Sudden Drops in Website Organic Traffic
A website's organic traffic and search engine rankings are vital indicators of its online visibility and success. However, even minor errors in website implementation can have significant consequences. This case study examines the dramatic drop in organic traffic and search engine rankings experienced by our website after implementing a Google News follow button without the correct HTML tags, and how rectifying this error led to a swift recovery.
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Why Sudden Drop Down in Organic Traffic
We decided to add a Google News follow button to our website to enhance user engagement and increase our subscriber base. However, in the process, we neglected to include the necessary HTML tags: `rel="nofollow"`, `rel="noreferrer"`, and `rel="noopener"`. These tags are critical for ensuring that external links do not negatively impact our site's SEO.
Immediate Impact on Traffic and Rankings
Within just six hours of implementing the follow button without the appropriate tags, we observed a sudden and drastic drop in our organic traffic. Our daily traffic, which typically hovered around 6,000 visitors, plummeted to a mere 50 visitors within 24 hours. Concurrently, our search engine rankings for key terms, which previously held the 1st or 2nd position, fell to the 24th position. You can see and understand from Google search console report —
Our One Week of Struggle
For an entire week, we struggled to identify the root cause of this sharp decline. Various factors were considered, including algorithm updates, technical issues, and content-related problems, but none seemed to account for the sudden and severe drop in traffic and rankings.
Discovery and Resolution of this Error
Identifying the Issue:
After extensive troubleshooting and analysis, we pinpointed the issue to the recently implemented Google News follow button. The absence of the `rel="nofollow"`, `rel="noreferrer"`, and `rel="noopener"` tags was causing the external link to be treated in a way that negatively impacted our SEO.
Corrective Action:
As soon as we identified the problem, we promptly corrected the HTML tags of the follow button. The revised implementation included the necessary attributes to ensure that the external link did not adversely affect our site's SEO.
<a href="https://news.google.com/publications/..." rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Follow us on Google News</a>
Rapid Recovery of Traffic and Rankings:
Remarkably, within just 12 hours of making the correction, we observed a significant recovery in both our organic traffic and search engine rankings. Our daily traffic rebounded to its previous levels of around 6,000 visitors, and our search engine rankings for key terms returned to the 1st and 2nd positions.
Lessons Learned:
This incident underscored the importance of correctly implementing HTML tags, especially when dealing with external links. It also highlighted the need for continuous monitoring and prompt troubleshooting to swiftly address any issues that arise.
Conclusion:
Our experience with the Google News follow button implementation serves as a valuable lesson in the critical role that proper HTML tagging plays in maintaining website traffic and search engine rankings. By sharing this case study, we hope to help other website owners avoid similar pitfalls and emphasize the importance of meticulous attention to detail in website management.
Recommendations:
1. Always Use Correct HTML Tags: Ensure that external links include `rel="nofollow"`, `rel="noreferrer"`, and `rel="noopener"` attributes to prevent negative SEO impacts.
2. Continuous Monitoring: Regularly monitor your website’s performance using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
3. Prompt Troubleshooting: Act quickly to identify and resolve issues that cause sudden drops in traffic or rankings.
4. Stay Updated: Keep abreast of best practices in SEO and web development to avoid common pitfalls.
By adhering to these recommendations, website owners can safeguard their organic traffic and maintain high search engine rankings, ensuring the ongoing success of their online presence.