Rankings dropping nationally but not locally?

Hello everyone. I am currently assisting in creating content for a website that has experienced a significant drop in rankings in the northern part of the UK, despite being based in the south. I am trying to determine the cause of this drop but am struggling to find an explanation. The website caters to a nationwide audience and does not specifically target local SEO. Their rankings in other regions across the country are still strong, but have plummeted in the north. There have been no major changes to the content or site that I am aware of, they have mainly been publishing blogs. Can anyone suggest why rankings would decrease so drastically in a single region?

It’s possible that the website’s ranking drop in the northern part of the UK could be due to localized competition. While the website doesn’t specifically target local SEO, new local competitors might have emerged in the north, driving the website down in rankings.

Another possibility is a change in Google’s search algorithm that might favor websites with more localized content in the north. This could explain why the website’s rankings have dropped in that region, while remaining strong elsewhere.

It’s also worth considering if there are any regional differences in search terms or user behavior that could be impacting the website’s performance. For example, users in the north might be searching for different keywords or phrases related to the website’s content, which the website is not currently optimizing for.

To get to the bottom of the issue, it would be helpful to analyze the search terms that are driving traffic to the website from the north, and compare them to the search terms driving traffic from other regions. Additionally, analyzing the website’s backlink profile for any regional differences might reveal insights into the ranking drop.