Views seem to be returning...finally!

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   TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years ago

   If you have been following me on the forums, you know that I had a massive drop in views long before any of the other issues happened with HP.  I had no penalties or warnings from G, so with the help of many writers here, I started making changes.  Since I had no idea as to what happened, I took just about ALL of the advice plus added a few ideas of my own.  I knew that once each month G updates article rankings, and the day is different for each person.  Yesterday was my day.  Although there has not been a huge increase, my views are triple what I was left with when my site collapsed.  I am not finished updating, so I expect these numbers to increase over time.  Here is what I did and am doing:
   
   I changed all full width photos and videos. back to normal size.
   I cut ads, where I had them, to a maximum of three and only to where they were meaningful.
   I eliminated all bolding.
   I consolidated sentences so that fewer of them stood alone and the article looked more like an article.
   I counted key words and if I had more than 1-2% of the same word in an article, I either restructured sentences or used more synonyms.
   I went on Webamaster Tools and found every malicious site that had linked to me, contacted all of them for documentation and got G to disavow 23 domains that had given me 1400 bad link connections.
   I also deleted every medical related article, even though many were historically getting good views.
   I also deleted many articles for which I felt there was too much competition on Google searches.
   In total, I deleted about 47 hubs.
   
   This has taken a huge amount of time and has meant a lot of rewriting, and my views still are nowhere near where they were...but at least they are improving.
   
   One good thing that happened this week is that someone posted one of my RV hubs on FB, it got picked up and passed on and to date has received more than 4,000 views.  Not nearly what some get when this happens, but given my circumstances, those views were a blessing.
   
   I still have many hubs to rework, but it is clear to me that what I have done has been helpful.  I got nailed a bit by Panda, but not Penguin, and the hit was very small.  My updates will bring those views back at some point.So,that's my story and I am sticking to it. I want to thank every single person who opened my eyes to  things I might have been doing wrong so that I could make corrections.  It has been a long fall from 28,000 views per month down to where I landed, but the mountain is there, and I will continue to climb it.
   
   Love you guys!

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      Solarasposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      So glad to hear that things are starting to pick back up for you!  Thank you for sharing your checklist for Hub improvements.

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      Dale Hydeposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the update. You have done a tremendous amount of work!  Update us again when things pick up even more!  A great example for others to check out and tweak for their personal use.

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      PurvisBobbi44posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi TT,
      I am happy you are feeling refreshed after all your hard work. Now it is time for you to enjoy the joy of  writing your wonderful hubs. We will soar again as we all work united and as friends who share, just like you have always done for us.
      
      Your Hub Friend,
      Bobbi Purvis

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      CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      How do you know your vies have picked up.  HP has not updated my views in 4 days--since 10/22/14. Also, my earnings have not updated for two days.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         If you set up an account with Google Analytics you can follow your page views and other info there.  You can even get real time view information.

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            CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks. I have google analytics and that seemed to be stuck also.  I just checked it again and It is working.

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      PegCole17posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hello Time,
      What do you mean "normal" width for photos? I thought we were told to make all images full width for the best results. What size is best in your experience?

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Peg:  We WERE told to make all photos and ads full width to make mobile device readers have an easier time of reading our work, but I personally think this is a bad idea and may be what caused my problem because when I used them they not only blocked content from the top of my hubs but slowed down people's ability to get into my site.  I got rid of all of them and now just do as I used to do, which is to use the small photos.

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            PegCole17posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you Timetraveler2, You know, I've been putting in a lot of edit time, too, adding tags and titles to photos. You've given us some really important real time clues here and it seems like you're reaping the rewards for all your hard work. Thanks so much for sharing.
            I'm hoping some changes will help mine.
            Peg

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               TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

               PegCole17  I think you  will find that doing this is a ton of work, but I know of no other way to get my views back...and they are coming!   I missed payout last month by just a bit, but this month I will make it, even without the carry over earnings from last month...so something I've done here is working, and if my experience helps others, that's great!

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      HomeArtist1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm very happy to learn you're making leeway on your traffic. FABULOUS!!
      
      I'm betting the biggest, most effective change you made was with the images and turning
      off those large beastly pics.
      
      That's where I am right now.
      
      I'm going to post on the forum later why I feel the image issue on HP is a real traffic-bouncer.
      So glad things are changing for you!!!   

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         CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I'll be looking for it.  I'd like to read that article about pictures.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         HomeArtist1:  I agree.  I never should have listened to the directive to use wide page photos, etc.  I really think this may have been my main issues and agree that you are making the right move.

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   rebekahELLEposted 9 years ago

   TT, it's great to hear your views are picking up again! You've been a busy girl. It's always nice to see positive results and positive news in these forums. I hope you're taking some well deserved time away from the computer and are enjoying this beautiful Florida weather.

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   lisavollrathposted 9 years ago

   Wow. Way to take the bull by the horns! I'm glad all that hard work is paying off.

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   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   Thanks for the tips!  I keep going back and revamping finally running out of ideas.

