Domain traffic dropped from 8k to 0

[KimGrant]

I am considering acquiring a niche skiing website, for which the seller claims all traffic originates from Bing. However, Semrush and Ahrefs data show the domain grew significantly in 2022, rising from 0 visitors in January to about 8,000 in November. Traffic then declined sharply. By February 2023, it had fallen to 4,500 visitors, plummeted to 2,000 in March, and reached 300 by April. For the rest of the year, traffic held around 200-300 visitors before ultimately reaching zero in January 2024, a level it has maintained since.

I am confident in my ability to improve this webpage's performance, as it is well-structured and runs on WordPress, a platform I know well. Nonetheless, this drastic decline raises significant concerns. Could this downturn be due to a Google penalty? Is it possible to recover from such a penalty without changing the domain name? Furthermore, is there a way for me to identify the underlying cause of this traffic decline?

 

[hancock]

Check out the Google Helpful Content Update, which significantly affected general information websites in September 2023. If your site focuses on general information, reviews, or other general content, the HCU may have dealt a tough blow to your site's performance.

 

[natalie]

The issue may be attributed to insufficient management and to Google's negative impact. The individual in question has likely abandoned the website, which has been exacerbated by Google's interventions. Throughout my experience as a website broker, I have observed several websites that have failed due to inadequate management. Regarding the possibility of recovery, restoring the site is feasible. One should procure high-quality backlinks and rewrite, restructure, and update the existing articles to enhance their relevance and quality.

 

[Lucash]

Have you assessed the competition for both short and long-form keywords? In recent years, another entity may have established dominance in that niche. I have observed instances where domains experience significant traffic declines because another website consistently produces superior content overall.

 

[elaniesmith]

Same problem... Any quick tips for getting my keywords to rank? I need help.