---
title: "Organic traffic drop report | SEO Skill"
description: "Find unusual Search Console movement, identify the pages and queries behind it and compare the dates with confirmed Google updates before a deeper check."
canonical: "https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/traffic-anomaly"
language: "en"
---

# Organic traffic drop report

Investigate an unusual organic traffic change using the property history and returned Search Console rows. The report narrows the dates and affected segments without inventing a cause.

## Install and run the report

Install the CLI once, then run `seo start` to connect your site and Google data. After setup you can run this report yourself or ask your agent to run it.

Install the SEO CLI globally.

```
npm i -g seo
```

Run setup after installation.

```
seo start
```

Find unusual recent Search Console movement.

```
seo traffic-anomaly --project example
```

## What you get from this report

Find unusual Search Console movement, identify the pages and queries behind it and compare the dates with confirmed Google updates before a deeper check.

Best for

Clicks or impressions appear to have changed and you need a repeatable first check.

Needs

Finalised Search Console property totals

You get

Find unusual Search Console movement, identify the pages and queries behind it and compare the dates with confirmed Google updates before a deeper check.

Use next

Find which search segments moved

Every report follows the same rules for missing data and outside estimates.[See how report data works](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports#how-report-data-works).

## What you need before you run it

The report uses the information below. Optional sources are only used when you ask for them.

### Finalised Search Console property totals

Provides the historical baseline and recent comparison window for clicks and impressions.

### Official Google ranking update dates

Adds confirmed update context without assigning causation.

## Use a different report for these jobs

These jobs need a different report or a manual review.

[

### You already know there was a change and need to find which pages, queries, countries, or devices account for it.

Run segment impact for the relevant dimension. It compares matched periods and returns supported gains, declines, and unmatched rows, so the investigation moves from a property total to the affected segment.

SEO segment impact report

](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/segment-impact)

### You need to prove what caused the organic traffic drop.

No automated report can isolate causation from Search Console history. Review tracking changes, releases, crawl evidence, demand, seasonality, and search-result changes across the same dates. Traffic anomaly can establish whether and when the movement was unusual.

Needs more evidence

## Use the report with an agent or in code

The command above is enough for most work. These options let an agent, script or application run the same report with explicit input and structured output.

### CLI

Use the report catalog when an agent, script or CI job needs predictable JSON instead of the normal terminal output. Check the current input first, then run the report with the validated parameters.

Check the current input before the agent or script runs the report.

```
seo reports describe traffic-anomaly --json
```

Once the input is valid, run the report through the report catalog.

```
seo reports run traffic-anomaly --params '{"site":"sc-domain:example.com","days":90,"recentDays":7,"refresh":false}' --json
```

### MCP

An MCP agent follows the same two-step flow. It inspects the current schema, fills the required fields and only then runs the report.

Ask the MCP server for the current report input.

```
{
  "id": "traffic-anomaly"
}
```

Run the report after the agent has checked and filled the input.

```
{
  "id": "traffic-anomaly",
  "params": {
    "site": "sc-domain:example.com",
    "days": 90,
    "recentDays": 7,
    "refresh": false
  }
}
```

### TypeScript

Install the package in a Node 22 project when your application needs to run the report directly. The result includes the same evidence, warnings and limits returned through the CLI and MCP server.

Add the SEO package to your project.

```
npm install seo
```

Run the report from your TypeScript application.

```
import { executeReport } from 'seo/mcp'

const result = await executeReport(
  'traffic-anomaly',
  {
  "site": "sc-domain:example.com",
  "days": 90,
  "recentDays": 7,
  "refresh": false
},
)

console.log(result)
```

## What to do next

Confirm the affected dates, pages and queries before looking for an explanation. Use segment impact or the Google update checker to narrow the investigation without turning timing into cause.

1.  01Run segment impact to locate the pages or queries behind the movement.
2.  02Check update correlation when the dates overlap a confirmed Google update.

## Related reports

[

Compare Search Console movement by page, query, country or device to find which segment explains a wider gain or loss across the selected dates.

SEO segment impact report

](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/segment-impact)[

Compare unusual Search Console traffic dates with confirmed Google ranking updates without treating a matching date as proof of what caused the change.

Google algorithm update checker

](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/update-correlation)[

See what changed in Search Console and which pages, queries, countries or devices explain the movement before choosing what to investigate next.

SEO performance report

](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/search-performance-overview)

## Sources used by this report

These primary sources define the provider data or search controls used by the result.

-   [Search Console Search Analytics API guidance](https://developers.google.com/webmaster-tools/v1/how-tos/search_analytics)