SEO Rankings Improved Then Suddenly Dropped – What Could Be Wrong?

laivanminh said:
Hi everyone,


I’m currently facing an issue with a website I recently took over. The site had been worked on by a previous SEO staff member for more than 2 years, but it never achieved strong rankings.


After taking over, I optimized the SEO, and some keywords improved to positions around top 3–5. However, after a short time, the rankings suddenly dropped again. I also built around 200 PBN backlinks, but the situation didn’t improve much.


Recently, I noticed some positive movement: a keyword moved from position #17 up to #11, but then overnight it dropped back down to #21. This kind of fluctuation is really confusing and frustrating.


At this point, I’m not sure what is still missing or not properly optimized on the website.


I would really appreciate any advice or insights on what might be causing this issue and how I can fix it.


Thank you in advance!
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However, when there is an immediate fall in SEO ranking, it means that there is a particular reason behind it. Some of the reasons can be a recent change in Google's algorithm update where it has become a factor for some websites, page speed, or technical issues such as page speed, slow website, or indexing problems.

It can also occur due to backlink loss, keyword stuffing, or competition. The reason might also be something you have done yourself by changing the URL or adding new designs to your website.

If you wish to improve your SEO rankings, the best way would be to analyze Google Search Console, see what mistakes you have made, and understand why your competitors are doing better than you.
 
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Sounds like instability, not just weak SEO. Ranking jumps then sharp drops often mean Google still doesn’t fully trust the site. I’d audit these first:
  1. Technical issues like indexing, crawl waste, speed, etc
  2. Content intent pages may rank briefly, then lose to better matches and better sitew
  3. Backlink quality 200 PBN links can hurt
  4. Algorithm volatility
  5. Legacy issues, previous SEO may have left thin or spammy pages.
 
200 PBN links all at once can be a huge red flag for Google, especially if they were all added in a short window. That sudden drop might be the algorithm filtering those links out or a manual review. I’d suggest checking your anchor text diversity, if it's too aggressive with those PBNs, that's likely the culprit. Try focusing on some high-quality niche edits to stabilize things.
 
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