I mistakenly removed a tag on our website and our ranking dropped significantly. We just launched the site two weeks ago and were crawled for the first time yesterday. Our rank was at 13, but after removing the tag, it plummeted. I have since re-applied the tag and requested removal on Google Search Console. Will our rank be restored once Google crawls again, or will the SEO juice be gone until we improve our domain rating?
It’s unlikely that removing the noindex tag from your contact page caused your site’s ranking to plummet by 20 positions. While indexing the contact page may have allowed Google to crawl and index the site more thoroughly, it’s unlikely to have such a drastic impact on your overall ranking, especially for other pages on the site. It’s more probable that Google was initially boosting your new content as part of its testing process, and your ranking is now settling into a more stable position. It’s also possible that your site is experiencing a “honeymoon period” where Google gives new websites a temporary boost in ranking. This ranking boost usually settles down after a few weeks as Google continues to evaluate your site. The SEO juice is unlikely to be gone; it’s likely that your site’s ranking will stabilize as Google crawls and indexes your site more comprehensively.