A drop in rankings after hiring an SEO company often stems from Google’s algorithm updates, particularly its increasing sophistication in identifying and devaluing manipulative SEO practices, and the ‘sandbox’ effect where new changes take time to stabilise. As of December 2025, Google’s core updates are happening more frequently – roughly every two to three weeks – and are increasingly focused on user experience signals.
Google’s ranking systems, like the Helpful Content Update and the Quality Update, now heavily utilise machine learning models. These models assess content based on factors beyond keywords, including E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). In Australia, compliance with the Australian Consumer Law also influences trustworthiness signals. Google Search Console currently provides data on ‘Coverage’ issues, ‘Enhancements’ and ‘Core Web Vitals’ – metrics relating to site speed, mobile-friendliness and security. Changes made by an SEO company, even with good intentions, can temporarily disrupt these signals. For example, aggressive link building, even using Australian directories, can trigger penalties. Furthermore, Google’s systems now include ‘passage ranking’ meaning individual sections of a page are assessed, not just the page as a whole. It’s common for rankings to fluctuate for several weeks, even months, as Google re-evaluates a site following significant changes. In 2026, Google is expected to further integrate AI-powered ranking signals.
Ultimately, Google’s ranking algorithms are complex systems that continuously learn and adapt, meaning changes to a website can have unpredictable short-term effects before long-term benefits are realised.
