Strange Goings On With A Hub

1. 59

   soulfullyposted 10 years ago

   An issue with one of my hubs has been going on for a while.
   
   I wrote a hub a while ago that reached the top of page two in Google for certain keywords. After a few days in this position, it disappeared from Google search altogether, and in its place popped up someone elses hub using the exact same keywords I was aiming for.
   
   Looking through Google every now and then, I noticed this hub that replaced mine had dropped to page four for the keywords I was aiming for.
   
   A few days ago I thought I'd give it another go and try to get my hub to show back up in the search results. I done some editing with the description and body, and re-published it.
   
   Today, I entered the keywords into Google, and what I seen was surprising and strange. Instead of anything happening to my own hub, the other guys hub that has been on page four for months, is suddenly in third position on page one.
   
   The person who ownes this hub has also visited my profile three times in the last seven days. Sixteen times in the last thirty days. Ninety one times overall. I haven't been on Hubpages for months, so I don't know why he keeps visiting my profile.
   
   I don't know whether I have a wierd stalker on my hands with a freakish ability to manipulate his own hub through my updates. Or, there's a strange technical glitch thing going on with Hubpages.
   
   This can't be a coincidence.
   
   Any thoughts?

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   1. 32

      Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      What is the title of your Hub?  (Don't post a link.)

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2. 59

   soulfullyposted 10 years ago

   The title of my Hub is Pineapple Health Benefits - The Superfruit
   
   It shows up in Google for the full title.
   
   It doesn't show up anymore for the keywords I was aiming for
   'Pineapple health benefits'
   
   My recent update and this other guys shift in position after months is just strange.

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   1. 32

      Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Google wants diversity in its search results. The problem with your Hub is that there are 1,970 pages on HP using those keywords.  You didn't adequately research what was already on HP before you chose your Hub Topic:
      
      http://www.google.com/search?num=50& … WhWW-DIguU
      
      Also, most of the other Hubs were published before yours and probably have more backlinks.
      
      Unless you have something substantially different to say than the other 1,970 Hubs already on HP, your Hub doesn't have much of a chance of ranking. Your Hub is only 900 words, so it isn't exactly comprehensive, either.
      
      Because Google wants diversity in its search results, it is not going to show more than a couple of webpages from the same website on page one results. Google usually displays together the Hubs it chooses, just like it does when displaying two pages of any other website.
      
      See this video for more information.
      
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxv-AvNPoh8
      
      I think you should probably forget about that topic and write about something that isn't so well covered already on HubPages. Also, you might remove your Hub and publish it on another website.

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      1. 59

         soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Mine is 930 words. The other one is 725. You can't argue that I don't have enough content.
         
         Chance of ranking? It was ranking on the top of page two, infront of every other hubpage with those keywords.
         
         Anyway, thanks for the tips and taking the time to respond.
         
         I think I'll unplublish it, extend on it further and re-publish with some fresh backlinks.

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         1. 72

            Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            When I type in Pneapple Health Benefits and then add Hubpages, your hub came up first. I wonder if the other one is a Hubpage exclusive and that is why it is showing better.

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            1. 72

               Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               If I leave off the Hubpages, neither is showing in the first two pages.

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3. 59

   soulfullyposted 10 years ago

   Any help on this would be great. I'm at a loss on what to do from here. No matter what I do, it won't show up.
   
   Should I unpublish it and leave it a week, then republish?
   
   Would that even help?

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4. 95

   SmartAndFunposted 10 years ago

   One time I thought I had a stalker who had an article similar to mine, but it turned out there was a link to my article in his similar article, in the "Discover More Hubs" section at the bottom. Readers who found his article were clicking on that link to jump over to my article, but when looking at the traffic states, I assumed it was the writer who was visiting my article. It turned out he wasn't stalking me, but I was getting readers who clicked over from his hub. Could this be happening in your case?
   
   edit: Sorry, that wouldn't explain your Google problem, though.

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   1. 59

      soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the explanation. My hub is in his 'discover more hubs'. That's that cleared up.
      
      Still don't know why me updating my own hub has caused his to improve. Or why his hub was placed in the exact position mine was in. Or why mine disappeared from such a good position, and now can't be found anywhere in Google for the keywords it was doing so well for.

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   2. 92

      Jayne Lancerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      But could the Google problem have something to do with the hubs being linked in the 'Discover More Hubs' section? That's if Google can see that the hubs are linked in that way, of course. Just a thought.

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      1. 59

         soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Not a clue, Jayne. There's no reason at all why my hub should have been removed from Google. It has decent keyword density, and good enough content.
         
         I can't find the cause for this. I wish I knew how to fix it.
         
