How To Manage Stakeholders When An Algorithm Update Hits?

Introduction

SEO is a long-game. So when an algorithm update hits and traffic drops, how do you keep stakeholders calm and engaged? Your leadership might suddenly question whether SEO is worth the investment, especially if prior wins seem to vanish overnight.

1. Verify What’s Causing the Traffic Drop

Check whether the decline is really from an algorithm update

Before you say “this is because of the algorithm”, pause and dig deeper. The timing may line up, but the cause could be something else entirely.

  • Investigate recent development changes or technical launches.
  • Make sure tracking (for example, your analytics tags) is working properly.
  • Consider seasonality or user-behaviour shifts rather than automatically blaming the update.

Only once you’ve ruled out other possible causes can you safely attribute the drop to an algorithm update.

2. Pinpoint Exactly What’s Been Affected

Which pages/topics are impacted and how badly?

Rarely does an update render an entire site unusable. Usually, specific pages or content themes take the hit.

  • Identify the pages that declined.
  • Ask: What did the pages that replaced yours in rankings do differently? Is their content better matched to search intent? Do they load faster? Are they structured more clearly?
  • Examine what common traits the affected pages share (template type, content quality, technical factors).
  • Decide: Are these pages important to business goals? If the hit is on low-priority content, it may not be worth rushing to restore it; focus on what truly drives conversions.

This insight is essential when speaking with stakeholders: you can show that traffic fell, but revenue may not have followed suit.

3. Educate Stakeholders About the Nature of SEO

Explain that drops and updates are part of the journey

SEO doesn’t move in a straight line; there are fluctuations, updates, changing user habits and seasons to consider.

  • Help your stakeholders understand that traffic isn’t the only metric: conversions, business impact, and resilience matter too.
  • Ideally, this conversation should happen before a major disruption: establish a process to detect and investigate updates, rather than responding in panic.
  • Set expectations: don’t promise answers the very next day. Algorithm updates take time to settle.
  • If you’ve been through this before and recovered, share that story, show them that this can be a moment for deeper improvement, not just damage control.

4. Shift The Focus Back To Long-Term Strategy

Avoid knee-jerk fixes; stay focused on sustainable improvement

It can be tempting to scramble when traffic dips: make quick changes, push for immediate gains. But that often leads to short-lived fixes.

  • Don’t abandon the broader SEO plan just because things are shaky now. If you already had issues (duplicate content, weak pages, slow site speed), this is a moment to reaffirm your strategy, not discard it.
  • Use your investigation (which pages/topics were hit, why) to refine your direction.
  • Resist shortcuts or quick fixes that might “look good” now, but don’t last; in some cases, they can even backfire in future algorithm updates or manual actions.

In Summary

The best time to have the stakeholder conversation is before the storm hits. Set expectations, outline your process, frame SEO as strategic, then, if an update hits:

  • Take a breath
  • Analyse with data
  • Assess the impact in depth
  • Plan a meaningful, long-term response rather than reactive tactics

Remember: SEO is about steady, sustainable performance, not panic fixes when a change rolls in.