Originally Posted by signupdamnit

There was a recent panda update in the last few days. It may be that or it could possibly be the dreaded Penguin update which Google believes will shake up SEO (read major updates). Many of the things common in our industry such as link trades, traffic trades and mobile redirects to third parties are considered poor practices by Google. We've only been lucky that up to now Google hasn't cracked down. I think it's just a matter of time.

All you can do is make changes and either submit a consideration request or wait it out. From experience after making changes using the natural method it takes up to three months to return to your old spots and even then you're still more vulnerable to being hit again.