SEO Troubleshooting

Quick solutions to common SEO problems.

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Ranking Issues

"My page isn't ranking at all"

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  DIAGNOSIS                                                          |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                     |
|  Step 1: Is the page indexed?                                       |
|  +-- Search: site:yoursite.com/page-url                             |
|  +-- If not indexed, check for noindex tag                          |
|                                                                     |
|  Step 2: Is the keyword too competitive?                            |
|  +-- Check top 10 DRs in Ahrefs                                     |
|  +-- If all DR 60+, you may need more authority                     |
|                                                                     |
|  Step 3: Is content quality good enough?                            |
|  +-- Compare to top 3 results                                       |
|  +-- Check Surfer content score                                     |
|                                                                     |
|  Step 4: Are there internal links to the page?                      |
|  +-- Check orphan page status                                       |
|                                                                     |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+

Fixes:

• Submit URL in GSC if not indexed
• Remove noindex if accidentally added
• Build 3-5 internal links to the page
• Build 2-3 external links
• Improve content quality/length
• Target lower competition keyword

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"Rankings dropped suddenly"

Check List:
□ Was there a Google update? (Check Semrush Sensor/Moz)
□ Did you make recent changes? (Revert if needed)
□ Is there a manual action in GSC?
□ Did a competitor publish better content?
□ Were links lost? (Check Ahrefs)
□ Technical issues? (Site down, slow, blocked)

Fixes by Cause:

Cause	Solution
Algorithm update	Follow Algorithm Recovery workflow
Content changed	Revert changes, test variations
Links lost	Replace lost links
Competitor beat you	Update and improve content
Technical issue	Fix immediately

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"Stuck at position 5-10"

Usually means:
• Content is good enough to rank
• But not authoritative enough to reach top 3

Fixes:

• Build 3-5 targeted links to the page
• Improve content (add unique value)
• Optimize for featured snippets
• Add internal links from high-authority pages
• Improve CTR with better meta title/description

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Indexation Issues

"Pages not being indexed"

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  COMMON CAUSES                                                      |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                     |
|  1. Quality too low (Discovered - not indexed)                      |
|     +-- Fix: Improve content substantially                          |
|                                                                     |
|  2. Blocked by robots.txt                                           |
|     +-- Fix: Update robots.txt                                      |
|                                                                     |
|  3. Noindex tag present                                             |
|     +-- Fix: Remove noindex                                         |
|                                                                     |
|  4. Orphan page (no links)                                          |
|     +-- Fix: Add internal links                                     |
|                                                                     |
|  5. Duplicate of another page                                       |
|     +-- Fix: Canonicalize or differentiate                          |
|                                                                     |
|  6. Site has low authority (new site)                               |
|     +-- Fix: Build site authority, be patient                       |
|                                                                     |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+

"Too many pages indexed"

Symptoms:
• Thin/duplicate pages in index
• Parameter URLs indexed
• Archive pages indexed

Fixes:
□ Add noindex to low-value pages
□ Block parameters in robots.txt
□ Use canonical tags for duplicates
□ Delete truly worthless pages

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Traffic Issues

"Traffic but no revenue"

Diagnosis:
□ Are you ranking for buyer keywords?
□ Are affiliate links visible/clickable?
□ Is the page monetized at all?
□ Are products in stock/available?

Fixes:

• Add more commercial content ("best X", reviews)
• Improve CTA button visibility
• Add comparison tables
• Test different affiliate programs
• Ensure products link correctly

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"Traffic dropped after site changes"

Common Mistakes:
□ Changed URLs without redirects
□ Removed/changed title tags
□ Deleted content that was ranking
□ Blocked pages with robots.txt
□ Added noindex accidentally

Immediate Actions:

1. Revert changes if possible
2. Implement 301 redirects for changed URLs
3. Check GSC for crawl errors
4. Submit affected URLs for reindexing

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Technical Issues

"Core Web Vitals failing"

Issue	Quick Fix
LCP too slow	Optimize largest image, improve hosting
INP too slow	Reduce JavaScript, defer non-critical JS
CLS too high	Add width/height to images, reserve space for ads

Speed Quick Wins:
□ Install caching plugin (WP Rocket)
□ Enable CDN (Cloudflare)
□ Optimize images (ShortPixel)
□ Defer JavaScript
□ Remove unused plugins
□ Upgrade hosting if necessary

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"Mobile usability errors in GSC"

Error	Fix
Text too small	Set font-size to minimum 16px
Clickable elements too close	Add padding, 48px touch targets
Content wider than screen	Fix responsive CSS, add viewport meta
Viewport not set	Add viewport meta tag

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"Crawl errors in GSC"

Error	Fix
404 errors	301 redirect to relevant page or fix link
Server errors (5xx)	Check hosting, server logs
Redirect errors	Fix redirect chains/loops
Blocked resources	Update robots.txt

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Link Building Issues

"Not getting responses to outreach"

Common Problems:
□ Generic template emails
□ No value proposition
□ Wrong contact person
□ Spammy subject lines
□ No personalization

Fixes:

• Personalize every email (reference their content)
• Offer real value (updated content, free tool, etc.)
• Find correct editor email
• Use curiosity-based subject lines
• Follow up 2-3 times
• Try different pitch angles

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"Anchor text is over-optimized"

Symptoms:
• Over 20% exact match anchors
• Sudden ranking drops for target keywords
• Unnatural anchor distribution

Fixes:

• Stop exact match link building immediately
• Build 20-30 branded/generic anchor links
• Disavow worst offending links if necessary
• Diversify with partial match and branded anchors

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Content Issues

"Content not driving traffic"

Diagnosis:
□ Is the keyword indexed? (Check GSC Impressions)
□ Is search volume real? (Verify in multiple tools)
□ Is content quality competitive?
□ Does it match search intent?

Fixes:

• Verify keyword has real search volume
• Match search intent exactly
• Improve content quality
• Build internal + external links
• Update with fresh information

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"AI content flagged/not ranking"

Problems:
• Too generic/formulaic
• Repetitive sentence structure
• Missing personal voice
• No unique insights

Fixes:

• Add personal experiences ("When I tested...")
• Include specific data/numbers
• Add expert quotes
• Vary sentence length and structure
• Add contractions and casual language
• Include unique images/screenshots

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Emergency Response

"Manual action in GSC"

Step 1: Identify the action type
Step 2: Fix ALL violations (not just samples)
Step 3: Document all fixes
Step 4: Submit reconsideration request
Step 5: Wait (can take weeks to months)

"Site hacked/malware"

Immediate Actions:
1. Take site offline if needed
2. Change all passwords
3. Scan for malware (Sucuri, Wordfence)
4. Restore from clean backup
5. Update all software
6. Submit for review in GSC
7. Implement security measures

"Massive traffic drop overnight"

Emergency Checklist:
□ Is the site loading? (Check from multiple locations)
□ Is there a manual action?
□ Did hosting expire?
□ DNS issues?
□ robots.txt blocking site?
□ Is there a major Google update rolling out?