Help! Hubpages is beginning to feel depressing :(

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   stuff4kidsposted 9 years ago

   
   I've been writing here for a year now and working hard to create excellent hubs and get them known. I was just beginning to see a nice increase in traffic and shares with a little bit of income associated with that and I was delighted, thinking that I had been right to trust the process and stick with it. Then suddenly, wham! Traffic plummets to 1/5th of what it was and I have no idea why. It's been like that a while now and soon I think I'll have no traffic at all. Then what happens next? I guess it would be un-featured hubs, no search exposure, end of story, right? Wrong? Seems like a heck of a lot of work for not much return. Back to square one?
   
   Anyone want to convince me to stay, please?

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      Christy Kirwanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Keep in mind that summer is one of the worst times for traffic, and particularly summer holidays (like the upcoming 4th of July weekend). The World Cup is also going on, which means less searchers as well. My advice is to hang in there and give it some time. Your traffic may very well bounce back.

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         stuff4kidsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Hi Christy.
         
         Okay. That makes sense, I guess. Having a focus on kids and schools may not be the best thing for summer!
         
         Well, I wasn't just going to down tools and march away but if some hubs do lose their featured status due to lack of interaction, that would make me feel pretty low.
         
         But I'll sit it out, then and see if there is an upturn come Fall.
         
         Thanks - I hate being negative, really, but could use some encouragement in the numbers!
         
         Hope you're having a good summer and it's not too misty right now.

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      kenneth averyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      @ Stuff 4 Kids,
      I agree with Christy. Summer is the absolute worst time of the year to keep and maintain traffic. I know. This summer is my fourth since joining HubPages four years ago. This traffic thing used to drive me nuts and I would write and write until I was burned out.
      Then as fall began to surface and then winter, I noticed that my traffic would start rising.
      When summer is rolling on, people are outside--riding jetskis, boating, camping and on vacation. That makes sense why our traffic numbers sometimes decline.
      And "I" want to convince YOU to stay. It will not  be long until fall, so give Hubs a chance and besides you are one of my Valued-followers and I do not want to see you jump to another site that may not be as established as HubPages.
      Do we have a deal?

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         stuff4kidsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Hi Kenneth,
         
         I don't think I'm one of your followers but thanks for the encouraging words.
         
         I'm sure I'll stick with it in any case and if it's just a summer thang then I won't worry about it in the future - rather plan for it in advance.
         
         

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I have had this same thing happen to me at least three times in the past two or so years that I have been writing here on HP.
            
            Instead of getting depressed, I made it my business to start reworking my articles, getting rid of the duds, and trying to find out why my work was heading downhill.
            
            Finally, a few months ago, after Google changed its algorithm, things started to perk up.  Suddenly I am getting good views on many of my articles and payouts are happening every month.
            
            Writing here is a learning curve, and it can take years before things jell...so you have to be patient.  Stick to the basics, reread the learning center, check out the forums and just keep at it.
            
            Persistence pays off, and I am living proof of that.
            
            Good luck.

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               ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               I agree completely and my experience has been very similar. 
               
               Many have also already mentioned that their traffic naturally plummets in the summer months and I can attest to this as well.  My June earnings will be quite a bit less than my May earnings were - all the kids are out now, summer is in full swing - so I am bummed, but not going to sweat it A couple of months and there will be a rebound - and in the meantime I can do some updates and tweaks.

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                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Christin:  You made a very good point here...when things slow down, it is time to tweak and write so that you are ready for the next round of good views!

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               stuff4kidsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you! 

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            kenneth averyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Stuff 4 Kids,
            I am sorry. I was sure that you were one of my followers. And you are welcome for the truths that I told you about staying here.
            I meant every word.
            Plainly, I urge you to rethink this decision for we would miss you.

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      EZ Swim Fitnessposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Traffic will grow over time. Look at the long term potential. I know it is hard looking at pennies and minimal traffic but continue to write and contribute and both your traffic and your earnings will increase.
      
      I always thought traffic would plummet during the week, my experience has been the opposite. Stick to a niche you know, have fun with it, write and contribute on a regular basis and you will see the accolades and earnings climb.

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         stuff4kidsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you!

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      KenDeanAgudoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Mine as well dropped and its pretty annoying!!
      My income last May was higher than my earnings this end of June. Its not traffic that i was upset but the decrease of CPM rate. My traffic increased but it was affected by my CPM.

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         relacheposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         If you knew just how much CPMs have fallen on this site over the last several years, you most likely would have never started writing here.

