Some SERPS Results Link to Profile, not to Hub related to search term

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   Redberry Skyposted 11 years ago

   I think there’s something about the new profile that Google’s having a problem with.  I switched to the new profile as soon as it was available, within a day or two of it being announced by Simone Smith 6 weeks ago.
   
   A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that more search visitors were arriving to my profile, and in GA Real Time I saw a couple of them arriving to my profile rather than the Hub I’d expect them to for that search term. 
   
   Searching yesterday and today for terms I know I ranked for (at least up to Friday 28th Sept) on page 1 of the SERPS, I found I’d been relegated to page 3 or further down. 
   
   But weirdly, for at least one search term, although I appear on the first page of the SERPS in position 2, the link is to my profile, not the Hub that’s related to that search term.
   
   My traffic dropped on Friday, and I put it down to the Google algo tweak, but now I’m wondering if these weird search results might be more to blame.
   
   From the snippet of text in the search results, Google seems to be picking up the summaries in the profile – bits of unrelated summaries appeared for the search term I found this for.
   
   Searching for a coffee related term, this appears in Google’s results:
   
   
   
   
   The first bit of the snippet of text in the result, ‘An article on how to minimise the problems of sensitivity’ is for a Hub on make up.

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2. 88

   WryLiltposted 11 years ago

   You may be right.
   
   Although the first thought that jumped into my head was "Ok, so profiles are now ranking very high in Google, which means the new profile was a good SEO move."

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      Redberry Skyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Sadly, my profile is now ranking where my Hub used to rank, but my profile doesn't make me any money.  Visitors arriving at the wrong page (getting my profile rather than one of my magnificant vignettes on coffee, say) will just click the back button in frustration, and Google will notice this and stop sending me any traffic at all.  There was something about 'magazine style' layout (as our profiles are) that I remember from having my own blog last year - that setting it up a certain way makes Google not like it. If Google's choosing our summaries over our Hubs in the search results and returning our profiles, there might be something wrong with the setup from HP's end.
      
      It could all be nothing to do with the profiles - it could just be down to Google tinkering with the results - but I thought I'd mention it here in case it's just a technical wotsit that's bringing people's traffic down, that HP programmers could fix.

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         Rik Ravadoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I've noticed this too.  Hubs have slipped down the SERPs while reference to the hub in my profile rates higher.  My traffic has dropped dramatically to around 10% of 'normal' in the last 4 days.

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            Redberry Skyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I think some of the traffic drop is down to the lastest google algo changes on thursday and friday - I've noticed that any traffic I *am* getting is coming in short bursts, so one hour things seem almost normal, then the next hour or two is dead - and on webmaster forums a lot of people are reporting a similar thing and putting it down to the algo tweaks. 
            
            There's also this forum thread > http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/104227#post2216401 where paul edmondson announced a few hours ago that they're tweaking parts of the profile (Amazon capsules and profile links to forums) that they think might be causing traffic drops. 
            
            I hope it is down to something with the new profile - that can be fixed, but we're stuck with google.

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   Hollie Thomasposted 11 years ago

   Same here. However, I'm not sure it's because of the new profile because for a couple of weeks after I'd changed to the new profile my traffic was soaring, but when the algo before last rolled out (the one where Mat cutts tweeted expect some flux) my traffic dropped by 80%. Initially, I'd put the decline in traffic down to the new algo but then noticed that even when I put the exact titles of my hubs into my browser I was given the title and a brief summary which then took you to my profile. Odd!

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   Hollie Thomasposted 11 years ago

   @ Redberry Sky,
   
   Subject has been discussed here, further on in the thread.
   
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/104025

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   Hollie Thomasposted 11 years ago

   And, just in case you haven't seen this announcement for Paul E.
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/104227

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      Redberry Skyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hollie - I must've been typing at the same time as you - just seen and linked to the Paul E announcement above!  Great minds, you see   cheers for the other link, I'll go and check it out now.

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         Hollie Thomasposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         No problem, Us northerners are not only brilliant, but psychic to boot!

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         1. 88

            Redberry Skyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            See, I knew you were going to say that

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