I’ve either made a big mistake or been hit by a helpful content update.
I’m working with a small local business that sells and delivers materials like stones, sand, and gravel. Until June 2024, the site had a price list page with all product prices, which wasn’t ideal for UX or conversions. To improve things and align better with Google Ads, we created separate landing pages for each product or category (you wouldn’t believe how many types of sand there are).
Thinking it was a smart move, I deleted the old price list page. Unfortunately, it turns out that page was the main driver of traffic. I assumed Google would prefer the individual landing pages since they’re more detailed and helpful, but it didn’t work as planned.
Impressions dropped from 2000 to 600, and clicks went from 35 to 3. Most of the lost impressions were from the old price list page.
This is a niche site focused on a specific region. Should I keep the landing pages indexed, or was this approach flawed? Any advice is appreciated.
You should keep the landing pages indexed, but the big issue was deleting the main price list page that drove traffic. Why not just bring back the old page and keep the landing pages too? You don’t have to put the old price list in your menu, but make sure Google can find it. That’s probably the quickest way to recover traffic.
@Royce
Thanks for the suggestion—it makes total sense. I did reinstate a version of the old page about a month ago, with a shorter URL and better design, but it hasn’t gained much traction yet.
Nail said: @Royce
Thanks for the suggestion—it makes total sense. I did reinstate a version of the old page about a month ago, with a shorter URL and better design, but it hasn’t gained much traction yet.
Did you set up a 301 redirect from the old page to this new one?
No, we initially deleted the old page to focus on the single landing pages. After a few months, we brought back a successor to the old price list page, but it hasn’t gained much momentum yet.