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            wildernessposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            LOL  I remember CPM's very nearly 4X what I see now.  They weren't common, but they did happen, and for weeks/months at a time.

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Relache:
            
            I'm sure this is true, but it only makes sense.
            
            Why would an advertiser want to pay more to place an ad on a hub that is getting low traffic?
            
            We all know that the traffic on HP has dropped significantly in recent years, but I do believe that it will rise again if the team keeps dumping low quality articles.
            
            I also believe that since HP separated itself from writers and allowed us to have our own domains, those who write good articles on appropriate topics will see CPMs return to higher amounts.

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               relacheposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               HubPages can dump all the bad articles it wants, but I just found a guy this morning who just got his 5 Hub accolade, and half of what he's published so far is extremely poor-quality on restricted topics.  Those Hubs never should have been given an activated publish button.
               
               I believe that HubPages is seriously dropping the ball when it comes to preventing the publication of new crap on this site.  I also believe if HubPages does not successfully learn to preserve and re-engage their long-term members, they'll never get a growth cycle going again.

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                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Relache:
                  
                  So, did you write to the team and share this information with them?
                  
                  I do believe it is up to all of us here to help with the policing of low quality hubs.  There are thousands of articles and only a few HP team members.
                  
                  If what you say happened is a fact, then maybe there is something wrong with the software the team is using to qualify hubs.
                  
                  It does not make sense that they would purposely slit their own financial throats by allowing substandard  work to be featured here.

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                     paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Slit their throats? No.
                     
                     Put their foot in it? Yes.
                     
                     

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      stuff4kidsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks everyone for your encouraging comments. I do so appreciate it!
      
      And I'm convinced - I reckon I just needed to express my frustration - so I'll stick with it and continue to publish new stuff to be ready for my Hubpages traffic renaissance!
      
      Thanks again one and all.
      
      Bless y'all.   

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         Barbara Kayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         If you edit your hubs, it keeps them from becoming unfeatured. Everyone's advice about keeping them updated is right on.

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            stuff4kidsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks. Message received and understood. 

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         kenneth averyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Stuff 4 Kids,
         Woooeee, what a wise decision you made in staying with HP! I am so very glad. We all get to the point of frustration now and then.
         So now that you are staying, you might complete the deal and celebrate my FOLLOWING ME.
         Best wishes.

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            stuff4kidsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Kenneth,
            
            I've been trying to avoid saying this but the way that you have been hassling me to FOLLOW YOU, first on my hubs and now here, is unnerving. I'm beginning to feel somewhat bullied and I would like you to stop now.
            
            Your technique - and it clearly is a technique - that you employ to gain followers - has the opposite effect on me.
            
            I checked out your hubs and while no doubt you can write, it's just not the sort of thing I'm personally interested in reading, so why would I follow you, okay?
            
            Now, all the best to you but please leave me alone.
            
            Thanks.

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               kenneth averyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Stuff 4 Kids,
               I understand. And I offer you my sincere apologies. I meant you no harm.

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   paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

   This, too, shall pass. Going to be a long pass though...

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      brakel2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Traffic is down, and it can be discouraging. Last year I saw an article that said people in the summer are not too interested in reading content and that traffic goes down about 40%. At least we have all our nice friends on HP, and I love that factor. So everybody, don't give up.

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      LCDWriterposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yep.  My traffic is terrible right now.   But there has been a lot going on in the world and the summer holidays are in full gear.  Just hang on!

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   The Examiner-1posted 9 years ago

   Are you in HP depression, or is it something else? The traffic change may just be this certain time, or a certain reason - such as summer break or July 4th prep. Maybe you have writer's block and may need to take a break while leaving your account open. If you come back and traffic is higher then you may be happy that you did.
   You could also take a break from writing and just read others if you want. Search the Internet, see what others are doing right now. Take a look at Pinterest - that will make you smile. :-)
   Just do not leave HP after only 1 year. I am 14 mo. and at times I slow down on my writing and just read. Then I soon get back to both. :-)

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   Solarasposted 9 years ago

   Time to get your back to school hubs published, so parents know what they need to buy their kids on Amazon!

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      stuff4kidsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      

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   Suzanne Dayposted 9 years ago

   I can guarantee you lot that if you commit to 10 more hubs, it will get better

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   nakmeisterposted 9 years ago

   We have around 200 hubs; they go up and down. One thing that got us quite a bit of exposure was to enter the hub writing competitions. It is really worth doing

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