# Why did my topic score drop?

> The common causes of a drop in a GetIntel topic score, ordered by how quickly you can check each one, and when a drop is normal variation.

Source: https://getintel.ai/docs/academy/troubleshooting/topic-score-dropped/

Topic scores move for real reasons and for noisy ones. Check these in order before changing anything.

## 1. It's a small basket

**How to check:** how many prompts and answers does the topic have? A topic with 3 or 4 prompts moves a lot when one engine changes one answer.

**When it's expected:** small moves on small topics are usually noise. Add prompts to make the topic more stable.

## 2. One engine changed

**How to check:** open the topic's **Prompts** tab and compare engines. Is the drop on one engine only?

**Fix:** engines update their models and search sources without notice. A drop on one engine often recovers. If it persists, read that engine's answers to see which brands and sources replaced you.

## 3. A rival gained

**How to check:** look at **Top competitor** on the topic, and [Competitors](/features/competitors/) **→ View details** for that rival.

**Fix:** open **Prompts they win that you lose** and **Pages AI cites for them**. That shows what they did.

## 4. You lost a source

**How to check:** in **Your pages**, open **Losing citations**. In **Sources**, look for a site that used to cite you.

**Fix:** a lost citation from an important source is often the whole story. Check whether the page changed or removed you.

## 5. Your site became harder to read

**How to check:** **Technical → Since the last scan**. Anything new in **Reach** or **Index & Read**?

**Fix:** fix new blockers first. They affect every topic.

## When a drop is expected

Answers vary from day to day. A few points of movement over a week is normal. Judge a topic on its trend over several weeks, not one day.