## **🎯 What This Article Covers**

If you are new to Search Atlas and want a guided walkthrough, or if your rankings have suddenly dropped and you are not sure why, this article will point you to the right resources and walk you through the most effective troubleshooting steps.

## **🎓 How to Access Onboarding and Training Resources**

Search Atlas provides several ways to get up to speed quickly so you can start seeing results without needing to figure everything out on your own.

- **Onboarding Call:** When you sign up, you are eligible for a live onboarding session with a member of our team. If you have not booked yours yet, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team who can schedule this for you.
- **In-Platform Tooltips and Walkthroughs:** Many features include inline guidance. Look for the **?** icons next to settings and buttons throughout the platform for quick explanations.
- **Knowledge Base:** You are already here. Browse articles by topic to find step-by-step guides for every major feature, including OTTO SEO, the Content Genius, and Local tools.

## **📊 Understanding a Sudden Rankings Drop**

A rankings crash can feel alarming, but most drops have a clear cause. Before assuming something is wrong with your site or your Search Atlas settings, work through the checklist below.

## **🔍 Step 1 — Confirm the Drop Is Real**

Ranking tools can occasionally show data anomalies caused by index refreshes or tracking delays. Do the following before taking action:

1. Check the date range in your rank tracker. Make sure you are comparing the same time period accurately.
2. Search for your target keyword manually in an incognito browser window to verify the drop reflects real search results.
3. Check whether the drop affects all keywords or only a specific set, which helps isolate the cause.

## **🛠️ Step 2 — Check for a Google Algorithm Update**

Google releases core and targeted algorithm updates frequently. A broad drop across many keywords shortly after an update is likely related to the update rather than anything you did.

- Visit a trusted resource such as Google's Search Central blog or SEO news sites to check if an update was recently confirmed.
- Algorithm-related drops often recover over time or require content quality improvements rather than technical fixes.

## **⚙️ Step 3 — Review Recent Changes to Your Site**

Rankings can drop if something changed on your website around the same time as the drop. Check the following:

- **Content changes:** Were any high-ranking pages edited, deleted, or redirected recently?
- **Technical issues:** Use Google Search Console to check for crawl errors, indexing issues, or manual actions against your site.
- **Site speed or Core Web Vitals:** A significant drop in page performance can affect rankings. Check your Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console.
- **Backlink changes:** A loss of high-quality backlinks or the acquisition of spammy links can cause drops. Review your backlink profile in Search Atlas under the relevant project.

## **📍 Step 4 — Check Your Local Rankings Separately**

If you are tracking local or Google Business Profile (GBP) rankings and see a drop, follow these steps inside Search Atlas:

1. Go to **Left sidebar → Local → Overview** to review your overall local visibility trend.
2. Navigate to **Left sidebar → Local → Local Citations** to check whether your business information is consistent across directories. Inconsistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data can hurt local rankings.
3. Go to **Left sidebar → Local → Reviews** (GBP Reviews) to check for a recent drop in review count or rating, which can affect local pack visibility.

## **💡 Step 5 — Use OTTO SEO to Identify On-Page Issues**

If the drop is isolated to specific pages, OTTO SEO can help you identify optimisation gaps quickly.

1. Open your project in Search Atlas and activate **OTTO SEO** for the affected site.
2. Review the task list for any high-priority issues flagged since your last audit, particularly around content, meta data, and internal linking.
3. Resolve flagged issues in priority order and allow Google time to re-crawl and re-index your updated pages.

## **📈 What to Do If the Drop Persists**

If you have completed all the steps above and rankings have not recovered after two to four weeks, it is worth getting expert eyes on your specific situation.

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team.