5 Warning Signs Your SEO Strategy Needs Attention

The point of any SEO strategy is to optimize your website to rank on the results pages and be visible to the right audience. And we already know that Google ranks pages that:

• Follow E-E-A-T guidelines. 
• Satisfy user search intent (or is relevant to search queries), and
• Provide a good mobile and desktop user experience, among other factors. 

If your page isn’t optimized for some or all of these factors, you lose your chance of ranking for your relevant keywords. The good news is that you’ll notice some warning signs before your SEO stops producing any valuable results. 

In this article, I’ll explain five warning signs that your SEO needs attention and how to fix them to attract high-quality leads. 

Signs Your Website Needs SEO Attention

1. You’re no longer showing up where you used to

Noticed your website slipping down the search results? One week you’re on page one. The next, you’re buried under competitors. 

A small drop, say from #2 to #4, might not seem like much. But across multiple keywords and pages, those small drops add up to lost clicks, fewer leads, and shrinking visibility. 

If this sounds familiar, your site’s SEO might be falling behind. And these can be why: 

Google’s algorithm updates

Google updates its algorithm regularly (seven times in 2024). These updates reward pages that follow SEO guidelines and penalize those that don’t.

For example, the November 2024 core update targeted AI-generated and thin content. Even if it ranked before, content that was solely and mass-produced by AI was deranked. And the March 2024 core update targeted spammy, unhelpful content that didn’t meet search intent but were ranking on the first page. 

What to do: 

If your traffic drops after a Google algorithm update, don’t panic. Don’t ignore it either. 

Updates like the Helpful Content Update often target low-value content, thin pages, or sites stuffed with spammy backlinks. That means your best-performing posts might suddenly lose visibility if they don’t meet Google’s new expectations.

Start by reviewing the update notes. Look at which pages lost rankings, then ask:

• Does this content genuinely help the reader, or just rehash what others have said?
• Are the facts outdated, or are the examples generic? 
• Could this piece benefit from real insights, like quotes from experts, clearer structure, or updated stats?

If the answer’s yes, rewrite. Improve quality. Add missing context.

The goal is simple: make your content so helpful and relevant that Google has a reason to put it back on page one.

Your content is outdated.

Google values fresh, relevant, and high-quality content over outdated content. If your site has a lot of old, low-quality content, it shows Google that your page is not current and actively maintained. 

This can reduce your rankings because other websites with fresher, more relevant content can rank. 

What to do: 

Outdated content is one of the easiest ways to lose rankings.

As a rule of thumb, refresh low-traffic or evergreen articles every 2–3 years. But for high-performing pieces like product guides, service pages, or thought leadership articles, revisit them every 6–12 months.

When you update, don’t just tweak a sentence or two. Add new stats and visuals, remove obsolete advice, and double-check if the content aligns with Google’s Helpful Content and E-E-A-T standards: Is it accurate, expert-led, and genuinely useful? 

You’ve lost high-quality backlinks.

Backlinks are like trust signals. When reputable sites link to your content, Google sees it as a vote of confidence and rewards you with better rankings.

But if those backlinks disappear (due to site migrations, URL changes, or the linking sites prune or refresh their content), your rankings can drop. Sometimes it’s technical (a missing redirect), and sometimes editorial (they removed the link because it no longer felt relevant). 

What to do:

• Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to identify which links you’ve lost.
• If the loss happened during a domain or site migration, audit your old URLs and set up 301 redirects to preserve link equity.
• If others removed your link during content updates, reach out with a better, updated resource. Better yet, create new content (e.g. original research, industry data, or expert guides) worth linking to, and pitch it to relevant blogs or publications in your niche.

More on how to build backlinks later.  

Your competitors outrank you.

Google ranks the most optimized website that meets search intent. Not the best business in the industry. This is why small, new players can sometimes displace big companies in the organic results page. 

It’s also why third-party sites may rank above the company that creates the product. 

For example, for the query “buy stagg electric kettle,” Amazon (third-party site) ranks above Fellow Products (manufacturer). 

While they’re not a direct competitor, you get the idea. 

If your competitors are moving up the SERPs and leaving you behind, it’s because they’ve improved their SEO game. 

So, what can you do? 

Start with a content gap analysis: What are they ranking for that you’re not? Are they covering related subtopics (topic clusters) more thoroughly? Are their pages more recent, better structured, or backed by stronger domain authority? 

Once you spot the gaps, go on the offensive. Create content that answers questions they missed, updates old data, or provides clearer explanations. Even better: add original insight (quotes, examples, frameworks) that makes your version more useful than theirs.

Combine that with strong on-page SEO (headers, meta tags, internal links), and you stand a much better chance of not just reclaiming your rankings but outperforming them.

You’re targeting the wrong keywords and it’s killing your SEO.

Not all keywords are created equal. You could be ranking on page one for terms no one actually searches for or for topics your ideal buyers don’t care about. Either way, you won’t get clicks, engagement, or conversions. 

Sometimes, low-volume keywords with strong buying intent are a win. But if there’s no alignment between what users are searching and what your content offers, Google won’t rank you, and even if it does, readers will bounce. 

