Since March Update, My Website Isn't Recovering: Should I Use a 301?

[myclub]

Hello everyone,

I have a niche website that I launched in November 2023. It’s been over a year, but the growth has been extremely slow. The traffic was gradually increasing, reaching about 80 daily visitors by March. However, after the March update, the site completely disappeared from search results, except for brand-name searches.

Since then, I’ve been trying to grow the site via social media, but the situation hasn’t improved. Currently, my site gets around 50 daily visitors through brand-name searches and direct traffic, with no traffic from other keywords or tags. Visitors who come to the site tend to stay for a long time, and the engagement is high, but Google refuses to list the site for any other terms.

Here’s a summary of my situation:

Traffic:

50 visitors daily from brand searches.
Around 30–40 direct visits.
Other search engines combined bring the total to just over 200 daily visitors.

Backlink Efforts:

Initially, I built clean backlinks through blog comments on non-spammy pages during the third month.
Later, when that didn’t help, I purchased backlinks. This also didn’t improve the situation, so I disavowed most of them, but the site still hasn’t recovered.
Now I’m considering two options:

Implement a 301 redirect to a new domain, hoping for a quick recovery. But I’m worried it might backfire again after a few weeks.
Start fresh by cloning the current site (with 400+ articles) onto a new domain. To retain the brand-name traffic, I’d keep the old domain’s homepage active with a “Click to visit our new site” link redirecting users to the new domain.
Would launching with 400 articles on the new domain cause issues? I’d love to hear your advice on whether I should go with a 301 redirect or start fresh with a new domain.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

[Dimitri]

Now I’m considering two options:

your suggestions!

None of them. If there is a reason that Google is not listing your pages for other keywords than your brand name, this will be the same if you 301 or recreate the exact same site.

As I said in another topic, it can take years to establish a new site, so if I was you, I will just be patient, continue to develop the site, acquire good backlinks (not posting the link yourself in comments), then cross fingers and be patient.

[jamesand55]

It sounds like you're facing a drop in traffic after a recent update. A 301 redirect can be useful if you’re changing URLs or restructuring your site, as it tells search engines to transfer link equity to the new page. However, if your site's traffic decline is due to the March update, a 301 may not resolve the core issue. I recommend reviewing any content, technical SEO, or algorithm changes from that update to ensure your site aligns with the new standards. It might also be worth investigating other recovery strategies, like improving page speed or optimizing for user experience.

[tangor]

The elephant in the room which is not often addressed is:

Is the site content unique, fresh, and compelling?

The fact you are mentioning brand names as the prime traffic driver seems an indication you are in a highly competitive niche, drowned out by larger or more established sites, or g just doesn't like your face. Hard to tell these days. That said, sites that CLEARLY game SEO ala 10 years back will not get any love at all.

As always, write for the USER, not the search engine.