Home page full derank

[someblackmemberZ]

Starting from January 14, Google completely deranked the site's Home page.

My site is multilingual, and the Home page in another language also disappeared from the search results on January 22. Zero traffic. At this point I noticed a problem - instantly lost about 10k traffic per day.

- the main pages are indexed and there are no technical problems
- with no help has been completely updated - text and meta tags
- I have a certain number of dmca complaints, but not on the Home page; this could be the reason?
- all other pages and traffic to them were not affected, moreover, internal pages began to rise and take places for queries from the main page
- no manual actions or security issues or messages in search console
- now the situation looks like this - today the main page appears in the search, tomorrow it disappears completely, and such glitches continue

I think about the problem every day and checked everything I could, but I can't find the roots of the problem.

P.S. in the screenshots the traffic is only to the Home page - to the English-version and other

 

[tazarbm]

- I have a certain number of dmca complaints, but not on the Home page; this could be the reason?

it's very possible...

Google have typical american mentality: shoot first, then ask the questions. So, they tend to penalize first and then check whether they've made a mistake. And given that you've received DMCA complaints it's possible that google have penalized you based on those, and now they are analyzing / fixing / looking into the issue...

However, your site's behaviour also looks like a google dance rather than de-indexation (which would be the case with DMCA-related penalties), so probably that your homepage got some links lately that are now forcing this google dance and will eventually settle down after a few days.

Last but not least, it's also possible that there's a google update ongoing that we don't know about yet, and this update is what's causing these spikes.

Unless you find the cause of the problem and a solution to it, you should wait and see what happens over the next 2-3 weeks.

If the rankings come back it's probably been the links you've acquired.
If your page gets completely deindexed I'm 99% certain it's because of the DMCA
And if the dance continues over the next 2+ weeks it's possible that it's the google update, or also the new backlinks...

 

[someblackmemberZ]

If your page gets completely deindexed I'm 99% certain it's because of the DMCA
And if the dance continues over the next 2+ weeks it's possible that it's the google update, or also the new backlinks...

Good point. I have doubts about the pages are in the derack, but not in the de-index. This doesn't add up kinda. If anyone had a similar experience, who actually encountered a similar penalty, it would be great to hear. And yes, I have cross-site spam links from external sites, not sure that the penalty for this could be so harsh. People simply can't find my site using navigation queries.

 

[hideath]

- I have a certain number of dmca complaints, but not on the Home page; this could be the reason?

nope, it doesn't work this way,
you don't get penalized for DMCA complaints/removals, even if it includes half of your pages,
neither the website seems as penalized, as the rest of the pages still ranking, and so is the homepage (even not constantly)

- all other pages and traffic to them were not affected, moreover, internal pages began to rise and take places for queries from the main page

- now the situation looks like this - today the main page appears in the search, tomorrow it disappears completely, and such glitches continue

looks like cannibalization, google is picking other pages for the same keyword(s),
it will pick 1 at a time, and inner pages are not performing as well as the homepage,
I'm assuming these pages are targeting similar keywords, probably different versions & longer variations of the main keyword?

 

[someblackmemberZ]

nope, it doesn't work this way,

I really wish this were true

looks like cannibalization, google is picking other pages for the same keyword(s),

I don't think so
one day I have a thousand keywords that the main page ranks for, and the next day I have exactly zero?
I can't find it, no matter what, with "site:domain", "site:domain domain"; or "site:domain here text from main page" returns "No results found". It's as if the page doesn't exist in the index. But it does exist in the index according to Search Console.

 

[hideath]

I can't find it, no matter what, with "site:domain", "site:domain domain"; or "site:domain here text from main page" returns "No results found". It's as if the page doesn't exist in the index. But it does exist in the index according to Search Console.

this is pretty strange, pretty common with orphan & new pages,
but as for the homepage, while getting plenty of impressions/clicks every other day seems weird,
can you pm the website URL?