What to do:

• Talk to your sales or support team and ask: “What questions do customers keep asking before they buy?” Take those questions, plug them into a keyword tool to find matching search terms, then create content that answers them directly, using the exact words your customers use.

This helps you align your content with real buyer intent, so when potential customers search those same questions online, your content shows up with exactly the answers they’re looking for.

• Research your audience’s pain points and buying triggers by digging into forums, review sites, and listening to customer interviews. Then use third-party SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest to find the exact keywords people are searching for when they face those problems.

This helps you find demand-driven topics, so you’re not guessing what to write about, you’re solving problems people are actively trying to fix. 

• Prioritize high-intent keywords (terms people search when they’re ready to buy) not just broad informational queries like “how to fix a leaky tap.” Instead, focus on searches like “emergency plumber in NYC” or “affordable tap repair near me.” 

These keywords signal that the person isn’t just browsing, they need help now. Targeting them puts your business in front of people who are ready to call, book, or buy. 

In short: SEO isn’t about traffic. It’s about qualified traffic. And that’s why you need to target the right keywords. 

Read more: How to choose the right keywords for SEO.

2. Slow Page Load Times

A well-optimized page should take 2.5 seconds on desktop and 8.5 seconds on mobile. If it’s more than this, you risk losing potential customers who decided to bounce from your page because of slow page speed. 

And when people exit your website because of slow page speed, or because the content doesn’t meet their search intent, it tells Google that the page isn’t helpful to readers. 

And since Google prioritizes user experience, the more your bounce rate, the less Google will rank your page. So, if you notice high bounce rate across multiple pages (and by extension, decline in rankings and traffic), check your page load speed with PageSpeed Insights. 

• Log in to PageSpeed Insights

• Type your website URL. 
• Click on Analyze. This will show a result like the below, and you can toggle between the mobile and desktop view to see your performance on both devices: 

The results will show whether your page passes Google’s Core Web Vitals requirements, a set of factors that measure your page’s speed, interactivity, and visual stability.

You can also see the overall performance of your page. According to Google, a score above 90 is good, 50-89 is fair (needs improvement), and anything below 30 is poor. 

If your result says that your page speed is poor, here’s what you can do to improve your page speed: 

• Compress your images. Large images have more data that may take a while for browsers to load. Use an image resizer, like TinyPNG or ImageOptim, to always resize your images so your pages can load faster. 
• Clean your code. You may hire a developer (or better, someone experienced with technical SEO, to minify and remove unnecessary characters from your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files with tools like CSSNano. It all depends on your website host. 

You should also reduce external resources, like plugin scripts that need more server requests, to increase your page speed. 

Before any of this action, ensure that you have properly troubleshooted the issue so you don’t start fixing what’s not broken. 

• Use lazy loading. Lazy loading is when your page delays loading elements until they are needed. Your page will only load content that’s visible to the user. As they scroll, it fetches and loads other elements.

This can reduce overall load speed, and can also provide a good user experience. Here’s an example from Imperva: 

However, these are largely front-end optimizations. If they don’t work, consider these backend optimization to improve your page speed: 

• Use a Fast Hosting Provider: Your hosting service plays a major role in how quickly your pages load. If you’re on a cheap shared hosting plan, you might face slow server response times, especially during traffic spikes. 

Consider upgrading to a performance-focused host or switching to managed hosting with built-in caching and CDN features (like SiteGround, WP Engine, or Kinsta for WordPress users).

• Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network): A CDN stores copies of your website across multiple servers worldwide. When someone visits your site, the content loads from the closest server to them. Tools like Cloudflare, BunnyCDN, or Fastly can speed up image, script, and page delivery, especially if your users are in multiple geographical locations. 

This helps you reduce latency and dramatically improves speed for visitors who aren’t near your main hosting server. 

Read more: How to improve website page speed. 

3. Your site is full of thin content, and Google knows it

Not all low-performing content is short. Some of it is just… hollow. 

Thin content isn’t just about word count, though; it’s about value. These are pages that say a lot without saying anything meaningful. Google’s helpful content system can spot them from a mile away. 

Think about:

• Doorway pages are designed to rank and redirect users (and offer no substance).
• Affiliate roundups that push products on people without context, comparisons, or genuine advice. 
• AI-written fluff with no human insight, originality, or clear point of view.
• Copied or near-identical content across URLs that confuses Google and splits your authority.
• Long articles that ramble, repeat, and fail to answer the user’s actual question.

These pages signal to Google that your site is bloated and untrustworthy, and that’s deadly for rankings.

How to fix it:

• Audit for quality, not just quantity: Use tools like Ahrefs or Screaming Frog to find pages with low engagement, thin word count, or duplicate content. But don’t stop there. Read the content in those pages. Would you trust them?
• Consolidate or delete weak pages: If two posts cover the same thing, merge them. If a page adds zero value and can’t be salvaged, delete it or redirect it to a stronger one.
• Rewrite for usefulness, not length: Focus on search intent. Add examples, updated data, SME quotes, visuals, and use a clear structure. Make the page a destination worth visiting.
• Update outdated info: Content from 2018 might rank today, but not for long. Revisit old posts and refresh the facts, tone, and formatting to reflect what users expect now.
• Fix duplicate URLs: Canonical tags or redirects are your friends. Make sure Google knows which version of a page to prioritize. Otherwise, you dilute your authority.

