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Switched Hosting For Clients Site and All Rankings In Goolge Vanished? Is this normal?

by stayfocused
11 replies
Here is what is going on. I am working with a client and we finally got his new site designed how he wanted and got it up and live. He used to have it hosted on Yahoo Small Business and now we have it hosted on HostGator.

Here is what is strange. His site used to be ranked #5-9 for the term installment loan(s) on Google. It wasn't very much help because he can only take applications from MO, IL, and WI. But it still got him some good traffic.

Now his site doesn't show up in the rankings at all for those keywords. I use the SEO Rank Checker Plug in to track my results.

I haven't gotten started on any SEO for the site, I am now getting ready to start adding all the Meta Keywords, on page and off page for local targeted keywords.

I am just wondering if anyone has any ideas on why his site doesn't rank for the same keywords anymore.

Thanks for any feedback
#clients #goolge #hosting #normal #rankings #site #switched #vanished
  • Profile picture of the author Tyrus Antas
    There's no reason why that should have happened. Is the site relatively new?

    Tyrus
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  • Profile picture of the author john_kennedy
    Did all his URLs change? I have heard of this happening although it defies logic as to why. I have simply moved a site from one server to another - no other changes - and the site owner claims they lost all their rankings. Go figure.
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  • Profile picture of the author indexphp
    My friend said this happened to some of his sites when he switched the hosting.

    Why Google would slap a site for that reason is beyond me.
    Signature
    www.TrafficPlusConversion.com
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    • Profile picture of the author ExRat
      Hi,

      I use rank checker, but haven't checked this out yet - but I noticed with backlink checkers, if you miss the www (or mistakenly add it) it won't function properly.

      So during the changeover, have you changed it either from www to without or vice versa? This is easily done if you install wordpress for example, although it looks like you've just changed host.

      Check it by -

      a) typing the domain name in both ways and see what it resolves to, then check it's the same in rank checker

      b) manually check the SERPS without using rank checker
      Signature


      Roger Davis
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  • Profile picture of the author video-creator
    I seem to recall watching a video on youtube that one of the google techs posted.

    One of the things that they watch for is if someone buys an old domain for the purposes of gaining the backlinks. So yes in theory this can happen if the switch met certain things in their criteria (which of course are trade secrets). But I would assume that it could include a major design overhaul, new registrar, and new host, all done around the same time.

    When in doubt ... try customer service on their live chat perhaps?

    Greg
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    • Profile picture of the author stayfocused
      I just checked the Google analytics. Here is what is going on.

      Before I moved the site, it was ranked on the first page of Google for Installment loans. Now it isn't showing up for that keywork.

      I used Rank Checker and it is saying it isn't showing up in google at all for installment loan and installment loans.

      I checked it using www.aaacommunityfinance.com as well as aaacommunityfinance.com

      Now the funny thing is that it is still showing up on the first page of Google for terms like quick cash installment loans.

      I can understand even if it dropped in the SERPS for certain keywords since I changed hosting, changed the content on the pages, changed the site structure. But for it to not show up AT ALL for keywords it used to rank of the first page of google for are beyond me.

      Thanks for all the feedback.
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      • Profile picture of the author Heman Patel
        Originally Posted by stayfocused View Post

        I just checked the Google analytics. Here is what is going on.

        Before I moved the site, it was ranked on the first page of Google for Installment loans. Now it isn't showing up for that keywork.

        I used Rank Checker and it is saying it isn't showing up in google at all for installment loan and installment loans.

        I checked it using AAA Community Finance as well as aaacommunityfinance.com

        Now the funny thing is that it is still showing up on the first page of Google for terms like quick cash installment loans.

        I can understand even if it dropped in the SERPS for certain keywords since I changed hosting, changed the content on the pages, changed the site structure. But for it to not show up AT ALL for keywords it used to rank of the first page of google for are beyond me.

        Thanks for all the feedback.
        Beef up your homepage with more content on "installment loans". Add a Title tag, with your keywords in it. Add few header tags, H1, H1 and H3 with your keywords. But as far as i can tell, you def. need more content for your keywords.
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      • Profile picture of the author VegasGreg
        Originally Posted by stayfocused View Post

        I can understand even if it dropped in the SERPS for certain keywords since I changed hosting, changed the content on the pages, changed the site structure. But for it to not show up AT ALL for keywords it used to rank of the first page of google for are beyond me.
        So you changed more than just the hosting? You changed the content and the site structure. That could definitely cause some issues. Not the hosting part only as you initially said.
        Signature

        Greg Schueler - Wordpress Fanatic... Living The Offline Marketing Dream...

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        • Profile picture of the author stayfocused
          It was a complete redesign from the site that they had originally. The old site had very little content as well. Almost all the content got transferred over as well.

          Even if the site did change almost everything I wouldn't think that would take it from the first page of Google for a keyword all the way not even being indexed for that keyword.

          I still have a lot of work to do on the site, both onpage and off page SEO work.

          It just freaked me out when the main keywords that they used to be ranked for all of the sudden.

          Thanks for calming my fears about it.

          The blog will be added today. That is something that we are adding to the site. It wasn't on the their old site. I was not kidding when I said their old site had very little content. That was why I was shocked that it was ranked on the first page of Google for Installment Loans.

          Time to finish the site up and lets see where it lands.
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  • Profile picture of the author Heman Patel
    Originally Posted by stayfocused View Post

    Here is what is going on. I am working with a client and we finally got his new site designed how he wanted and got it up and live. He used to have it hosted on Yahoo Small Business and now we have it hosted on HostGator.

    Here is what is strange. His site used to be ranked #5-9 for the term installment loan(s) on Google. It wasn't very much help because he can only take applications from MO, IL, and WI. But it still got him some good traffic.

    Now his site doesn't show up in the rankings at all for those keywords. I use the SEO Rank Checker Plug in to track my results.

    I haven't gotten started on any SEO for the site, I am now getting ready to start adding all the Meta Keywords, on page and off page for local targeted keywords.

    I am just wondering if anyone has any ideas on why his site doesn't rank for the same keywords anymore.

    Thanks for any feedback
    This has happened to me before and i was able to get rankings back in about 2 weeks time. Next time you move hosting, make sure you upload the whole site in your new hosting account and published that then take down the old hosting.

    Also, have you changed the URL structure? If so, make sure to 301 redirect your old URL to the NEW URL.

    Hope that helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author mkephart25
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author ExRat
      Hi,

      Did you know the blog link goes to a 404?

      If you didn't, and most of your keyworded content was on there, that might be it.

      Edit - I just noticed this thanks to Greg.

      I can understand even if it dropped in the SERPS for certain keywords since I changed hosting, changed the content on the pages, changed the site structure. But for it to not show up AT ALL for keywords it used to rank of the first page of google for are beyond me.
      I read it wrong first time, and thought you had said, "IF I HAD changed...". It would have helped if you had mentioned this from the outset.

      Has the site structure change changed any urls? If so they are like new pages and the way that the site passes rank and stuff internally could be being re-assessed by G. Perhaps they're just computing the new rankings, or as said above, they might think someone is re-constructing an old site on an aged domain.
      Signature


      Roger Davis
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