Just don't know

I have a site that has been up for a couple of years now...it ranked ok in google first page for some keywords mostly the easier ones. The big keywords it was always in the top 100, usually finding its way to around page 4-5 rotating daily, weekly as google saw fit. About 6 months to a Year ago my site basically dropped of the map within the top 100. The site still shows thousands of pages indexed in google and the individual product pages rank well for keywords with individual names. Any thoughts on how to determine the cause and to restore the site to the previous ranking range or better? Thanks.

My first though (without seeing the site or knowing the history) would be that an algorithm change devalued some of the links that you had to your site.

For example a lot of sites tha trelied heavily upon recirpocal linking were effected in this way. Less competetive and very specific keywords didn't suffer much but more generic "top level" and more competetive keywords suffered a lot.

As with anything in a complex algorithm most functions and relationships are not linear or proportional so some pages can be effected more than others on the same site.

Hi Kippy,

I think tstolber has got it right and as Google's algorithms have changed over time your site has suffered a little. Nothing and update to your campaign and a little patience can't fix.

It is highly recommended to keep updating your site and watch for important trends in SEO. Keep marketing your site. Never stop it even when it reaches the top. This is a common mistake I have seen to many business owners.

That sounds correct. I can see how that would be the reason my site has suffered on the more competitive keywords. Can anyone suggets some ways other than linking to improve rankings? I have basically followed in the footsteps of the industry leaders matching their links from outside sources, etc, but I feel I am stuck in where to go. They already have an advantage with senority being that their sites have been around some 5+yrs more than mine and they have a much larger budget for ad clicks. Thanks for any suggestions.