Fixing the problem behind a Google ranking drop does not guarantee the lost rankings will return.
The issue surfaced after a Reddit user reported falling from position three after submitting a disavow file. The file included websites where the user had previously purchased guest posts through Fiverr.
Google’s John Mueller said disavowing a small number of links was unlikely to explain such a significant drop. He recommended correcting the file while investigating other causes, including a recent spam update or a larger technical problem.
Mueller added that fixing issues connected to major algorithmic changes can take “sometimes many months” to produce visible results.
But waiting may not always result in recovery.
Google’s guidance on spam updates says that when its systems remove the ranking benefit generated by spammy links, that benefit cannot be regained simply by cleaning up the links.
In other words, a website can fix the underlying SEO problem without returning to its previous position. If the old ranking depended partly on signals Google has since discounted, the site must build new legitimate value rather than wait for the former ranking to reappear.
Google also warns that improvements following broader algorithm updates can take several months and are not guaranteed to produce a noticeable recovery.
Credit: Photo: Google Search Central, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
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