Pinpointing Sources of a Downward Trend in Website Traffic
What happened to your website traffic? You used to enjoy a healthy amount of traffic and leads but alas, it seems to have dried up. What could have happened? It would be useful to go through a checklist of possible glitches that your website may have so that you can start plugging the leaks and getting traffic coming in.
Here are some questions to ask when you are experiencing a slump in website traffic:
- How’s my domain authority? Domain authority pertains to your website domain name’s credibility and level of authority as compared to similar domain names in the web. This can be determined by a wide variety of factors Google algorithms use to see how well you can stand up to other websites in the same industry. Factors can include domain name age, size and popularity. To help establish your domain authority, you can choose the appropriate domain name and improve the number, quality, and diversity of both your outgoing and incoming links, as well as get rid of harmful backlinks. You should also establish your reputation as an expert in your field by providing relevant and useful content.
- How’s my page authority? This pertains to specific pages in your website and how well they stand to perform versus other pages. The strategies to increase page authority are similar to increasing your domain authority since the higher your domain authority, the better your chances of your individual pages to also perform better. However, you can work to get a page go viral by having it shared and liked in social media accounts.
- How organized is my content? Check the quality of your website architecture. Your internal links will have an effect on how easily other websites can access your content. Take a closer look at your website navigation and hierarchy. Generally, a flatter or “shallower” structure makes content more discoverable, since you don’t have to go through a lot of layers. Also, have more specific categories rather than more generic ones so that the menu and navigation cannot be too overwhelming. In addition, check that there are do duplicate contents, tag pages or product description pages.
- Is the content I offer to readers high quality? Good quality content will not just establish your authority in the field. It can also decrease your website’s bounce rate. This is where a robust content marketing strategy can help. You can seriously think about whether it is more beneficial to you to provide content from your staff or outsource it to a team of experienced copywriters. Who is the expert in the field? Who can write content that is not just relevant to the field but also engaging and entertaining to readers? If you do not have the time to write the content or do not have anyone in your team to do the write-ups, you can outsource the content but work closely with your provider with regards to the topics and coverage of the articles.
- Am I tracking my competition regularly? The secret is to regularly benchmark against your competitors. Chances are, your competitors are already doing the same. Being on the active lookout to see how and what your competitors’ websites are doing can provide you with ideas on how to gain more ground and advantage. For instance, in the area of search traffic volume and brand awareness, you can consider topping your competitor’s media spending.
- Is my website user friendly and does it load quickly? How many seconds does it take for your page to load? People will not wait for your pages to load. Chances are, they may simply leave your site and go to a competitor. Slow pages will also have an impact on Google’s ability to find key pages. Google may not be able to effectively crawl your website because of its loading speed. Monitor your site speed so that your users and Google do not have to wait.
About Adaptivity Pro
These are just some of the issues that can negatively impact your website traffic. There are actually more that our Utah SEO experts can discover with regards to website traffic issues. And, with the constantly changing algorithms that Google and other search engines use, you need someone who has his head on the ground and who are constantly updated on the latest changes. You can trust our experienced team to provide the SEO analysis for you, as well as your content. Adaptivity Pro offers a complete lineup of website services, such as SLC web design, copywriting, graphic design and Internet marketing.