How to Get Google Rankings Back if Your Positions Dropped

Step 1 — Confirm why you dropped

• Timing: Check whether your dip aligns with a public rollout using Google’s guidance on core updates. A sitewide drop that matches the timeline usually points to quality/intent shifts.
• Scope: In Search Console, isolate which pages + queries lost impressions. A few URLs = content/competition; broad movement = sitewide quality or tech.
• Technical sanity: Make sure pages are indexable, canonicalized correctly, and still linked from menus/hubs. If something broke, fix it first.
• For structured diagnosis, use Google’s debugging search traffic drops checklist.

Step 2 — Rebuild the brief from today’s SERP

Open the current top 10 and audit:

• Coverage: Which questions, comparisons, or steps do winners answer that you don’t?
• Format & UX: Do they use tables, screenshots, video, or fresher data?
• Page-level authority: How many referring domains link to each ranking URL (not just the domain)?

Turn these gaps into a new outline. Tighten the H1 and intro, add missing sections/FAQs, embed proof (screens/data), and plan 5–10 contextual internal links from relevant cluster pages.

Step 3 — Refresh like it matters

Cyrus Shepard’s core point: meaningful refreshes beat superficial tweaks. Expand substance, update examples, strengthen structure, and improve in-page UX (scannable headings, jump links, helpful visuals). Watch his breakdown here: Cyrus Shepard on content refresh for recovery.

Refresh checklist

• Rewrite the intro to nail intent.
• Add 2–4 sections that close SERP gaps.
• Include original images/video and a clear CTA.
• Add 5–10 contextual internal links to the refreshed URL.
• Resubmit the page and monitor queries → position in GSC for 2–4 weeks.

Step 4 — If it won’t budge: the 301 reboot

When a page has baggage (weak history, misaligned slug, past duplication), publish a stronger version at a new, related slug and 301 the old URL to it. David Quaid has discussed this “reboot” approach; Edward Sturm documents the tactic here: topical authority → new URL + 301.

Clean execution

1. Draft the improved article with a clearer slug.
2. Publish the new URL; point internal links to it.
3. 301 the old URL to the new one.
4. Request indexing and watch performance in GSC.

Step 5 — Stabilize and iterate

• Recheck the SERP monthly; continue closing gaps.
• Earn a few relevant editorial links to the refreshed page (partners, case studies, resource placements).
• If the drop aligned with an update, revisit Google’s core updates explainer and keep improving the overall site quality—not just one page.