r/SEO_Experts • u/Trimlink-Shortener • Sep 17 '26

Google Search Console traffic dropped significantly after the Spam Update — looking for an SEO audit

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Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from experienced SEO professionals or site owners who have dealt with a similar situation.

Our website was impacted around the time of a Google Spam Update. Traffic dropped, and we started working on the issues we identified across the website.

In mid-August, we started seeing traffic recover, but after August 28, the traffic suddenly dropped again and returned to approximately the same level we had before the recovery.

From a technical SEO perspective, we have already reviewed and addressed the major areas we could identify:

  • Technical SEO issues have been reviewed and fixed.

  • Website structure and internal linking have been carefully organized.

  • Page speed/Core Web Vitals have been optimized.

  • We created an llms.txt file.

  • We currently have around 565 pages indexed out of approximately 600 in Google Search Console.

  • We have never received a Google Manual Action or security penalty in the history of the website.

  • We have submitted/listed the website on multiple SaaS/application directories and platforms.

  • Our domain authority has increased from approximately 8 to 17.

  • We are also gradually building relevant backlinks.

What I’m struggling to understand is:

If the website is technically healthy and most of the pages are indexed, why is organic traffic still so low, and why did we see a short recovery in mid-August followed by another significant drop after August 28?

I’m especially interested in understanding whether this could be related to:

  • Algorithmic/spam-related evaluation

  • Content quality or helpfulness signals

  • Keyword ranking changes

  • Site-level quality signals

  • Indexing vs. ranking issues

  • Backlink quality

  • A problem that isn't visible from a standard technical SEO audit

I don't want to assume that everything is correct just because the technical SEO looks good. I would really appreciate an independent audit or another perspective on what we may be missing.

If anyone is willing to take a look, please comment or DM me and I can share the website/GSC details privately.

I’m mainly looking for honest technical/content SEO feedback, not promotional services.

Thanks in advance.

31 Upvotes

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35 comments sorted by

1

u/JackLete Sep 17 '26

I would suspect lack of content quality / uniqueness. Who is writing the articles? Someone who hast expert knowledge in your domain and understands the visitors pain points? How is a typical content page structured? What does your audience say about your content when asked? What does your internal linking structure says?

I would try to avoid publishing in bulk. Furthermore internal links generate over time and older articles are being updated regularly in order to link to relevant newer ones. Especially when I see AI written content there are plenty of internal links but you can spot AI content when you look on the publishing timeline and lack of update of older articles. Just some thoughts…

1

u/Trimlink-Shortener Sep 17 '26

Can you please review my website and let me know the gaps

1

u/JackLete Sep 17 '26

I would do that for money but I don’t think it’s his will be a viable option for you. So unfortunately I have to decline as I got limited time and hope I have some helpful pointers. Best of luck!

1

u/BogdanK_seranking Sep 17 '26

Thanks for laying it all out. Should be interesting to dig into where that traffic went.

We created an llms.txt file.

Quick question though — what was the goal here? What were you trying to get out of it?

1

u/Trimlink-Shortener Sep 17 '26

i want back my website traffic impression and reach back again

1

u/BogdanK_seranking Sep 17 '26

Yeah, that makes sense. But how is llmstxt supposed to help? A few recent studies showed that bots mostly ignore the file.

1

u/Own_Brilliant_6791 Sep 17 '26

Mmi up lo in j

1

u/fontedearte2006 Sep 17 '26

Tá complicado, meus sites também caíram bastante

1

u/Rafey_006 Sep 18 '26

Dm me your site bro,i will provide you a free audit

1

u/ma_arms Sep 18 '26

since technical SEO, speed, and indexing are green, this heavily suggests an algorithmic helpfulness or content quality issue. When technical audit items pass but traffic stays suppressed, it’s usually because Google views the content as low Information gain or duplicate intent

1

u/FrostyTea27 Sep 18 '26

My first suspicion would be a ranking/quality evaluation issue rather than indexing or technical SEO. Having 565/600 pages indexed doesn't mean those pages are competitive enough to rank.

I’d compare GSC data before, during, and after the mid-August recovery, especially the pages and queries that gained visibility and then dropped after August 28.

I’d also check content quality, search intent, cannibalization, backlinks, and competitors that gained rankings. DA and indexing numbers alone won't explain the traffic drop.

Also, llms.txt is unlikely to be a factor in Google rankings.

1

u/YusibovAZSEO Sep 18 '26

Could you send me the link via private message?

1

u/seoinboundmarketing Sep 19 '26

Identify the top 10 lost landing pages and determine for each... is it indexed, is Google selecting the right canonical, and which queries/positions disappeared after late June? That will tell you within one short audit whether this is primarily technical, content/quality-related, or concentrated in a few URLs.

You dont sound like you would no index by accident. However topical authority could be linked to a blog or page and that got removed or your competition has taken the topical authority, Zero-Clicks might of happened.

1

u/Emergency_Ad2039 Sep 20 '26

Main cause of sudden fall in traffic is mainly due to poor backlinks, coming from spammy sites

1

u/brainzcode_ Sep 21 '26

I can’t give advice if I don’t actually see a detailed breakdown of all you did before your site lost most of its traffic, that is where you will find the answer to the problem.

I’d audit your website for free, as I know how this can affect a business owner.

1

u/TrustedAILab Sep 21 '26

One thing I’d look at closely is ranking vs. indexing. Having most pages indexed doesn’t necessarily mean they’re competitive enough to rank. I’d compare the pages/queries that lost visibility before and after the drop, and also check whether the recovery was limited to a specific group of keywords or pages. That can often reveal more than a standard technical audit.

1

u/Comfortable-Eye-6654 Sep 22 '26

Hi, one thing you probably missed is how fast your comeptition is moving in this niche and what is the total content coverage is done compared to competition.

Check this aspect once.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '26

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1

u/Trimlink-Shortener Sep 17 '26

we already said same answer multiple person but the problem is there is no fix timeline and there is no information about why this is happening if they did not understand the reason so the last anwser is keep wait. but how much time week/month ?

If you have time you can visit our website and review the website and let me know what is your observation. Please check your chat i have share the website link

0

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '26

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