You checked your site this morning and you're not where you used to be. Before you panic (or pay someone who profits from your panic), run through these seven causes in order — most drops are one of the first three.

1. Google shipped an algorithm update

Google rolls out several core updates a year, and rankings swing for weeks after each one. Check Google's Search Status Dashboard to see if an update is rolling out. If yes: don't change anything major mid-rollout. Wait until it finishes, then assess. Sites that panic-edit during updates often make things worse.

2. A competitor simply got better

Rankings are relative. If you dropped from #3 to #6, search your keyword in an incognito window and actually look at who's above you now. New competitor with 40 reviews? A directory page that got updated? Sometimes the fix isn't repairing your site — it's noticing the bar moved.

3. Something broke on your site

The most common self-inflicted drops: a redesign that changed URLs without redirects, a noindex tag left on from staging, pages accidentally deleted, or the site slowing down dramatically. Open Google Search Console → Pages and look for a spike in "Not indexed" or a drop in indexed pages that lines up with your ranking drop. If you recently launched a new site and rankings fell off a cliff, missing 301 redirects from old URLs is the culprit until proven otherwise.

4. Your Google Business Profile changed

For local businesses, "my ranking dropped" often means the map pack, not the blue links. Suspended profile, changed category, a flood of new reviews for a competitor, or Google re-drawing the area it thinks you serve can all move you out of the pack overnight. Check your profile's status and recent edits first.

5. You lost links (or gained bad ones)

If a site that linked to you shut down or removed the link, some authority went with it. The reverse also hurts: a burst of spammy links (sometimes from an SEO vendor you hired, sometimes from a negative-SEO attack) can drag you down. Search Console → Links shows what Google sees.

6. Your content went stale

Pages that answer time-sensitive questions decay. A "2023 guide" ranks worse every year it isn't updated. If the pages that dropped are older content, a genuine refresh — updated facts, new sections, current examples — often recovers the position within weeks.

7. Tracking is lying to you

Rank trackers check from data centers, not from your customer's phone in Dupont Circle. Local rankings vary by the searcher's location, device, and history. Before declaring an emergency, check Search Console's Performance report — impressions and average position over 28 days — rather than a single tracker screenshot.

The order of operations

Search Console first (indexing + performance), status dashboard second, incognito search third, Business Profile fourth. That sequence diagnoses 90% of drops in under an hour.

Dropped and can't figure out why? Local SEO diagnosis is one of the things we do daily — book a free 15-minute call and we'll look at your Search Console together.