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   Daughter Of Maatposted 9 years ago

   Just out of curiosity, why did you delete all the medical hubs? That's just about all I write, so I'm curious about your reasoning.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Daughter of Matt:  Google recently announced that it will be hitting hard on medical and health related hubs written by people who are not authorities in these fields...ie, nurses, doctors, physical therapists, dentists, et al.  Although I understand their reasoning, I can see why they are doing this...but even so, I do personally believe that people who speak from personal experience have a lot do offer.  However, Google is king, and given my situation, I felt I needed to whatever I could to lower my risks with them.

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   Daughter Of Maatposted 9 years ago

   Ah, that makes sense. I've been in ophthalmology for 18 years so I hope Google sees that as expertise!

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Daughter of Matt:  Just make sure you make it clear that you have this background when you write your articles, and you should be fine.

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   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   Time Traveler: I couldn't find anything that provides that information. I wish we had the source.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Can't tell you exactly where to find it, but know it is directly from Google.  Check sites that discuss Panda and Penguin and you will find it.  I certainly would not have done this if I was not sure it would be an issue.

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      Barbara Kayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I read that somewhere too. It did say the hubs that are written from personal experience will be alright though. I have a lot of natural health hubs that have been doing fine. When you get in trouble probably, is when you write about medical conditions just based on your own research.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Barbara Kay:  I do not recall that it stated writing from your own experience is acceptable, and I believe the reason is that it is very easy for people to accept such writing as "advice" which, in some cases, could be harmful to them.  As far as I have seen, Google wants authority, which means either professional training in a field or being an "enthusiast" such as someone who is an avid gardener and writes on that topic.

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   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   I wonder if some of the problem is that those who write in these areas that are not professionals were to add a disclaimer letting readers know that  they are not a medical doctor, etc. Of course, there are those who won't do that.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      LindaSmith1:  Google does not care about that.  They want people of authority writing if they wish to be well ranked.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Google's robots can't read disclaimers so no, that would make no difference at all.

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         Dressage Husbandposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Actually the robots could read disclaimers, but only if Google wanted them to. This is what they are doing when they recognize someone is a MD or Physio etc.

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Dressage Husband:  And where, exactly, do you place this info so the bots can see it...in the article, the profile or where?

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   jansharesposted 9 years ago

   Wow, TIMETRAVELER2. I'm so impressed with your tenacity. Great news. That is very hopeful.

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    psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

    Throughout the squid assimilation, panda and penguin my traffic seems to have been stable to trend a bit upwards. I am not much of an analyst but clearly accounts are all having different experiences.

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       TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       psycheskinner:  I think you are absolutely spot on.  Let me remind you that my specific problems started one month before any of the changes, so I obviously did something to upset G that was unrelated to the updates.

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          Solarasposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I sort of wonder if you fell into a test category, where the Panda update hit you well before the univeral rollout.  It's just something I wonder about...

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             TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Solaras:
             
             No, I don't think so.  What I really think happened was that I enlarged all of my photos to full width, thus eliminating ads from above the fold without realizing it.  That's the last time I'll blindly follow advice from anybody. Also, I had some very malicious links attached to some of my articles.  It could be other things, but those, I think, are the culprits.

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    Carola Finchposted 9 years ago

    I have never heard that wide photos were desirable.  Personally, I don't like huge photos.  I find them too in your face and distracting (though I find video covers are OK).  I rarely use anything full size.  To me, it looks amateurish and unprofessional.

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       TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Carol Finch:  You must have missed the post awhile back by Paul Edmunson advising all of us to start using full width photos and ads.  I, like a jerk, followed it and have now changed everything back because I agree with you totally.

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          Carola Finchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I guess I missed the post about full size photos.  Sometimes writing sites drive me nuts with changing requirements.  A news site i am working for is so desperate for Google approval that they keep changing requirements - argh!  While we writers want to follow the rules, sometimes we have to trust our instincts for what works best.  To me, the text is the most important element and everything else should supplement it, not detract from it.

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    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    Personally, I am turned off by the big pics. I have looked at hubs with them and my entire computer screen is covered with a photo. If I am looking for information, etc, I am looking for just that not some Jumbo photograph.
    
    I have also put most of my photos back to normal size.   Another thought is if I want to see what something looks like, I will go to Google images or some other photo site.
    
    Videos are another thing I have made smaller, rather than a eat up the whole screen with it. wherever I can.
    
    I have not found an good spot for all of my photos and videos that are still wide, so they may end up being deleted unless I add a text capsule, put in a few words, and let the image or video sit next to it.

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    GiftsByDianaposted 9 years ago

    That is great news !
    Thank you for sharing your experiences with us as we are all learning.
    I have had very little time to tweak mine or to promote them so they are struggling, but I expect that.
    To much to do and with my Dad's health and mine giving us so much trouble, there is little time for this right now.
    I hope you keep getting good news like this 

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       TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Sorry to hear about your family's health issues...they should be your first priority.  Anything that needs to be done here on HP can certainly wait.  I'll keep you in my prayers.

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    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    I found this when searching about image sizes.
    
    This is what Google recommends:
    Recommended size: 1080 x 608
    Minimum size: 480 x 270
    Maximum size: 2120 x 1192
    
    https://support.google.com/webmasters/a … 4016?hl=en
    
    It seems to be all about load time for all viewers.

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       ologsinquitoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Hi Timetraveler, I'm so happy to hear your views are returning. There's hope. I might have to try some of your suggestions.

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