Problem · Traffic and rankings dropped
Our traffic dropped after a Google update. Find the cause before you change anything.
A drop that lines up with a confirmed update feels like a verdict. Usually it is a signal about specific pages and queries, and the fix depends on which ones.
Is this you?Signs we usually see
- The drop starts within days of a confirmed core or spam update
- Whole sections fell, not one or two pages
- Competitors with forums, reviews or fresher pages moved up
- Impressions fell together with clicks, not just clicks
01 / Quick checks
Three checks you can run today
Each takes minutes. Together they tell you whether this page is about your problem.
- Line up the datesCompare the first day of the drop with Google’s Search Status Dashboard.
- Split by page groupIn Search Console, compare clicks by folder or template, before and after.
- Read the new winnersOpen the pages that replaced yours for your top 10 queries. Note what they do better.
Update impact cohort
Separate brand queries, non-brand landing pages and countries across the confirmed update window.
| Situation to check | Proposed scope | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Line up the dates | Compare the first day of the drop with Google’s Search Status Dashboard. A decline restricted to one content type calls for a page-quality investigation before a site-wide rebuild. | A dashboard date does not establish that the update caused the loss. |
| Split by page group | In Search Console, compare clicks by folder or template, before and after. | Keep an unchanged comparison sample so this check can distinguish the proposed cause from unrelated variation. |
| Pages written for search, not for people | Thin, generic or repetitive pages lose ground in core updates. | Treat this as a hypothesis until the affected URL or account evidence supports it. |
| Ready to commission a fix | Keep a dated cohort export, release history and competing explanations beside each proposed fix. | [CONFIRM: access, scope, owner, fee and review date before work begins.] |
Update impact cohort
Illustrative blank specification. This is a diagnostic structure, not a client result.
- Affected population
- Separate brand queries, non-brand landing pages and countries across the confirmed update window.
- Decisive observation
- A decline restricted to one content type calls for a page-quality investigation before a site-wide rebuild.
- Alternative explanation
- A dashboard date does not establish that the update caused the loss.
- Acceptance evidence
- Keep a dated cohort export, release history and competing explanations beside each proposed fix.
- Supporting check
- Open the pages that replaced yours for your top 10 queries. Note what they do better.
- Approval
- [CONFIRM: accountable owner and authorised next step.]
What the first handover should make clear
- Separate brand queries, non-brand landing pages and countries across the confirmed update window.
- A decline restricted to one content type calls for a page-quality investigation before a site-wide rebuild.
- Keep a dated cohort export, release history and competing explanations beside each proposed fix.
- The original observations, unresolved questions and any client access needed for the next scope.
02 / Likely causes
What usually causes it
In the order we usually check them. Most cases have more than one.
- Pages written for search, not for peopleThin, generic or repetitive pages lose ground in core updates.
- Weak signs of experienceNo named authors, first-hand detail or reasons to trust the page.
- Too many low-value pagesLarge sets of thin pages can weigh on how the whole site is assessed.
- Intent shiftedGoogle now ranks a different kind of page for the query, a list, a tool, a forum.
- Spam policy issuesScaled content, link schemes or site reputation abuse.
03 / What we do
How we fix it
Four steps, in order. You see the evidence and the plan before anything changes on your site.
- Step 01DiagnoseDated comparison by page group and query, against the update timeline.
- Step 02PrioritiseWhich pages to improve, merge, rewrite or remove, in that order.
- Step 03FixContent, structure and trust signals, page group by page group.
- Step 04TrackWeekly visibility by group. Recovery often shows only after a later update.
04 / Services
Services that fix it
Starting prices in USD. TopClick is not VAT-registered. Scope and price in writing before work starts.
TopClick is not VAT-registered
Content refresh ↗Pages that used to rank, updated with current facts, intent and internal links.From $[X] /pageRequest
SEO content ↗Pages built on a reader decision, evidence and a concrete example.From $[X] /pageRequest
05 / Questions
Questions about this problem
01How long does recovery take?
Improvements can be picked up gradually, but after a core update the biggest changes often appear only with a later update. We plan for months, not weeks, and report every change with dates.
02Should we delete the pages that dropped?
Not by default. Some pages need rewriting, some should be merged, and only some should go. We decide page by page.
03Where do we start?
With the free snapshot: we check your site for this problem, confirm the likely cause and send a written first scope with a price.
Start here
Check your site for this
- 1Send your site — we confirm the cause and where we would start
- 2We check search and AI visibility
- 3PDF by email: five website problems and AI visibility, within two business days of receiving your website URL
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