Is it normal for rankings to drop on a new website?

I have a website that has been indexed for about a month and has had Search Console installed for 2-3 weeks. At first, Google ranked 3-4 of my pages on the second page of the SERPs, but now it has pushed them far back or even removed some from the search results. Is this normal behavior for a new site?

My website is still under construction—it's about 85% complete. Some key elements are still missing, such as the mobile version of the footer, the contact page, the terms and conditions page, and the XML sitemap (which I haven’t uploaded to Search Console yet). Additionally, I’ve had occasional downtime while implementing updates.

Despite these issues, my impressions and CTR seem decent. Could the incomplete state of my website be affecting my rankings? Once I finalize everything, is it likely that my pages will regain their previous positions or even improve?

Also, based on the performance metrics (I'll attach some screenshots from Google Search Console), does my CTR and impression count look good for a new website?

Thanks a lot!


ALL SITE





INDIVIDUAL PAGE




This screenshot from Google Search Console shows the performance of one of my pages before it was completely removed from the SERPs.

• Total clicks: 105
• Total impressions: 176
• Average CTR: 59.7%
• Average position: 14.8

The graph indicates that the page initially received a good number of impressions and clicks, with a solid average position. However, after a certain point, impressions and clicks dropped significantly, and now the page no longer appears in search results at all.

Is this normal behavior for a new website? Could it be due to the site still being under construction, or does it indicate another issue?




Thanks for your help!

Yes
It’s super normal

Yes, it is completely normal for a new website to experience a drop in rankings initially, as search engines need time to crawl, index, and evaluate the site's quality before assigning it a high ranking. Just get rid of worries and complete the site successfully. All the Best!

Search for 'Google dance' and you will understand what is going on.

rox94 said:

Could the incomplete state of my website be affecting my rankings?

Click to expand...

yes

rox94 said:

Once I finalize everything, is it likely that my pages will regain their previous positions or even improve?

Click to expand...

it's possible to regain them, but not improve. Besides, if the site is new like you said, then it's most likely that you got these rankings and clicks as a test from google to see how your site performs (google values user feedback, so they do these tests often with new sites) and, based on this test, they will decide what to do with you next (tank you into oblivion, rank you in top 100 but never in top 20-30 until you do SEO, keep you where you are now, etc)

rox94 said:

Also, based on the performance metrics (I'll attach some screenshots from Google Search Console), does my CTR and impression count look good for a new website?

Click to expand...

the CTRs are really good.... The impressions and clicks are also amazing for not even a 1-month old website (IF the screenshots depict the entirety of the website's lifespan)... But then again, these stats are most likely temporary and soon you might get kicked out of the SERPs, at which point you need to see where you "stabilize" (top 50, top 100, or nowhere) and based on that you can decide what to do next (build links, finish the site, improve / update the content, fix your technical issues / do internal linking, etc.... although, to be honest, internal linking and having perfect technical SEO should be done BEFORE you make a website live)

Anyway, yeah, the stats look GREAT! If only they sticked

tazarbm said:

yes


it's possible to regain them, but not improve. Besides, if the site is new like you said, then it's most likely that you got these rankings and clicks as a test from google to see how your site performs (google values user feedback, so they do these tests often with new sites) and, based on this test, they will decide what to do with you next (tank you into oblivion, rank you in top 100 but never in top 20-30 until you do SEO, keep you where you are now, etc)


the CTRs are really good.... The impressions and clicks are also amazing for not even a 1-month old website (IF the screenshots depict the entirety of the website's lifespan)... But then again, these stats are most likely temporary and soon you might get kicked out of the SERPs, at which point you need to see where you "stabilize" (top 50, top 100, or nowhere) and based on that you can decide what to do next (build links, finish the site, improve / update the content, fix your technical issues / do internal linking, etc.... although, to be honest, internal linking and having perfect technical SEO should be done BEFORE you make a website live)

Anyway, yeah, the stats look GREAT! If only they sticked

Click to expand...

Yes, even if you look at the Search Console data, I have it set to a 28-day range, but it's showing results starting from January 23rd. The site was indexed about a month ago, and since January 23rd until now, I've been getting these results.

Thanks!!!!

Frederik Michiel said:

Search for 'Google dance' and you will understand what is going on.

Click to expand...

Ooooh i'm looking into it, it looks very similar to my situation!

tazarbm said:

it's possible to regain them, but not improve. Besides, if the site is new like you said, then it's most likely that you got these rankings and clicks as a test from google to see how your site performs (google values user feedback, so they do these tests often with new sites) and, based on this test, they will decide what to do with you next (tank you into oblivion, rank you in top 100 but never in top 20-30 until you do SEO, keep you where you are now, etc)

Click to expand...

This is the best reply!

rox94 said:

I have a website that has been indexed for about a month and has had Search Console installed for 2-3 weeks. At first, Google ranked 3-4 of my pages on the second page of the SERPs, but now it has pushed them far back or even removed some from the search results. Is this normal behavior for a new site?

My website is still under construction—it's about 85% complete. Some key elements are still missing, such as the mobile version of the footer, the contact page, the terms and conditions page, and the XML sitemap (which I haven’t uploaded to Search Console yet). Additionally, I’ve had occasional downtime while implementing updates.

Despite these issues, my impressions and CTR seem decent. Could the incomplete state of my website be affecting my rankings? Once I finalize everything, is it likely that my pages will regain their previous positions or even improve?

Also, based on the performance metrics (I'll attach some screenshots from Google Search Console), does my CTR and impression count look good for a new website?

Thanks a lot!

Click to expand...

Ye, that’s totally normal for a new site to see some ups and downs with rankings, especially early on

Google tends to adjust things as it gets a better sense of your site

Yeah, it's pretty normal mate. Sometimes it will rise and sometimes it will fall. That's why google dance exists. don't panic it happens to every new site.

Its kind of normal for a new website and such. It happens to everyone : p