Starting from Jan 2023 website traffic has been going down. The number of indexed pages, backlinks, and keywords is growing. But the traffic is going down. Any ideas? Because I checked everything and don't understand what's going on. The main change I've done is to apply redirection from the website version with "www" to the version without "www".
Traffic issue
- Thread starter laamu
- Start date
netizenwizard
Power Member
- Mar 9, 2023
- 759
- 384
Check your website redirection from 'www' to non-'www' version. Make sure it's done right in sitemap & Google Search Console. Other factors like search algo changes, competition, or user behavior could be at play. Dive into analytics for insights.
- Jun 10, 2016
- 4,521
- 571
Perhaps Google will not index your site after removing www because the permalink has changed. Therefore, wait a few weeks; it will return to normal.
- Oct 28, 2020
- 11,663
- 14,635
The www and non-www versions of the same website are considered different websites by google (yes, google is retarded, we all know this by now), so if you were ranking for both versions of the website then this explains why your indexed pages, backlinks, and keywords are growing (you've basically added the goodies of both versions of the site, together).
But the reasons for which your traffic decreased could be many, but 2 reasons that I can think of are:
- it takes time for google to figure out what the hell just happened (so you should wait 1-2 months for things to get back to normal... well, to the new normal anyway since you've merged "2 sites" together in what google is concerned)
- some / many of the pages have the same content and target the same keywords and by putting all of these pages under the same website (again, in what google is concerned you've had 2 different websites but now you only have 1 lol), so they're cannibalizing on each other and this confuses google which, in return, de-ranks all of the conflicting pages.
That's why I think that you need to wait for the dust to settle and then things will either get back to normal or, if they don't, you need to start 301 redirecting the hell out of the poorly ranked pages to their better ranked copies... actually, redirect the non-used versions of the pages to the version that you'll be using from now on (which is the non-www version, so 301 all www versions of the duplicate pages to the non-www version of the pages)
Or (and I think that this is actually better), add a canonical tag to the non-www pages, but do this after the dust settles, like I said, because before this happens you won't know which pages will rank and which ones won't
But the reasons for which your traffic decreased could be many, but 2 reasons that I can think of are:
- it takes time for google to figure out what the hell just happened (so you should wait 1-2 months for things to get back to normal... well, to the new normal anyway since you've merged "2 sites" together in what google is concerned)
- some / many of the pages have the same content and target the same keywords and by putting all of these pages under the same website (again, in what google is concerned you've had 2 different websites but now you only have 1 lol), so they're cannibalizing on each other and this confuses google which, in return, de-ranks all of the conflicting pages.
That's why I think that you need to wait for the dust to settle and then things will either get back to normal or, if they don't, you need to start 301 redirecting the hell out of the poorly ranked pages to their better ranked copies... actually, redirect the non-used versions of the pages to the version that you'll be using from now on (which is the non-www version, so 301 all www versions of the duplicate pages to the non-www version of the pages)
Or (and I think that this is actually better), add a canonical tag to the non-www pages, but do this after the dust settles, like I said, because before this happens you won't know which pages will rank and which ones won't
- Apr 4, 2014
- 6,453
- 4,860
Since you have canonical tags, there'll be no cannibalisation as even www pages will have non-www version as canonical.
But you still need to give google some time to fully re-index the site.
As for the traffic... you need to analyse your keywords. For example, one of your high traffic keywords went down but 5 low traffic keywords went up so even though on paper you have keywords going up, your traffic will go down.
But you still need to give google some time to fully re-index the site.
As for the traffic... you need to analyse your keywords. For example, one of your high traffic keywords went down but 5 low traffic keywords went up so even though on paper you have keywords going up, your traffic will go down.
Irfan sultan
Junior Member
- Feb 17, 2023
- 109
- 21
Highly appreciated, this kind of detailed answer.
nhatbita
Junior Member
- Jun 2, 2022
- 102
- 25
If your website traffic has been going down since applying a redirection from the version with "www" to the version without "www", it could be the cause of the issue. Other potential reasons for the decrease in traffic include algorithm changes, competition, technical issues, and changes in user behavior. To identify the root cause, consider conducting an in-depth website audit and analysis.
jeffpakulonan
Junior Member
- Jul 9, 2021
- 122
- 63
If the number of indexed pages, backlinks, and keywords is growing, but the traffic is going down, there may be several factors at play. Here are some potential ideas to explore:
- Quality of content: While increasing the number of indexed pages and keywords can improve search engine visibility, the quality of your content is just as important. Make sure your content is engaging, informative, and relevant to your target audience.
- User experience: Make sure your website is user-friendly, fast, and easy to navigate. A poor user experience can discourage visitors from staying on your site and exploring further.
- Targeting the right keywords: Make sure you're targeting the right keywords that are relevant to your audience and have sufficient search volume. If you're targeting the wrong keywords, you may attract visitors who are not interested in your content.
- Algorithm updates: Keep in mind that search engine algorithms are constantly evolving. An update to the algorithm may affect your search engine rankings and traffic, even if you haven't changed anything on your website.
- Competition: It's possible that your competitors are outperforming you in terms of content quality, user experience, or SEO. Conduct a competitive analysis to see what they are doing differently and learn from their strategies.
- Technical issues: Check for any technical issues that may be affecting your website's performance, such as broken links, slow loading times, or errors. These issues can affect search engine rankings and user experience.