Grumpy SEO Guy, Episode 124

Four SEO Reasons Your Rank and Your Traffic Are Decreasing

Date: September 3, 2025
Host: Grumpy SEO Guy

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Grumpy SEO Guy breaks down the most common reasons behind drops in website ranking and traffic, drawing from 14 years of agency experience. The episode aims to clear up confusion in the SEO community about what actually causes declining traffic and ranks, and offers practical, no-nonsense guidance on how to accurately diagnose and respond to these issues—especially by leveraging SERP (Search Engine Results Page) tracking.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Traffic Decreases: Not Always an SEO Problem

• Traffic ≠ SEO Metric: Traffic is not a direct SEO metric as often misunderstood. It is influenced by two factors:

  1. Monthly Search Volume
  2. Your Rank (Position in SERPs)

• Example provided:

  • If a keyword has 10,000 monthly searches and you’re in position 1 (which gets ~30% of the traffic), you get about 3,000 visitors. If monthly search volume drops, so does your traffic—even if your rank stays the same.
  • Quote:

    “Just because your traffic decreases doesn’t mean you have an SEO problem. Maybe monthly search volume decreased. Maybe your position stayed the same.” (A, 04:09)

• Diagnosing a True SEO Issue:

  • The first diagnostic step is to check if your rank (SERP position) has changed using SERP tracking tools.

2. The Critical Importance of SERP Tracking

• SERP Tracking: If you’re not tracking your rankings, you are essentially flying blind in SEO.

• SERP Chart Essentials: The host emphasizes the big mistake many make:

  • Quote:

    "If you are not tracking your SERPs, you are not doing SEO." (A, 04:35)

• What Makes a Good SERP Tracking Tool? (06:21–09:21)

  1. Pick Your Own Keywords: The tool must let you choose the specific keywords you want to track.
     • Quote:

       “There are some SERP tracking tools that do not let you track your own keywords. Does that even make any sense?” (A, 06:34)

  2. Individual Charts for Each Keyword: Avoid tools that provide only average positions.
     • Quote:

       “Average position is a silly metric that doesn’t really have any value.” (A, 07:42)

  3. Daily Data: The tool must provide daily (not just weekly or monthly) data, offering the details needed for proper analysis.
     • Quote:

       “You want to know where you ranked every single day for 30 days or however long it’s been.” (A, 09:16)

• Recommended Tool: Serpfox.com (not sponsored), offering the first 10 keywords for free.

• Actionable Tip:

  • Set up SERP tracking for your keywords immediately if you haven't already.

3. How to Decode Traffic Drops with SERP Data

• SERP Charts as Diagnosis Tools:
  • SERP charts reveal whether it’s a true ranking issue or a change in search volume.
  • Understanding how ranking position and visitor numbers are related is crucial:
    • “Remember, it [traffic] is a result of monthly search volume and rank.” (A, 10:13)

4. The Four Reasons Your Rank Decreases (10:51–12:09)

1. Penalty

• If your site is penalized, your rankings tank and visitors drop accordingly.
  • Quote:

    “If you get a penalty, your position’s gonna drop and your visitors are going to decrease. Because if you get a penalty, you’re not gonna rank anymore.” (A, 10:52)

2. Losing Authority

• Most often linked to losing backlinks.
• Authority is a major ranking factor after on-site factors are dialed in.
  • Quote:

    “If you are losing authority, your rank might decrease. And that generally means you’re losing backlinks.” (A, 11:26)

3. Algorithm Updates

• Updates can shake things up, sometimes recalculating authority or changing ranking factors.
  • Quote:

    “An algorithm update can cause your website to decrease. It can also cause it to increase.” (A, 11:58)

4. Competitors Improving Their SEO

• When competitors up their game, you may drop even if nothing about your site changed.

• Quote:

  “If your competition is doing better SEO, they are gaining authority. If they are gaining authority, that’s quite similar to you losing authority, isn’t it?” (A, 12:09)

• Relative Nature of SEO:

  • The second and fourth points are closely related because SEO is always relative to the competition.

5. How SERP Behavior Reveals Rank Drop Causes (13:14–13:48)

• Pattern Analysis:

  • A slow decrease: Usually competitor improvement (gradual authority changes/backlinks growth).
  • A dramatic drop ("off a wall"): Likely penalty or massive algorithm update.
  • Quote:

    “Different types of SERP behavior indicate different causes of ranking declines.” (A, 13:22)

• Action: Always request or review SERP charts before jumping to conclusions about ranking/traffic decreases.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Traffic is not an SEO metric. But let me tell you why.” (A, 03:46)
• “If you are not tracking your SERPs, you are not doing SEO.” (A, 04:35)
• “Average position is a silly metric that doesn’t really have any value.” (A, 07:42)
• “So stop listening to this episode, go to SERPfox.com, create an account, enter your URL, enter your 10 keywords, or however many you have, and then come back to this episode.” (A, 09:21)
• “By tracking your SERPs and checking a SERP chart, you can see what the behavior looks like, okay? Are you decreasing quickly or slowly? Is it bouncing around or is it dropping off a wall?” (A, 13:14)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:46–04:09: Traffic is not a direct SEO problem—defining what really influences traffic drops
• 05:23–10:05: SERP tracking tools—how to choose and why they’re vital
• 10:51–12:09: Four detailed reasons for ranking decreases
• 13:14–13:48: Using SERP chart behavior to diagnose the type of rank drop

Final Thoughts & Practical Advice

• If your traffic drops, don’t panic or blame SEO immediately—diagnose using SERP tracking first.
• Set up proper SERP tracking with daily, keyword-specific charts.
• Compare your SERP data to spot which of the four main causes is to blame.
• Always remember that SEO is relative; what your competitors do directly affects your own rankings.
• For ongoing support and discussion, join the Grumpy SEO Guy community on Reddit or contact via email.

This episode is a straightforward, bias-busting guide to understanding organic traffic and ranking drops—the kind of advice “99% of SEO professionals” aren’t talking about.