Why is my business fluctuating in terms of where we rank on Google?

Introduction

It’s a question that a lot of agencies will get asked, that simply is why does a business fluctuate in terms of where it ranks on Google? For example, why one day can a business be ranked number one, then the next the business, for the same keyword can move say three places?

What can also compound a business owners’ confusion is they might not have done any SEO work that week, yet the tools you are using to monitor your companies seo tell you you’ve moved three places.

Well now’s the time to grab yourself a nice cup of tea, as we have very experienced search engine optimisation team, which have worked hard to write this article, to describe some of the reasons why a business can change where it is ranked.

However, first things first, it’s worth saying this right at the very start before we begin, that is if the business doesn’t follow Google’s WebMaster Guidelines, well quite simply put a business can be totally removed from Google.

So, what we mean is sometimes a business can move where it ranks in the SERP’s simply because they or the appointed company is not completing the seo correctly. Whether they are building links incorrectly or they simply are not doing the onsite seo right, a business can therefore move down the ranks.

If the business or its appointed company chooses not to follow Google’s WebMaster Guidelines its also worth knowing the business could be removed completely. You got it, if its not done right, where your business ranks could vanish, and when you get on the dog and bone, that’s phone to a respected seo company, well, they may tell you in some instances, we hate to say it, it can take a very long time to recover.

So enough of the doom and the gloom, lets look at some of the other reasons why a business can fluctuate in terms of where it ranks on Google:

Google is constantly working to improve its algorithm

Do you think that Google’s rather almighty algorithm stays the same for long periods of time? That’s to say that its still the same as when Larry Page was creating Google’s PageRank- umm nope, the algorithm is now very different, its evolved.

Its had to, that’s because there’s always going to be agencies, and businesses that want to find loopholes, take shortcuts if you will.

Yet, trying to cheat the algorithm, well it doesn’t work, because Google’s algorithm is now rather brilliant at fighting spam.

However, do get to this point, Google’s engineers, well they have had to work hard, rolling out update after update.

For example, have you heard of the Google Penguin update? The Google Panda update? The Google Hummingbird update? Well, these are just some of the massive updates, that have come since Google’s PageRank formula was used, that’s to say, serious efforts have been made to constantly work on Google’s algorithm.

So, you have to think of Google’s algorithm, rather like a formula one car, that is engineers at a formula one race don’t just say, well that’s as fast as the car will go, then go and grab a lunch.

No, formula one teams rely on data, how can they make the car perform better for the next race?

This exact mindset is used by Google, that’s because through machine learning, AI technology like Google’s RankBrain, through major roll-outs of updating its algorithm, through using spam filters, whether they are Google manual actions, or Google algorithmic penalties, the algorithm is being made better and better, and that’s what keeps us, your humble seo company thirsty to learn how to make our skill set better, so that we can better serve our customers, and stay ahead in our industry.

So, in a nutshell your saying Google’s algorithm receives regular changes?  

The simple answer is this Google is constantly perfecting and re-engineering its algorithm, to make it more accurate, and to better serve its customers, so things do not stay the same.

I you might be thinking well what on earth is this could to do with me and my company’s SEO?

Simply put, if Google, makes an improvement to its algorithm, by rolling out an algorithm update like the Google Panda update, then quite simply put, this can mean that sometimes a major reshuffle of where businesses rank in Google’s SERP’s occurs, where a ton of businesses move up, and some may move down.

So, what you have to ask yourself is this, is your business offering the best service?

Let’s get down to brass tacks of the situation here, what we mean is that Google is constantly assessing which businesses best answer that query.

So, for example, a business might get so caught up in improving its own seo, that it may have lost sight of the customer, this means that there’s an opportunity for a rival business to say, you know what, we can offer better customer service, how might they do this?

–        Better product descriptions and content marketing, which could reduce the businesses bounce rate

–        The competition might have a much faster website, causing a lower bounce rate

–        The competition might offer a better service, through the web design simply being better

So, let’s look at an example of “work boots”, you might have been the number one business selling this type of footwear, but there might be other businesses working on their SEO also at the same time, which have now simply been deemed to have stronger SEO.

So, this basically means whatever business you run, you can’t let the grass grow under your feet, as often you will be overtaken. For example, some businesses get to the top of Google’s SERP’s, then think, well I don’t need to pay my agency one more penny- right?

However, what business owners up and down the land need to know is this, somewhere there’s likely to be some or many other companies working hard to take your spot of you, and once you get knocked off that position, you may find it hard to work your way back up.

Don’t expect results in the short term

If you’re the rather impatient type, and want the see results overnight, then we would say definitely say dont invest in organic SEO. Now you might be thinking, why would we say that, were an seo company after all.

But here’s the thing, we fully understand that businesses want to climb to the very top of Google, and they want that done quickly, so when we say climb what we mean is rising through the organic results.

But here’s the thing, business owners sometimes tell themselves something is feasible when its not, for example that there going to go from a standstill position, that’s not investing a penny into their seo, then they want to be on page 1 in a matter of weeks, this is often not possible.

And here’s why, the businesses that are on the first page of Google, well, they may have been paying a rather brilliant agency like us for a very long period of time, so a new business, that’s just rocked up in town, and wants to take on the heavy weights, has to be realistic.

That’s because a business that’s forged a close working relationship with a good marketing agency, like ours, worked with them for a very long time, worked hard to improve the businesses ranking factors, such as backlinks, well, there going to take some beating.

So, a business starting up, and writing into there business plan that there going to “dominate” the first page of the organic results, well sometimes needs to go back to the drawing board and be realistic, because if the competition you face is high, you need to sensible about how fast you can move forwards.

Because it doesn’t matter if you run a local business, you are a global brand, quite simply put, it takes time organic SEO, so it can’t be rushed.