It might happen that you are frustrated with your SEO efforts because the campaign is never taking off in the right way as it often encounters unforeseen setbacks. You are confused because this is happening despite following the best practices that you are adhering to the best of your ability. The campaign never goes on smoothly as sudden disruptions keep happening, and you are at a loss to understand the reasons for it. The abrupt drop in traffic, the sudden disappearance of a link that you had built, pages not figuring in search results and many such similar incidents keep happening that seems unprecedented, and you have no clue about why it is happening. You struggle to understand what has gone wrong with your SEO that was supposed to turn your business fortune.
Being an entrepreneur, you have rightly set eyes on ROI as you expect quick returns from the investment in SEO. Now that it is not happening, it is natural that you become frustrated. However, any seasoned NJ SEO expert will tell you that it is your lack of experience in SEO, which is confusing. What you are going through is likely to happen in the initial stages of the SEO campaign. You must treat these as teething trouble. Knowing about the possible setbacks that you might encounter will give you confidence in working your way out of trouble.
Volatility of traffic flow
The flow of traffic to websites will never be constant but keep fluctuating as it depends on not only SEO but also many other business factors. Since you have based your SEO on the business process, be ready to cope with various traffic flow. If there is any seasonal impact on your business, traffic flow will decline in off seasons. If there is any link that your business has with specific events like some festivity or special occasions, traffic will peak on those occasions and will be less at other times.
Sharp and sudden drop in traffic
Once you are acquainted with the pattern of traffic flow, you will be more comfortable with SEO. However, if you notice that there is an abrupt drop in traffic that defies the standard pattern and keeps fluctuating, it might appear worrisome although you need not worry if the drop is within 10 percent. This can happens due to new competitors, index refreshes, and some new factors. Traffic decline beyond 10 percent could result from bad inbound links; it can happen due to some Google update or page URLs have changed. In the extreme case when traffic dries up completely, it is a sign that your site has become a victim of Google penalty or the website is down.
The vanishing link
If you suddenly discover that, an inbound link that you had so diligently acquired has vanished, the only reason for it is that the website owner that contributed the link has removed it. Possibly that site is not interested in the link with you and has converted it to a no follow link or has completely removed your content. You might request the publisher to review and reinstate the link or might have to acquire a replacement link.
Pages not visible in search results
If you do not see the new web pages in search results, there is nothing to worry up to a month because Google takes 4 to 28 days to index pages for showing in search results. Until Google completes indexing of the pages, it will not show up in search results. Whenever you create new content has to be indexed first. However, instead of waiting for Google, you should provide an XML sitemap by using the Search Console that will speed up the process.
Rankings keep moving up and down
Like traffic flow, rankings are also volatile and seldom will you find your website stagnant at one position. Since the search dynamics and web content are highly dynamic and keep changing frequently, it is only natural that search ranks are momentary as it keeps hopping within a certain range. As long as the search ranking fluctuation is within acceptable limits and maintains an upward trend, there is nothing to worry. However, if the changes are regularly drastic and you face extreme volatility, then it points to some serious strategy deficiency in the SEO campaign.
Site speed is slow
The website speed is important because it affects the rankings. If your web design is too heavy with many images and plugins, it slows down the site speed. Removing unused plugins and downsizing images would make the pages load faster.
Even after making the improvements if you do not see results, then possibly it is not yet time for it. SEO results take time and since you have just launched the campaign, wait for a few more months for the results.
Author bio: Mark Adams is a reputed NJ SEO expert with years of experience in the field. He has been associated with many top marketing firms in the US and has written several articles for known journals and blogs. He has a large following on social media.
