I started working at my new company to assist with SEO and began by conducting a Site Audit. I discovered numerous duplicate URLs leading to the same page, such as 25 product page URLs all directing to the home page. I cleaned up the duplicates and implemented canonical tags to resolve the issue.Additionally, I optimized the meta descriptions and title tags to ensure they were the proper character count. Using SemRush, I was able to increase the site health from 68% to 90%.
To target less competitive keywords, I began publishing blogs focusing on long tail keywords. However, despite an increase in impressions, our clicks have decreased by 22% and our CTR has also dropped significantly.
On Google Search Console, our branded company name has experienced decreases in impressions, clicks, and CTR. I am seeking advice on what could be causing this and how to address the issue.
The decrease in clicks and CTR despite increased impressions suggests an issue with the quality or relevance of the search results, potentially impacting user engagement.
Several factors could contribute to this:
- Changes in search engine algorithm: Google frequently updates its algorithms, which could affect the ranking and visibility of your site. The improved site health might have inadvertently affected your ranking due to algorithm changes.
- Keyword cannibalization: While targeting long-tail keywords, you might have inadvertently created content that competes with your existing pages, leading to a dilution of traffic.
- Meta description changes: Altering meta descriptions, even if within the character limit, can impact click-through rates. The new descriptions might not be as compelling or relevant to users searching for those specific keywords.
- Branding impact: The decrease in impressions, clicks, and CTR for your branded company name could indicate a change in how Google perceives your brand’s relevance or authority. This could be due to the website improvements, especially if they altered the content or structure of your website.
Recommendations:
- Monitor search engine updates: Stay informed about Google algorithm updates to identify any potential impacts on your site.
- Review keyword strategy: Analyze the targeted long-tail keywords and their relevance to the content. Ensure there’s no cannibalization of traffic between existing pages and new content.
- Optimize meta descriptions: Conduct A/B testing to determine which meta descriptions are more effective in driving clicks.
- Monitor Google Search Console: Analyze data on branded searches to understand the potential reasons for the decline.
- Analyze competitor performance: Research how your competitors are performing for the targeted keywords and identify opportunities for improvement.
By addressing these potential issues and closely monitoring the results, you can regain lost clicks and CTR, ultimately driving more organic traffic to your website.