 

[someblackmemberZ]

I just found https://support.google.com/webmasters/thread/154301576?hl=en&msgid=154307427 that is similar and there was a problem with googlebot block
I use CloudFlare with BotFight mode enabled, checked the logs and found it blocked some traffic from Google ASN. But not "googlebot" UA.
Something like this:
"action": "managed_challenge",
"clientASNDescription": "GOOGLE",
"clientAsn": "15169",
"clientRequestHTTPMethodName": "GET",
"clientRequestHTTPProtocol": "HTTP/1.1",
"ruleId": "bot_fight_mode",
"source": "botFight",
"userAgent": "Google",
I think this might be a problem.

 

[Steptoe]

I just found topic that is similar and there was a problem with googlebot block
I use CloudFlare with BotFight mode enabled, checked the logs and found it blocked some traffic from Google ASN. But not "googlebot" UA.
Something like this:
"action": "managed_challenge",
"clientASNDescription": "GOOGLE",
"clientAsn": "15169",
"clientRequestHTTPMethodName": "GET",
"clientRequestHTTPProtocol": "HTTP/1.1",
"ruleId": "bot_fight_mode",
"source": "botFight",
"userAgent": "Google",
I think this might be a problem.

I'd recommend only having BotFight enabled if you are actively under some sort of bot attack, and even then it's really only a temporary measure to help you find the avenues of attack and shore them up.

 

[someblackmemberZ]

I'd recommend only having BotFight enabled if you are actively under some sort of bot attack, and even then it's really only a temporary measure to help you find the avenues of attack and shore them up.

Yes, I noticed such a message in the description of the function. However, this is not the reason, I checked the blocked requests, they are not legitimate and came from a network like Google proxy/Cloud, definitely not from crawlers. But I turned it off just in case.

However, the site continues to glitch in Google Search.

 

[ristoriel]

That sounds frustrating, especially with such a big traffic drop. If there are no manual penalties, it could be an algorithmic issue related to content updates, internal linking, or even those DMCA complaints indirectly affecting site trust.

 

[kashifkaka55]

Starting from January 14, Google completely deranked the site's Home page.

My site is multilingual, and the Home page in another language also disappeared from the search results on January 22. Zero traffic. At this point I noticed a problem - instantly lost about 10k traffic per day.

- the main pages are indexed and there are no technical problems
- with no help has been completely updated - text and meta tags
- I have a certain number of dmca complaints, but not on the Home page; this could be the reason?
- all other pages and traffic to them were not affected, moreover, internal pages began to rise and take places for queries from the main page
- no manual actions or security issues or messages in search console
- now the situation looks like this - today the main page appears in the search, tomorrow it disappears completely, and such glitches continue

I think about the problem every day and checked everything I could, but I can't find the roots of the problem.

It sounds like you're experiencing a challenging issue with your website’s Home page ranking fluctuations, and it’s great that you've already checked the basics and rule out technical problems. Based on what you’ve shared, here are a few possibilities to consider:

1. DMCA Complaints:Even though you mentioned that the DMCA complaints are not related to the Home page, Google sometimes takes action based on the overall health of the domain. If your site has accumulated multiple complaints over time, it could potentially trigger a closer look at how Google perceives the authority and credibility of your domain as a whole. While this may not directly impact the Home page, it might explain the fluctuation and ranking issues. You might want to check the specific pages affected by these complaints and ensure there is no further impact.
2. Algorithmic Update or Ranking Shifts: Since you noticed the issue started around January 14, it’s possible that Google pushed out an algorithm update around that time that impacted your site's homepage specifically. Google tends to prioritize pages that are seen as more relevant, authoritative, and with a better user experience. If your Home page isn’t as optimized as other internal pages in terms of content or SEO signals, it might not be as strong a ranking factor anymore, especially with newer algorithms focusing more on content quality and user experience.
3. Homepage Content and SEO Signals: While you mentioned the content and meta tags were updated, make sure your Home page aligns well with search intent. Is the Home page serving the purpose it’s meant to? Sometimes the Home page can end up being too generic or not optimized enough for specific search queries, which can lead to fluctuations. Additionally, internal pages now taking traffic away from the Home page could mean that Google is seeing them as more relevant to user searches, and they are starting to rank better.
4. Internal Linking and Site Structure: If your internal pages have started to rise in rankings, this might be a sign that Google’s algorithms are favoring the structure and internal linking of your site. The Home page may not have enough internal links pointing to it or might not be as well optimized in terms of internal linking. Consider strengthening the internal linking structure and ensuring your Home page is well connected with high-value pages on your site.
5. Suggestions Moving Forward:
   
