The truth is, you are worried for a good reason.
Having a solid website is excellent. But something that can break your heart is a sharp decline in your website traffic, or your website traffic starts going down.
You might feel like screaming. Honestly, it is not the nicest emotional state to be in.
There are many reasons your website traffic is going down, and I plan to point out the most common causes in this short but detailed piece.
Find out why your website traffic is declining by reading on.
Making Good Content is Not Easy
I will soon talk about what you can easily do when your website traffic drops to bounce back. But I just want to stress that it is not easy to write good content.
Imagine this.
You’re passionate about productivity. In fact, you’re a graduate student at a University, majoring in psychology or human behavior.
You’re passionate about health, longevity, and productivity as a whole.
You want to take this profound wisdom and offer it in digestible (no pun intended) content on your own blogging website. So, you purchase a domain, get hosting, and build your site.
You finally press “publish”, cross your fingers, close your eyes, and wait for the flood of web traffic coming your way.
Only…
Nothing happens.
Or, there are a lot of ups and downs.
HOW DO YOU FIX THAT?
That’s exactly what I intend to show you today.
Why Your Traffic Goes Down – 7 Common Reasons
There are 7 common reasons why your website traffic is going down, and I already mentioned them before. I advise you to read the full guide. If you are feeling lazy, I have listed them here:
- Search Engine Algorithm Updates
- Boring Content
- Technical Problems on Your Website
- Google Penalties
- You Don’t Post Content Consistently
- Your Site is Hard to Navigate
- Tracking Code Removed
How to Fix The Problem And Get More Traffic
- Make sure you are using HTTPS
- Develop a solid content redistribution strategy
- Crosslink your relevant website
- Write fresh content
- Do proper keyword research
- Try to build topical Authority
- Fix technical Problems on your website
Make Sure You are using HTTPS
If you’re asking, “Why is my website traffic going down?” and your site uses HTTP, you’ll need a developer’s help. SSL is a certificate that gives your website security that assures visitors that their information will not be hijacked.
Because of the importance of online security, Secure HyperText Transfer Protocol is used by most websites (HTTPS). In contrast to HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTPS encrypts and securely transmits user data, including credit card information.
Google stated that HTTPS would act as a minor ranking factor for its search engine algorithm in 2014. Since then, however, the importance of cybersecurity has increased, which is why web browsers now warn users when they visit a site that uses HTTP instead of HTTPS.
Suppose you do not have a valid SSL certificate on your website. In that case, your traffic will be really affected, because your visitors will see this page:
To solve the https error, reach out to me so I can take you through the process of having a valid SSL certificate so your site visitors will feel safe using your website.
Develop a Solid Content Redistribution Strategy
Are you the kind of blogger that posts on their blog, and that is all?
No. That is being lazy. If you want your articles to get viewed by so many people, consider reposting your article on several social media platforms.
I usually cross-post on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (sometimes), and on my Whatsapp status.
I even have ‘an army’ of friends who volunteered to repost my new blog posts on their Whatsapp statuses. I greatly appreciate Aarinola, Ayobami, Deborah, Elizabeth, Glory, Iyanu, Peace, Promise, Taye, and Adeteju!
Cross-link Your Relevant Website Articles
Another way you can make sure that your website does not lose traffic is by crosslinking your posts.
For example, I make sure that I tie articles together. Suppose I decide to write an article on addictions in the future. In that case, i will reference my article on How to Quit Porn, because they are related.
Imagine that someone gets to visit my website through the addictions article but actually has a pornography problem. The person would be delighted to read my article on quitting porn. Extra traffic for me!
Write Fresh Content on your Website
Can you eat cold-pounded yam? No.
People are tired of seeing the same thing, over and over, That is why it is important to ensure that you write fresh content on your blog.
I worked as a Digital Marketing Executive for a growing fashion business in June, and one of the things I did was to make sure that we had articles talking about Summer wear on the website. Of course, the SEO was good and it brought traffic.
Why? The content was relevant then.
Fresh content means you have to ensure the space between posts is not so wide.
Proper Keyword Research Will Increase your Traffic
An old keyword strategy can also create a slow, steady, and constant traffic decline.
Even if you don’t have a keyword strategy for SEO, reviewing your content and what it ranks for in search results is essential.
A free tool called Google Trends demonstrates how search, and even purchase habits change. People tended to search for “cellphone” before the release of the iPhone and the subsequent emergence of the smartphone. However, most users now look up “smartphone” when searching.
If your blog reflects this change in your niche, you can avoid losing important website visitors.
You can take your website traffic up with the following steps:
- Audit your keyword strategy, look for outdated keywords
- Research other keywords with a higher search volume
- Revise your content to include these new keywords
Another recent change in traffic patterns is shown by the WordPress and blogging SEO trend. Almost every search query related to WordPress and blogging is going down. In the meantime, podcasting-related search trends are on the rise.
Podcasting still receives more search traffic than questions linked to WordPress. But it’s crucial to remember that blogging trends have been going downhill and will probably continue. In the meantime, podcasts’ popularity grows with time.
This does not imply that WordPress keyword terms are being displaced by podcasting searches. It merely signifies that people are increasingly consuming audiovisual (podcasting) and visual (video) content instead of text-based content.
Try to Build Topical Authority
You’ve probably heard the term “authority” thrown around a lot when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).
But what does it mean exactly? And if you already know what it is, how can I build topical Authority?
Well, first, Authority refers to the power or influence a particular piece of content has over other information on the internet.
In SEO, the higher the perceived Authority a page has, the better the chance of ranking well in organic searches.
Suppose you want your content to rank high on Google for a particular topic. In that case, you must ensure that you write as many articles as possible around that topic! That way, you have an article that can attend to almost any search query for that topic!
Quality content helps your reputation online and increases your chances of being found on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Fix Technical Problems on Your Website
Technical problems will definitely bring your site traffic down, gradually.
I have helped many business owners from different parts of the world fix technical problems on their site, from SSL issues to SEO issues, to their website design.
If it was not important, I would not have made $400+ helping them solve problems.
I saw a table on SearchEngineJournal that shows you how to fix simple technical problems on your website:
If you still notice technical errors on your website, please get in touch with me, and I would be happy to help!
Summary – How to Fix Your Website Traffic Decline
Your best bet is to get into Google Analytics or Google Search Console and determine what might be wrong if you notice any significant drop in traffic. If there is a technical issue of any type (it might be that annoying magic check box), try to fix it as soon as possible.
Reach out, and I’ll help you identify the problem if you see your website traffic going down, but you need help determining why. You can also check Google’s complete page for more information on each of the problems mentioned above to get a better idea of what your traffic decline might entail.
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