Why did we go down 40 slots in rank?

[BobGW]

Hello,

This site:

nlpca(dot)com

fell 40 slots for the term "NLP", the main term.

We used to be on the second page. Can you guys see why the drop?

Thanks.

[Reis_Inc.]

Hi Bob,

Google frequently updates it's algorithms (it is not uncommon for ranks to fluctuate), which could be the cause of the drop.  I did check your link profile in Open Site Explorer and it looks like there could be some spammy backlinks not only for your site, but for that specific keyword.

Potential Next Steps:

• I ran your site in GTMetrix, there are some development/redirect items that could be causing problems.  CLICK HERE to see the report for your site.
• Audit your backlink profile and see if you can remove any spammy links that are pointing to your site.
• The word "NLP" appears in the code for your homepage 171 times, it may be good to limit that a bit.
• Beyond SEO, it's always good to think about your users first.  When I visited your site for the first time, it was hard for me to answer some important questions:
  • 1.  Why am I on your website and what can you do for me? (Clear Messaging)
  • 2.  What am I supposed to do on your website? (Clear calls to action).
  • 3.  Why should I come back to your website (Sticky Content)
  • 4.  If I like the content on your website, how do I share it with others? (Social Functionality).

Overall, consider having an SEO consultant or agency audit your entire website.  Google is cracking down on over-optimized sites, so having a ton of anchor text links from a handful of potentially spammy domains pointing to a page that contains a copious number of the targeted keyword may cause google to raise it's eyebrows (potentially hurting your ranks).  Create great, relevant content, and execute natural link building/content strategies to procure those valuable inbound links.

Cheers,

Brice

[BobGW]

Thanks Brice,

I don't see anything in the anchor text profile to indicate that the anchor text term "NLP" is being used for spammy links. There are some low quality links, but wouldn't that effect the terms that those sites use for anchor text?

No other keywords are affected, doesn't that mean it's not the anchor text profile since the low quality sites are using terms for their anchor text that are not affected.

Since our site is about NLP, what's the maximum number of times we should mention this term on the home page (asking for an estimate based on your intuition)

[BobGW]

I'm hoping for more information here, though Brice helped quite a bit.