What to Do If Your Website Disappears from Search Results During a Google Algorithm Update

In November 2024, the latest Google algorithm update caused little volatility in search results according to SEO services. Our site, flippingbook.com, has rarely been affected by such updates since it has been around for a long time and follows only legitimate promotion methods. I’ve been responsible for the site’s rankings for six years, and in my experience, our main landing pages have never lost more than 3–4 positions at once.

That’s why the news of another algorithm update on November 11, 2024, didn’t alarm me. Imagine my surprise, however, when on November 13, I casually checked the main dashboards and saw a dramatic drop in rankings for our primary selling keyword. According to Search Console, we had fallen from 1st to 6th place. But the real nightmare was in the search results: the main landing page was completely missing. Our top keyword still ranked at the bottom of the first page, but it pointed to an irrelevant page (a gallery page with examples). To say I was shocked is an understatement.

A quick check of other key pages revealed that almost all top-ranking pages were affected across all major queries, including our homepage for branded searches. For example, if someone searched for our brand, the top result was a link to the product login page (a technical page hidden from crawlers, with no title or description), followed by links to our product pages on other platforms (e.g., G2, Canva, etc.). Even the pricing page disappeared entirely — not showing up on the second or third pages and not even appearing in search results when using the “site:” operator.

Interestingly, the issue didn’t affect our blog or help center, which rank well for long-tail queries. These pages temporarily maintained some positions for queries previously dominated by our landing pages.

At first, I panicked. A quick Google search yielded no similar cases or answers. Overall, we lost about 25% of our organic traffic, and the situation seemed dire. My colleague and I immediately got to research.

Possible Causes of Disappearing Pages During a Google Algorithm Update:

1. The Algorithm Rollout Process Itself
   (As it turned out, this was our case.) The release process can take 2–5 weeks. If the problem persists until the update is officially completed, don’t panic prematurely — it might still resolve itself.
2. Human Error
   Frontend or backend releases, Search Console actions — there are many ways to unintentionally remove a site from search results.
3. Manual Penalties
   This applies to those using black-hat or gray-hat SEO tactics. Violating Google’s guidelines can lead to bans.

These are likely not the only possible reasons, but I’m confident they cover 99% of cases.

Spoiler: Everything returned to normal for us on its own four days after the disappearance. However, I’d like to share a list of crisis measures we tried during the drop.

What you should check if your website or some of its pages have disappeared from search results:

1. Comprehensive Page Checks for Traffic-Driving Pages

• Check the rankings for key queries. Pages may lose positions rather than disappear entirely, especially if you’re using questionable SEO methods (see Google’s spam policies).
• Use the “site:” operator to see if the pages are still indexed. While not 100% reliable, it helped us detect the recovery.
• Review missing pages in Search Console. Common reasons for pages dropping out of the index:
  - Accidental removal requests.
  - Incorrect localization markup.
  - Incorrect canonical tags.
  - Removal from the sitemap (especially if there are few or no internal links to the page).
  -Use the “Test Live View” feature to spot errors.

These checks can help identify human errors in releases or Search Console actions that may have caused the disappearance.

2. Check the Manual Actions and Security Actions Sections in Search Console
If your page has been hit by manual penalties, they’ll appear there. The reasons are usually listed, and you can request a review after fixing the violations. List of recommendations, violation of which may lead to manual sanctions here.

3. If No Visible Issues Are Found (Our Case): Make Noise
Google’s algorithm rollout may involve bugs. The more attention you draw, the faster you might see results:

• Post on the Google Search Community. Describe the issue in detail and include screenshots.
• Search for similar issues on the forum and upvote/comment to follow the thread.
• Contact Google Search ambassadors on X (formerly Twitter), such as John Mueller. It’s unlikely you’ll get a direct response, but widespread issues often gain attention.
• Reach out to SEO communities on X (e.g., Search Central, Barry Schwartz).
• Check Reddit. While we found no relevant threads, it’s worth a try.
• Ask your network — someone may have faced a similar issue.
• Feel free to contact me directly (details in profile).

4. The Last Resort: Start Over
If none of the above works and your site is still missing after the algorithm rollout is complete, consider a technical workaround. For example, if only certain landing pages are affected (as in our case, some localized versions still ranked), you could move the missing content to new URLs. This might require adding redirects and updating ad landing pages, but drastic times call for drastic measures.

We didn’t need to use this option, nor have we ever dealt with manual penalties, but the rest of these measures were tried and tested. The experience was an invaluable learning opportunity, and I strongly recommend staying calm for the first week and methodically searching for answers in the SEO community.

May top rankings for high-volume keywords always be with you.