   • Regularly monitor the ranking and traffic of your Home page using tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
   • Try adding some unique, fresh content to your Home page to improve its authority.
   • Review your internal linking strategy to ensure your Home page gets the appropriate visibility across your site.
   • Consider reviewing your backlink strategy to ensure the Home page gets high-quality backlinks to increase its authority.
   • Hopefully, this gives you a bit more direction in diagnosing and addressing the issue. Since there are no manual actions or obvious technical problems, the root cause might lie in more subtle ranking factors or Google’s evolving algorithm preferences. Keep optimizing and monitoring, and I’m sure you’ll find a solution.

 

[someblackmemberZ]

It sounds like you're experiencing a challenging issue with your website’s Home page ranking fluctuations, and it’s great that you've already checked the basics and rule out technical problems. Based on what you’ve shared, here are a few possibilities to consider:

1. DMCA Complaints:Even though you mentioned that the DMCA complaints are not related to the Home page, Google sometimes takes action based on the overall health of the domain. If your site has accumulated multiple complaints over time, it could potentially trigger a closer look at how Google perceives the authority and credibility of your domain as a whole. While this may not directly impact the Home page, it might explain the fluctuation and ranking issues. You might want to check the specific pages affected by these complaints and ensure there is no further impact.
2. Algorithmic Update or Ranking Shifts: Since you noticed the issue started around January 14, it’s possible that Google pushed out an algorithm update around that time that impacted your site's homepage specifically. Google tends to prioritize pages that are seen as more relevant, authoritative, and with a better user experience. If your Home page isn’t as optimized as other internal pages in terms of content or SEO signals, it might not be as strong a ranking factor anymore, especially with newer algorithms focusing more on content quality and user experience.
3. Homepage Content and SEO Signals: While you mentioned the content and meta tags were updated, make sure your Home page aligns well with search intent. Is the Home page serving the purpose it’s meant to? Sometimes the Home page can end up being too generic or not optimized enough for specific search queries, which can lead to fluctuations. Additionally, internal pages now taking traffic away from the Home page could mean that Google is seeing them as more relevant to user searches, and they are starting to rank better.
4. Internal Linking and Site Structure: If your internal pages have started to rise in rankings, this might be a sign that Google’s algorithms are favoring the structure and internal linking of your site. The Home page may not have enough internal links pointing to it or might not be as well optimized in terms of internal linking. Consider strengthening the internal linking structure and ensuring your Home page is well connected with high-value pages on your site.
5. Suggestions Moving Forward:
   • Regularly monitor the ranking and traffic of your Home page using tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
   • Try adding some unique, fresh content to your Home page to improve its authority.
   • Review your internal linking strategy to ensure your Home page gets the appropriate visibility across your site.
   • Consider reviewing your backlink strategy to ensure the Home page gets high-quality backlinks to increase its authority.
   • Hopefully, this gives you a bit more direction in diagnosing and addressing the issue. Since there are no manual actions or obvious technical problems, the root cause might lie in more subtle ranking factors or Google’s evolving algorithm preferences. Keep optimizing and monitoring, and I’m sure you’ll find a solution.

Looks like AI-generated a wall of text that doesn't really help me.