How to Fix SEO Amid Volatility: A Guide to Diagnose and Recover Rankings

If your SEO performance has taken a hit, don’t panic. SEO fundamentals haven’t changed, and there is a path forward. This guide combines real-world tactics and a step-by-step recovery process to help you fix your SEO and build resilience for the long haul.

What Causes SEO Volatility?

SEO volatility isn’t just a result of algorithm updates. Changes in your visibility are a sign that Google’s priorities and user behaviors are shifting.

Core causes include:

• Major Google updates (Core, Spam, Helpful Content, etc.)
• SERP layout changes (AI Overviews, zero-click results, visual packs)
• Technical errors or site changes
• Increased competition or content saturation (from competitors, LLMs, AI Mode)

While there are plenty of reasons a site may lose organic rankings, algorithm updates and more SERP feature-filled results pages are what is evolving fastest. These changes are also reducing clicks and making results more volatile.  

Your SEO Recovery Checklist

1. Diagnose drops using GSC, GA4, and rank trackers
2. Run a site-wide technical and content audit
3. Fix low-hanging fruit (broken links, duplicate tags)
4. Refresh content for intent and E-E-A-T
5. Improve UX and Core Web Vitals
6. Rebuild authority with links and expert authorship
7. Monitor progress over 3–6 months

Step 1: Diagnose What Went Wrong

It can be tempting to make immediate fixes in the panic of a sizable drop in rankings. Before you fix anything, you should pinpoint the cause.

In my experience, there’s typically a trend in the page type or content category that I can identify with SEO tools. Once I have a good idea of what pages were impacted, I can map sweeping changes against a timeline for a recent Google algorithm rollout, changes in SERPs, etc. 

Use These Tools:

• Google Search Console to identify drops in impressions or indexing errors
• GA4 and/or Looker for page-level organic traffic comparison
• Ahrefs (or whatever platform you prefer) for finding lost keyword tracking and toxic backlinks

What to Look For:

• Which pages lost traffic?
• Did drops align with a known Google update?
• Are certain topics or query types underperforming?

If you can isolate the issue to a few pages, you may be able to shortcut through the next step. But, after diagnosing where the general problem is on your site, an SEO audit will give you an idea of what you can fix that will truly move the needle.

Step 2: Run a Full-Site SEO Audit

Sites suffering severe drops should elect to audit their whole site, while those who can pinpoint the issue to a handful of pages may choose to spot check solely in the affected part of the site.

When there are major changes to performance, I like to opt for a full-scale audit. Because you can't fix what you don't measure. Leave no SEO stone unturned: technical, content, authority signals, etc.

Here’s where I’d start:

Technical SEO

• Resolve crawl errors, redirect chains, and canonical conflicts
• Optimize for Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS)
• Optimize crawlability and indexability

Content Quality

• Identify thin, low-value, or outdated content
• Refresh titles and meta descriptions
• Optimize for user intent, not just keywords

Backlink Health

• Analyze lost backlinks and anchor text profile
• Fix broken links
• Disavow toxic or spammy links

E-E-A-T Signals

• Add author bios, credentials, and sources
• Display editorial policy or review process
• Include trust indicators (contact info, awards, reviews)

It’s helpful to make a habit of SEO auditing your site. I’d recommend running through an audit quarterly to make sure you are responding to the most pressing and current challenges your site faces. 

Step 3: Prioritize SEO Fixes into Short, Medium, and Long-Term Categories

Everything you do to fix your SEO will require different levels of effort and yield different levels of impact. Part of your job in improving performance will be identifying low-hanging fruit and prioritizing quick, medium-term, and long-term fixes that will give your site an efficient lift. 

Consider which tasks are easy, medium, and challenging in terms of inputs and effort. Compare that to the tasks that are low, medium, and high impact if corrected.

Your lowest-hanging fruit will be tasks that are easy with a high impact.

Challenging tasks shouldn’t be completely disregarded if there’s a good potential for impact; they should just be placed in your mid- or long-term spots on your roadmap (and properly scoped and approved across teams).  

Quick Wins (Immediate)

• Fix broken links and crawl errors
• Remove or noindex low-quality pages
• Revert problematic site changes

Mid-Term Strategies (1–3 months)

• Refresh and republish top-performing content
• Consolidate cannibalized pages into stronger hubs
• Strengthen internal linking to underperforming URLs

Long-Term SEO Defenses

• Build topical authority with interconnected content clusters
• Invest in digital PR and earned backlinks
• Publish consistent, expert-led content with real-world value

Once you’ve prioritized, you can begin to implement. Remember, these SEO fixes shouldn’t be left unmeasured. Just as we diagnosed and audited to uncover SEO problems, we need to make sure we look back to our core performance metrics to see if things are improving. When I make optimizations, I like to check in for improvements after 1-2 months to evaluate the recovery process. 

Avoid These SEO Recovery Mistakes

Brands sometimes respond to sweeping changes in performance with panic. That often leads to falling into an SEO pitfall that will do you more harm than good in the long run.

SEO Recovery Red Flags (Don’t Do These):

• Delete large amounts of content without redirecting
• Over-optimize with keyword stuffing or shady link-building
• Expect immediate results (recovery often takes 6-12 weeks)
• Ignore mobile, accessibility, or UX design factors
• Ignore the importance of brand mentions and an omnichannel strategy (YouTube, Reddit, etc.)

Be strategic about whichever decisions your company chooses to make. 

Future-Proof Your SEO Strategy

To stay competitive in 2025 and beyond, your strategy must evolve.

Key SEO Trends to Prepare For:

• AI in SERPs: Google’s AI Overviews reward concise, expert answers
• LLM Visibility: Google’s AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc., are all places you need to show up now
• Voice search readiness: Optimize for conversational queries
• Content helpfulness signals: First-hand experience and insights are essential

You don’t need to panic every time a Google update hits. With a clear action plan, consistent quality improvements, and a long-term mindset, volatility becomes something you manage.

Additional Reading: ‘AI SEO Content Writing: Boost Rankings with Smart Strategies’

About the Author

Sydney Wess SEO Manager at Clutch

Sydney Wess is a SEO manager who focuses on strengthening organic performance and building topical authority for Clutch.

See full profile