Why your Google rankings dropped and what to check first

Start with the site itself

Most sudden drops trace back to a change. A redesign went live, a plugin updated, a page was removed or a redirect went missing. Check what shipped in the weeks before the drop.

Look at whether Google can still reach the pages that were ranking. Search Console shows coverage problems plainly, and a broken page that used to rank is the easiest thing to fix.

Then look at who moved above you

If the site is fine, the competition probably moved. Rankings are a position in a list, and someone else improving pushes you down without anything changing on your side.

Look at the businesses now sitting above you and what they have going. The answer is usually more specific pages, fresher content or a stronger local profile.

The results page itself moves

Google changes what a results page looks like over time. More ads, more map results and more answer boxes push the free listings further down the screen even when your position holds.

Broad updates also reshuffle results across whole industries. When an update lands, the drop is rarely about one business and the recovery is rarely quick.

How much movement is normal

Positions move week to week. A page sitting between third and sixth is normal movement, and panicking into changes usually makes things worse.

The number to watch is enquiries. If search still produces calls and forms, the drop matters less than it looks. If enquiries drop with it, the cause is worth digging into properly.

When to bring someone in

Bring in help when the drop is steep, when it stays down for weeks or when the technical causes are hard to read. A good starting point is a look at the site health and the search data together.

Avoid anyone promising a recovery by a certain date. The cause decides the pace, so honest work follows the evidence in front of it.