Rankings drop because Google re-sorts results after updates, your site or Google Business Profile changes, competitors improve, or local signals like proximity and search demand shift.
In Orlando and Central Florida, drops can look random because results vary by zip code, “near me” distance, and even where your phone is standing, so the first step is confirming the drop is real and not just a single-device view.
How we diagnose the cause
- Confirm the drop and scope. We compare Google Search Console impressions, clicks, and average position before and after the date it changed. Then we check whether it’s sitewide, one service page, or only a few queries.
- Pin down the exact timing. We line up the drop date with anything that changed: site edits, a redesign, new plugins, hosting changes, redirect rules, new pages, deleted pages, or a Google Business Profile edit (category, address, service area, hours).
- Check for hard blockers first. We look for noindex tags, robots.txt rules, wrong canonicals, broken redirects, 404s, server errors, sitemap issues, and pages slipping out of the index. If you suspect indexing trouble, our explanation of what causes pages not to be indexed by Google matches the checks we run.
- Rule out manual actions and security problems. In Search Console we review the Manual actions and Security issues reports. A manual action is rare, but when it happens, rankings can fall fast.
- Review intent and page quality shifts. If a page starts losing to newer competitors, we compare the search results page for what Google is rewarding now (page format, depth, proof, FAQs, location relevance) and update the page to match how people actually choose a provider.
- Look for authority changes. We check for lost backlinks, a surge of low-quality links, or a competitor earning local mentions that tilt the field in their favor.
- For map pack drops, audit GBP health. We confirm your primary category, services, address rules, review velocity, and whether duplicate listings or nearby spam listings are stealing visibility.
| What you see | Common causes | What we check first |
|---|---|---|
| Sudden sitewide drop in 1 to 3 days | Noindex, robots block, bad redirect, migration issue, server errors | Search Console indexing, URL inspection, robots, templates, recent deploys |
| Only a few pages drop | Canonical changes, internal link changes, content edits, duplicate or overlapping pages | Page history, canonicals, internal links, crawl status, query to page match |
| Map pack visibility drops | GBP edits, category mismatch, address or pin issues, review slowdown, competitor spam | GBP settings and change history, review trends, duplicates, local spam scan |
| Traffic drops but rankings look similar | SERP layout changes (ads, AI features), seasonality, fewer searches | Search Console impressions trend, query mix, device and location segments |
| Gradual decline over weeks | Competitors improve, content falls behind, weak local proof, link gap grows | Competitor result comparison, content refresh plan, local proof and link gaps |
If you want us to run a focused diagnosis and fix plan, our SEO services start with the same sequence above, because it prevents guessing and avoids changes that create new problems.
If you have access to Search Console and Analytics, it helps to review the exact reports we use in what tools you should use to measure SEO performance, then send us the drop date, the pages that lost ground, and whether anything on your site or GBP changed that week.
