Managing site Information Architecture (IA) is key to unlock the latent ability of a site to rank for its target search terms. Target too may terms with a low domain authority and you will come unstuck and lose traffic while artificially maintaining rankings outside the key positions.
Our strategies prevent this "Domain Authority Dilution" through strategic IA rebuilding and 301 consolidation of low-value or exhausted URLs that no-longer contribute a net uplift in rank value.
There is also the flipside of internal domain value to consider: the low quality - or even negative value - external link.
This concept was outlined by Googler Andy Lasnik back in 2006 and evidence of it can be seen in the leaked ranking factors already referenced. If there are a high volume of these in your backlink profile - or in your external linking - you run an extreme risk of incurring a search penalty.
Commonly this is a type of penalty called a 'Soft Penalty', where you may not receive a notification the penalty is in play, but your rankings will no longer be able to be returned for positions in the first 10 results, or for 'commercially valuable' terms, meaning you may still hold rankings, but your traffic and conversions would drop precipitously.
Bear in mind that Click Through Rate (CTR) behaviour is hugely affected by SERP position, with less than a percent of total organic clicks for a given term going through results outside the top ten, these penalties are a critical blocker to realising revenue.
If you have found organic traffic declining while average rankings hold up - this is very likely a key piece of the puzzle and unblocking this action will deliver significant upside.
With over two decades of experience optimising websites for search, our founder's experience and our customer data consistently tells us that instead of seeking quick fix optimisations chasing the latest SERP feature, optimising towards above average engagement in the SERP where high volume rankings are not well established drives improved rankings at the highest rate - and gives the added benefit of delivering better qualified traffic which converts efficiently.
This is our core method for prioritising optimisation strategy which is pursued in parallel with establishing strong technical foundations.
Why not ask us about your SERP behaviour today?