Every page should answer a real user’s needs. If it doesn’t, Google and your audience won’t stick around. 

4. Few or No Backlinks

Backlinks are one of Google’s important ranking factors. A recent Backlinko analysis of 11.8 million pages showed that websites with more backlinks consistently rank higher. 

This means that the more credible backlinks your website has, the higher your chances of ranking on the SERPs. This study also showed that: 

• Pages with backlinks from authoritative sites rank better.
• Pages with lots of backlinks rank above pages with few. 
• The higher you rank, the more websites link to your pages. 

So, how can you build a stronger backlink profile?: 

• Create content that people would want to link to. Backlinko calls this a “linkable asset”. 

This content (research study, blog post, case studies, etc.) should be valuable information that people would want to show others, or use to back up their statement. 

An example of this is the post on Google’s 200 Ranking Factors: The Complete List. 

Brian sourced insights from Google and its officials on how the search engine works to create a 200+ list of ranking factors that no one had written about yet. The article has generated over 35,600 backlinks from 8,400 domains.

• Publish Skyscraper content. Search for a popular topic in your industry. This can be a major pain point for your target audience (make sure the topic has merit and is in demand). 

Read the ranking pages for this pain point, and look for gaps in them. This may be a section they didn’t cover or their approach to the topic isn’t as effective as your approach. Whenever you spot a gap, write your article to fill that gap. 

You can also create a topic cluster around the main topic. 

However, don’t forget to make them content with high buying intent keywords. 

Brian Dean did this with his article on SEO tools. He noticed that most existing “SEO tools” content were short, regular blogs, so he created a more detailed and longer blog post on 177 SEO tools for marketers. 

According to Brian: 

“Unlike most other lists of SEO tools, my post contained every tool on the market (170+ tools). Was this piece of content easy to make? Nope! But it was worth it. To date, my SEO tools list has been shared on social media 20,777 times…”

He also did some link-building outreach. He reached out to companies behind every tool he mentioned to notify them of the piece and ask if they’d like to link it.

You can do the same.

• Publish visual content: People tend to link more to Infographics (statistics, images, charts, videos, etc.) to back up their claim. In this article, I’ve also linked to the image on the topic cluster from SEMrush and charts from Backlinko. These are free backlinks to their pages, and it’ll increase their authority on the SERP. 

So, the more you include these visual elements in your articles, the better. Because even if a competitor picks a single chart from your website, they’ll acknowledge the source by referring to your link on their website. 

Read more on Brian Dean’s link-building strategies.

5. No structured data (or schema markup)

Schema markup is code you add to your webpage to give search engines context about what it’s about. 

It’s a string of context that helps Google understand your content and show it to users who are specifically looking for that information or product. This helps readers decide whether to click on your website or choose another website, the same way an accurate meta description can contribute to clicks. 

Here’s what the code looks like: 

This tells Google that “this is a restaurant called Sunset Grill & Bistro” and describes its cuisine type, location, opening hours, and ratings. This information will help search engines match your website with the right search queries. 

Here’s what it looks like in Google’s SERP: 

Without schema markup, you’ll miss out on:

• Rich results that stand out in search results (star ratings, prices, availability, and other information that buyers need).
• More precise targeting of users who actually want what you offer. 
• Higher quality traffic that’s more likely to convert. 

You can create schema markup manually or with tools. 

If you’re using a schema generator tool, like Schema Markup Generator by Merkle; 

• Visit the website.
• Choose your schema type (LocalBusiness, Product, FAQ, etc.). 
• Fill in your information. 
• Copy the JSON-LD code that Merkle generates. 

If you’re creating schema markup manually: 

• Visit Schema.org to find the right schema type. 
• Create your JSON-LD code structure.
• Test your code with the Schema.org Validator.

You can also prompt AI tools like ChatGPT with the right information to write this code, and run it through the Schema.org validator to confirm if your schema code is validated. 

Here’s an example of a ChatGPT prompt from Laura Jawad: 

Now that you have a validated schema, you should add it to your website. 

WordPress users can install a plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math to infuse the schema code into their website. 

For other platforms, you can add the JSON-LD code directly to your header section. Look for settings that let you edit your header code and paste your JSON-LD code there.

Or better still, speak with someone with technical SEO experience so you don’t make any mistake while optimizing your website with structured data. 

Conclusion 

SEO doesn’t simply increase traffic. It brings in the right kind of traffic (people ready to buy). But when your visibility drops, it’s not random. There’s a reason, and it’s often fixable. 

Whether it’s outdated content, weak backlinks, slow page speed, or keyword misalignment, these warning signs are your chance to course-correct before your leads dry up.

If you’re unsure how to move forward, that’s okay. At HigherVisibility, we’ve helped hundreds of businesses audit, rebuild, and scale their SEO with strategies tailored to their goals, not generic templates.