Google rankings dropped: check before paying for SEO

If your Google rankings dropped, check whether unpaid search visits and genuine enquiries fell before paying for SEO. Compare the affected pages and search terms, then look for seasonal demand or a website fault. A small movement in a ranking report isn't enough reason to buy a recovery package.

What the September 2026 Google spam update tells you

Google launched its spam update on 24 September 2026. The Google Search Status Dashboard confirms that it applies worldwide and across all languages.

That makes the update worth checking against your traffic records. It does not prove that a drop on your website was caused by it, or that every business has been affected. Matching dates are a clue, not a diagnosis.

Check the dashboard for the current rollout status before drawing conclusions. Don't assume the update has finished from its launch notice alone, and don't let someone turn that notice into evidence that your website needs rebuilding.

Why has my website traffic dropped?

A lower position in a report, fewer website visits and fewer bookings are different problems. Start by writing down which one changed and when you first noticed it.

Open Google Search Console, Google's tool for reporting how your website appears in search. In its Performance report, clicks show how often someone clicked through from a search result. Impressions record appearances in search results, rather than visits to your website.

Compare periods of equal length covering the same weekdays, and avoid incomplete recent data. Look at both individual pages and the search terms people used. A total for the whole website can hide a fall concentrated on an article that never brought enquiries.

Separate unpaid Google search traffic from adverts, social media and other sources in your visitor reports. If Search Console clicks look steady but your website's visitor counter drops, check whether the tracking changed or stopped working. Don't buy ranking repairs to fix a measurement problem.

Check seasonal demand before blaming Google

For a cafe in North Berwick, I'd check whether demand has changed before assuming the website has been punished. Compare the same part of the previous year if you have records, alongside recent weeks. Your booking diary and sales records can help put search figures in context.

Fewer impressions with broadly similar positions for the same search terms can be consistent with lower demand. It isn't proof: changes in the mix of searches can affect the totals too. Compare like with like rather than treating the headline graph as the answer.

If clicks remain steady but enquiries fall, test the route from the page to the booking or call. A broken form, an unavailable appointment calendar or an unclear offer could explain lost business without a ranking problem. Record what you find before changing the pages.

Rule out a website fault

Open the affected service pages on your phone, using their exact addresses from the report. Check that they load, show the right business details and let you enquire. Send a test form submission and confirm that it actually arrives, rather than trusting the success message.

Write down any recent website changes. A redesign, a move to different hosting or a change of page addresses gives you something specific to investigate. The date of that change may explain more than the date of Google's announcement.

Use Search Console's URL inspection tool to check an affected page's address. It can help show whether Google has included the page in its search index, the collection of pages it can return in results. If the page is excluded, read the stated reason and ask whoever maintains the site to investigate before changing settings.

Also check Search Console for manual actions, meaning action taken by Google's human reviewers, and security issues. Follow any specific guidance shown there. An empty report does not rule out an effect from an automated update.

Find which pages and searches lost ground

Average position combines rankings across different searches and appearances. A change in that average doesn't tell you that every important service page has fallen. Look at the same page and search term across comparable periods where possible.

For a garage in Livingston, searches for its business name answer a different question from searches for a garage nearby. I'd separate those before judging the damage. I'd also check whether the affected pages are the ones that normally lead to MOT enquiries or repair bookings.

If impressions and positions look similar but clicks fall, inspect the search result and the page it leads to. Has the title changed, does it still describe the service clearly, and are other results answering the question better? Don't assume every lost click needs the same fix.

What does Google spam update recovery involve?

The phrase “Google spam update recovery” doesn't describe a single repair. The work depends on what the evidence shows: a technical fault, a stated action against the site, or a less certain change in search performance. I wouldn't promise a return to previous positions before knowing which problem I'm being asked to solve.

If a useful page has accidentally been blocked from search, address that fault. If Google reports a specific policy problem, investigate that problem and follow the applicable guidance. If the only evidence is that traffic fell near an update, the cause remains unproven.

Keep a dated record of any changes and what each change is intended to fix. Avoid rewriting every service page at once while also changing addresses and removing content. You could damage useful pages and make it harder to work out what helped.

When you should not buy an SEO recovery package

A small ranking wobble is not a reason to buy a recovery package. In its guidance on debugging search traffic drops, Google advises against radical changes when a page is already performing well despite a small ranking decline.

If the pages that bring enquiries are still doing their job and you cannot find a fault, leaving them alone can be sensible. Keep checking comparable records rather than reacting to every movement. Doing nothing to the page is different from ignoring the evidence.

You also shouldn't buy ongoing search work to solve a broken enquiry form or a faulty visitor counter. Fix the actual problem first. My guide to whether a small business needs SEO can help you decide whether wider search work makes sense after that.

What I would check before quoting for help

SEO means work to help people find your business in unpaid search results. Before quoting, I'd want the affected pages, the date the drop began, comparable Search Console records and a note of recent site changes. I'd also ask what happened to genuine calls and enquiries.

My SEO and Google Business Profile work is about helping nearby buyers find you and get in touch. Website search results and your Google business listing need separate checks: fewer website clicks alone won't tell you whether calls from the listing have fallen.

I'm based in Portobello and work with businesses across Edinburgh and the Lothians. I keep WebLothian affordable on purpose because useful help shouldn't depend on having an agency-sized budget. That includes being willing to say a page doesn't need changing.

If you'd like me to check the evidence with you, book the consultation (opens in a new tab). It's free, and every job is quoted in writing before any work begins.