How To Tell It’s Time To Update Your SEO Keywords
You’ve launched your website. You’ve optimized it with keywords. You’ve invested time or money into SEO.
But what happens when your traffic slows down—or your site stops ranking for the search terms you used to dominate?
Welcome to the reality of digital marketing: search behavior changes.
At Orbital Marketing Agency, we help small businesses in Carmel, Mahopac, Cold Spring, and across Westchester County stay ahead of SEO trends by updating their keyword strategies regularly—and in this post, we’ll show you how to tell when it’s time to do the same.
But what happens when your traffic slows down—or your site stops ranking for the search terms you used to dominate?
Welcome to the reality of digital marketing: search behavior changes.
At Orbital Marketing Agency, we help small businesses in Carmel, Mahopac, Cold Spring, and across Westchester County stay ahead of SEO trends by updating their keyword strategies regularly—and in this post, we’ll show you how to tell when it’s time to do the same.
🚨 Sign #1: Your Organic Traffic Is Trending Downward
If your website is bringing in fewer visitors from search engines than it used to, it may not be because of your content—it could be your keywords.
Search terms that once worked might now be:
Search terms that once worked might now be:
- Less relevant to your audience
- Replaced by trending alternatives
- Overtaken by competitors using newer strategies
Use tools like Google Analytics or Search Console to track your keyword performance. If you notice a steady drop in organic traffic over a few weeks or months, it’s a strong signal that your SEO needs a refresh.
🔍 Sign #2: Your Website Is Ranking for the Wrong Searches
Just because traffic is steady doesn’t mean your SEO is still working. If your website is showing up in irrelevant searches—or bringing in the wrong type of customer—it’s time to audit your keywords.
Here’s how to check:
Here’s how to check:
- Log in to Google Search Console
- Go to “Performance” > “Queries”
- See which search terms people are using to find your website
Are they aligned with the services you offer? If not, your keywords may be too broad, outdated, or simply off-target.
⏱️ Sign #3: You Haven’t Looked at Your Keywords in 6+ Months
Even if things seem “fine,” the digital world changes fast. What your customers were searching for six months ago may not reflect how they search today.
We recommend revisiting your keyword strategy:
We recommend revisiting your keyword strategy:
- Quarterly for active campaigns
- Biannually for static sites
- Immediately if your services or offers have changed
Staying on top of your keywords keeps your content visible, relevant, and competitive.
✅ What To Do Next: Adjust & Refresh
Once you spot signs of keyword fatigue, here’s how we help small businesses get back on track:
- Run new keyword research focused on high-intent local terms
- Update page titles, headlines, and content with better-matching phrases
- Monitor changes monthly to ensure your rankings improve over time
We do this as part of our affordable SEO packages, and it’s all integrated into the websites we build and manage for our clients.
🆓 Want to See How We’d Optimize Your Site?
At Orbital Marketing Agency, we don’t just give advice—we show you exactly how your updated website and SEO strategy would look.
👉 Request Your FREE Website Demo »
We’ll design a homepage mockup that includes fresh keyword targeting, mobile optimization, and conversion-boosting layouts—at no cost, no obligation.