         And this other guys hub using the same keywords, jumping from page four to page one after my update, is freaking me out. It hadn't moved for months before this.
         
         It's depressing, and VERY strange!

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         1. 92

            Jayne Lancerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            And frustrating, I imagine. I wish I could help. Hopefully an expert will come along soon with the answer.

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         2. 72

            Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            It is still showing. Read my reply above. It just isn't ranking well.

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            1. 59

               soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Barbara, yes I know my hub shows if you type in Pineapple health benefits AND hubpages. It shows even if you type in the full title. The problem is that it doesn't show for the keywords I'm using 'Pineapple health benefits'
               
               That's the only keyword I want it to show for. It was ranking well, great infact.

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      2. 97

         EricDockettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I have a similar problem as the OP, and this is exactly why.  Even though my keywords are not the same, because my Hub shows up in the Discover More Hubs section Google is grabbing the text from there and returning their Hub in a high position.  Even though it doesn't address the same exact topic as mine (nor the same exact keywords), it is related so that apparently seems good enough for Google. It's really not the other Hubber's fault, just a oddity in the way Google has chosen to rank the Hubs.  In the end, the result is my keyword research is helping another Hubber rank highly. ~sigh~
         
         @soulfully: I don't know what the answer is except to hope Google straightens it out.  And of course keep on writing good Hubs. 
         
         It would be nice if HP gave us an option of whose Hubs our work linked to, which could prevent this from happening.

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         1. 59

            soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            EricDockett, Sorry to hear it's happening to you aswell, but also a relief for me that I'm not the only one with this particular problem. Maybe there's something that can be done in the future to fix it.
            
            If I unpublished my hub, would it break the link associated with the other hub and resolve any odd ranking behaviour linked with it too?
            
            I do get traffic trickling in from this other hub, but I don't mind losing that. I want my rightful position in Google back.

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            1. 97

               EricDockettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I wouldn't unpublish the Hub.  That won't help anything.  IMO, the best course of action is to be patient, go back and update the Hub once a month and add or revise content if appropriate, and hope for the best.  Otherwise, spend your time and energy writing more good Hubs instead of worrying about this one.

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               1. 59

                  soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Thank you for the tips, ErinDockett. 
                  
                  I took the approach of updating the hub, adding a new first paragraph (A sort of a teaser) to it, inspired by reading one of Wrylilt's hubs, shortly after creating this thread.
                  
                  http://wrylilt.hubpages.com/hub/Most-Co … iters-Make
                  
                  It's been two weeks since I updated it, and it looks like good news. Using Google encrypted search, suggested by WriterFox, I entered the keywords I was aiming for, and seen my hub is now at the bottom of page three. Near enough where it was before it disappeared many months ago.

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                  1. 92

                     Jayne Lancerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     Great to hear!

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                     1. 59

                        soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        Thanks, Jayne.

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            2. 84

               Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               No. Just go to your profile and put him on your blacklist

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               1. 92

                  Jayne Lancerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  And links to hubs by that hubber will stop showing up on 'Discover More Hubs'? I thought it only applied to 'Others you might like ...' on our profile pages: "You can add up to 3 usernames to a blacklist. Users on the blacklist are not going to be displayed in the Others You May Like Box."

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                  1. 32

                     Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     You are correct!

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5. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   You can't do much about having your keywords hijacked. But if you can workout why he is winning Google and fix it, you should--perhaps workshop it?

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   1. 32

      Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      He shouldn't try to keep editing his Hub to 'fix' it.  Google can perceive this as deliberately trying to manipulate search results and remove it from ranking altogether (which may have already happened to his Hub).

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      1. 84

         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I don't mean constant tinkering in the vague hope of improving it.  Just if you can find a single clear way to potentially leap frog him... then that would be a good idea. Like your keyword density is out of whack, or you need a couple of backlinks--something simple like that.

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      2. 59

         soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Writer Fox, I've edited it maybe two times. I have another account in the gaming niche. One of the hubs on that account I've edited over 30 times. It's on page 2 for the keywords.
         
         I think editing and keyword stuffing it would cause a removal. Not editing to improve the hub, which is what I did.

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6. 92

   Jayne Lancerposted 10 years ago

   I understand all this, but I'm just wondering why the other hub should suddenly jump to page one directly after Soulfully's hub has been edited. Coincidence?

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   1. 72

      Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I couldn't find any Hubpage article on page one.

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7. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 10 years ago

   Bulletin! Google is a mess. But they try.

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   1. 92

      Jayne Lancerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes. Unfortunately it's a question of 'may the luckiest man win' rather than the best.

