Building an immense and effective SEO presence for any online brand takes copious amounts of time and dedication. Given the dynamic nature of SEO, it can also be challenging to constantly stay abreast of recent changes or developments that search engines and competitors alike contribute to the process.

With that being said, there are a few standard aspects of SEO where problems most often arise. When determining where a potential problem with your brand’s performance could be originating, it’s helpful to think about the following three categories and assess each for issues. Let’s talk about these three categories today and explain a bit about each.

Algorithms and Technical Concerns

For most, the biggest problem area in SEO will revolve around technical considerations and algorithmic changes.

Brands that are pinging servers with loads of content may suddenly discover big drops in their rankings. It’s very possible that somewhere along the way, something went “bump in the night”. From unplanned URL structure changes to nofollow tags being accidentally enabled, there are hundreds of individual concerns and mishaps that may be technical in nature.

Under the same scenario, algorithmic changes may be the culprit. Search engines have been known to suddenly change, prioritize or de-prioritize various elements that were not previously a concern. You may find yourself suddenly needing to alter key aspects of your website and its content in the event your rankings have taken a hit and known algorithm changes have been made.

Seasonal Concerns

Not all brands focus on consistently viable niches. Some aspects of retail, entertainment and information are only really sought after during certain periods of the year. As such, many websites struggle with performance due to concerns of seasonality.

If your brand focuses on winter gear or summertime activities, then it shouldn’t be surprising to see demand and traffic fall off once the prime season ends. This can often scare those who are new to the scene, thinking they’ve made critical mistakes in SEO elsewhere. While seasonal shifts may very well coincide with other SEO-related problems, it is important not to panic if your brand is focused on a niche that has a higher demand during one segment of the year.

Competition Concerns

Another big cause for sudden changes or problems in SEO might not be due to anything you’ve done, but based on what others are doing. Competitive concerns in the world of SEO are always a big concern, given that new businesses and brands can emerge within your niche at any given time. On top of that, existing brands that have been pinging servers for years may revamp their strategies, extracting tangible benefit in the process.

If you suddenly see a drop in visibility, rankings or other prime metrics, it’s possible you aren’t failing so such as your competitors are succeeding. Nevertheless, more hard work will be required to counter any losses caused by your competitors’ success stories.

These areas are the prime causes for concern in SEO: chances are if you are having difficulty all of a sudden, it is due to one of these three categories. The more you know about the exact parameters of your sudden SEO performance changes, the easier it will be to narrow down the cause and identify the exact culprit.