to have them take a look at your backlink profile, your internal linking structure and the keyword density and overall quality of your on-site content. It has been reported that Google uses approximately 200 different ranking factors to determine where to place a webpage in its search results, so there are many possible things that might be causing your website to lose ranking. A well-trained and experienced SEO will be able to help you analyze your ranking factors.

Is Your Business In Need of An SEO Consultant? We Can Help!

In a nutshell, the best way to know if search engines are penalizing your site is to check your Google Webmaster Tools to see if there are any messages about penalties against your site. If you don’t see anything like that, but your search rankings are continuing to fall, then you should definitely have a qualified SEO consultant take a look at your site to help you figure out what’s going on. If you’re located in the Pensacola area – or are willing to work with an SEO specialist remotely, please contact Lucid Advertising to schedule a consultation so that you can regain your website on track, continue generating leads and keep driving sales forward.