What's the first thing to do when your search traffic drops?

Apply SEO, starting with keyword research. Find target keywords with real volume (at least about 100 searches per month) and low difficulty (under 20 out of 100), then insert them into key spots on the page.

Quick Answer

• When search traffic starts dropping, apply SEO, because there is a lot of overlap between the two.
• Start with keyword research and target keywords with good volume (at least about 100 searches per month) and low difficulty (under 20 out of 100).
• Insert that target keyword into a key spot on each page you identified.

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Where to start when traffic drops

Brenton Thomas, who runs the agency Twibi, lays out a direct, repeatable process for what to do the moment search traffic begins to slide.

"When the search traffic starts to go down, you definitely need to apply some SEO to it. There's a lot of overlap between the two. My process for SEO, usually I'm doing keyword research. I have SEO tools. I like SEMrush to find the right target keywords." — Brenton Thomas

He is specific about what makes a keyword worth targeting, and how to use it once you find it.

"Usually those target keywords need to have a good amount of volume, maybe at least 100 searches per month, and low difficulty, so try to get a difficulty under 20 out of 100, so pretty easy to rank for. And then start to insert that target keyword into a key spot for each page that you identified that you want the keyword to be added to." — Brenton Thomas

The practical takeaway: don't guess. Use a tool to find keywords with real demand and low competition, then place them where they count on each page.

Doing the thing is the easy part. The hard part is knowing where you're already winning and where you're invisible. That's exactly what our free AI Visibility Snapshot shows you, before you spend a dollar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you do first when search traffic starts dropping?

Brenton Thomas says you need to apply some SEO, because there is a lot of overlap between the two. His process starts with keyword research using SEO tools like SEMrush to find the right target keywords.

How do you pick the right target keywords?

Brenton looks for keywords with a good amount of volume, at least about 100 searches per month, and low difficulty, aiming for a difficulty under 20 out of 100 so they are pretty easy to rank for.

What do you do once you find a target keyword?

Brenton inserts that target keyword into a key spot for each page that you identified and want the keyword added to.

Most teams don't get this right on the first try. Here's how we approached it for a real team. Curious what it'd look like for you? Let's talk it through.

Full Clip Transcript

When people see their search traffic start to go down, what's the first thing they need to know? When the search traffic starts to go down, you definitely need to apply some SEO to it. There's a lot of overlap between the two. My process for SEO, usually I'm doing keyword research. I have SEO tools. I like SEMrush to find the right target keywords. And usually those target keywords need to have a good amount of volume, maybe at least 100 searches per month, and low difficulty, so try to get a difficulty under 20 out of 100, so pretty easy to rank for. And then start to insert that target keyword into a key spot for each page that you identified that you want the keyword to be added to.