It’s not uncommon for a business to drop down in the search engine results. It may have happened to you. One day, your business is one of the top results for a branded or prominent keyword, then the next day, your business is at the bottom of page one, or worse, on page two.

This is an SEO emergency. Slip in the results and fewer people will find your business when they search using keywords related to your business. These kinds of drops are common, and they happen to the best of us — even when you follow Google’s ranking guidelines. So, what can you do if you fall in search results?

To start, identify the cause of the drop. You might be facing a resourceful keyword competitor. When you fall in rankings, whether it’s a branded keyword or otherwise, look at what is outranking you. Is it a competitor’s landing page? A competitor’s social media page?

Next, you have some detective work to do. Examine your competitor’s website, landing pages, and social media to get a wide view of what they may be doing. Any number of reasons may be causing them to outrank you. They may be link-building better, using social media better, or their website may be hitting all the marks (and they have a stellar mobile site).

A fall in search rankings often means it’s time to do something new. If you are patient and methodical, you can get back on track. Stay up to date on Google’s best practices, follow the rules, use White Hat SEO, and use social media to the fullest. Most of all, keep your website content fresh.

You also don’t have to go it alone. When you’re part of AFEUSA, one great benefit is you can get connected with the SEO and social media marketing experts at SocialCore Marketing who can help you determine your best next steps.