Indexing Drop Wizard

Diagnose traffic drops with before/after GSC data analysis

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GSC Data Input

Input Method Choose data source

Upload GSC Export CSV CSV with "before" and "after" data (must have date column)

Drop your GSC CSV file here or click to browse

Must include a "date" column along with query, page, clicks, impressions, CTR, position

Before Period - End Date End of "before" period (YYYY-MM-DD)

After Period - Start Date Start of "after" period (YYYY-MM-DD)

Expected CSV Format

Your CSV must include a "date" column (YYYY-MM-DD format) plus standard GSC columns:


                                    Date, Query, Page, Clicks, Impressions, CTR, Position

Analysis Options

Analysis Types Types of analysis to run

Analysis Types

Sitewide: Overall traffic comparison
Section Drops: Folder-specific declines (20%+)
CTR Collapse: Stable impressions, dropping CTR (30%+)
Ranking Collapse: Position drops of 10+ places

Drop Detection Thresholds

Sitewide: 15%+ decline in clicks
Section: 20%+ decline in folder traffic
CTR: 30%+ CTR drop with stable impressions
Ranking: 10+ position decrease

Indexing Drop Wizard Tutorial

What This Tool Does:

The Indexing Drop Wizard helps you diagnose sudden traffic drops by:

Comparing Time Periods: Analyzes before/after periods to quantify traffic changes
Identifying Root Causes: Detects whether drops are sitewide, section-specific, CTR-related, or ranking-based
Providing Diagnostics: Generates prioritized checklist of issues to investigate
Granular Analysis: Shows affected queries, pages, and sections with specific metrics

How to Use:

Export GSC Data: Go to Google Search Console → Performance → Export with date range covering before AND after the drop
Include Date Column: Ensure your CSV export includes the "Date" column (GSC calls it "Date" or "date")
Upload CSV: Drag and drop your GSC export into the upload zone
Set Date Boundary: Enter the "Before End Date" (last good day) and "After Start Date" (first bad day)
Select Analysis Types: Choose which analyses to run (sitewide, section drops, CTR collapse, ranking collapse)
Analyze: Click "Analyze Traffic Drop" to process your data
Review Results: Check stats, diagnostic checklist, and affected queries/sections
Download Reports: Export specific analysis reports for deeper investigation

Analysis Types Explained:

Type	Detection Threshold	What It Finds
Sitewide Analysis	15%+ click decline	Overall traffic comparison showing if drop affects entire site (algorithm update, technical issue)
Section Drops	20%+ decline per folder	Specific folders/sections losing traffic (migration issues, deleted pages, noindex errors)
CTR Collapse	30%+ CTR drop, stable impressions	Queries where visibility is fine but CTR tanked (bad title tags, SERP feature changes)
Ranking Collapse	10+ position decrease	Queries with severe ranking drops (competitor changes, content quality issues)

Diagnostic Checklist Priority Levels:

CRITICAL: Immediate action required - severe technical issues or widespread problems
HIGH: Significant impact - should be investigated within 24-48 hours
MEDIUM: Moderate impact - investigate within a week
LOW: Minor impact or normal fluctuations - monitor but not urgent

Common Drop Causes and Investigations:

Drop Pattern	Likely Cause	What to Check
Sitewide drop (15%+)	Technical issue or algorithm update	Check for noindex, robots.txt errors, canonicalization issues, Google algorithm updates
Section-specific drop	Migration error or folder-level issue	Verify redirects, check for noindex on section, inspect internal linking structure
CTR collapse (30%+)	SERP appearance changed	Review title tags, meta descriptions, check for new SERP features competing for clicks
Ranking collapse (10+ positions)	Content quality or competition	Audit content freshness, compare to top-ranking competitors, check for penalties

Best Practices:

Act Fast: Run analysis within 24-48 hours of noticing a drop - early detection matters
Use Sufficient Data: Export at least 2-4 weeks before and after the drop date for reliable analysis
Compare Apple to Apples: Use similar time frames (e.g., same day of week) to avoid seasonality effects
Check Technical First: Rule out robots.txt, noindex, redirect, and canonical issues before diving into content
Document Findings: Download all analysis reports and track your investigation in a spreadsheet
Monitor Recovery: Re-run analysis weekly to track if fixes are working

CSV Format Requirements:

Your GSC export must include these columns (case-insensitive):

Date - Date in YYYY-MM-DD format (critical for before/after split)
Query - The search keyword
Page - The landing page URL
Clicks - Number of clicks
Impressions - Number of impressions
CTR - Click-through rate (percentage)
Position - Average ranking position