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8. 92

   Jayne Lancerposted 10 years ago

   I don't get any Hubpages articles until page six on .com.

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9. 92

   Jayne Lancerposted 10 years ago

   And page five on co.uk.

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   1. 59

      soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hmm, the other hub shows up on page one for me, third spot.

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      1. 92

         Jayne Lancerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         No, I see '18 Amazing Health Benefits and Uses Of Pineapples' by StyleCraze.com in that position.
         
         But I think what Barbara is saying is that if you add 'Hubpages' to your search query, your hub ranks above the other one. Isn't that strange? Shouldn't the other one rank above yours, considering its better overall ranking? At least, that's what I'd have thought.

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         1. 59

            soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            You're right. I had to delete history and personalised results from Google search. Now I see the true results. <<such a nooby mistake.
            
            Still, strange about the rankings you mention, and the fact Google has disowned me.

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10. 83

    glassvisageposted 10 years ago

    Thanks for getting this topic started! It's funny timing because I just realized this was happening to me when I saw a Hub that looked a lot like mind on my feed and was wondering why it was getting such better traffic and number of comments when mine has been on HP for years. I thought to do a Google search of the topic and sure enough, mine was not even in the results, despite being "Featured". I have been on HP for 7 years and unloved it, but admit to being a little jaded now that I make 16x less than I did at the peak of it all! I don't bother trying to make sense of any of it - HP will do what it can to combat the effects of that darned Google Panda

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11. 32

    Writer Foxposted 10 years ago

    I searched on Google for pineapple health benefits and these were the results when searching from Israel, the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Canada and Australia:
    
    No Hub in the first 100 results (10 pages).
    
    From what country (your IP address) are you searching from? Are you using Google encrypted search? https://encrypted.google.com
    If not, you are not viewing the results a normal searcher will see, but you are seeing personalized results based upon what Google thinks you want to see or results based upon your IP country.
    
    You only have three Hubs on your subdomain and less than 10,000 views.  The competing Hubs on the 'Discover More Hubs' listed at the bottom of yours are from Hubbers with much larger accounts and 100,000+ and 1,000,000+ page views.

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    1. 59

       soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I just searched using google encrypted search and I do see a hubpage on page 5 for that keyword. I'm searching from the UK.
       
       I need to rethink my whole strategy for ranking. I never build backlinks so I suppose that's where I need to start to get these hubs ranked.
       
       How do you permanently disable Google personalized results?
       If I disable it, will it return once I launch the browser again?
       
       Writer Fox, Thanks for explaining all of this. I really appreciate your time.

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       1. 32

          Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Google knows all and Google remembers all!  It has been my experience that it can't "permanently" be done.  Just use encrypted search to avoid that. 
          
          Also, you can use this browser add-on for Firefox to see search results from other countries:
          https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo … le-global/
          
          The same add-on is available for Google Chrome, but it won't work for encrypted search so it's useless for diagnostic work.

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          1. 59

             soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks again, WF.

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       2. 84

          Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          As WF says, there's no way to turn of personalized search.   Even if you untick every setting you can find, Google still tracks a certain amount  from your IP address.
          
          WF is also right when he points out your sub-domain's size is a problem.   Unlike other writing sites, where your articles are just part of one huge site, here you have your own sub-domain - which Google regards as its own standalone website. Google has assessed it, and given it its own Panda score, which influences how Google ranks the individual Hubs.  So your Hubs are unlikely to do well until you build up your sub-domain to a respectable size (I've seen WF suggest 25 Hubs minimum).

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          1. 59

             soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             All taken on board, Marisa. Thank you very much.

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12. 60

    shynonposted 10 years ago

    He beat you in keyword optimization. Do some more keyword research and beat the person too. But I believe that there are more keywords with less competition that you can write on. It's all about the Keyword not hub-pages that's googles policy: Words matter. I'm so sorry

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13. 83

    earnerposted 10 years ago

    There's more to position than keywords.  You might get a quick bite of the cherry, but if there's no other activity (e.g. sharing, social media shares, links from relevant sites) then you've had your shot at the limelight and others waiting in the wings or who were displaced to give you your 15 minutes of fame will appear. 
    
    Gone are the days when you can write once and run .....

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14. 57

    JayFSposted 10 years ago

    It's most likely just coincidence. There isn't such a thing as search engine rankings for one article transferring to another article, unless you're linking to his article in someway, or you set a 301 redirect which you didn't. His article is probably a lot newer and (maybe) a tad bit more detailed? Try to see what makes his hub rank higher than yours, but don't copy each other.

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    1. 59

       soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       My article was displaying in the 'discover more hubs' section on his.
       When I checked my hub position in Google using a few different tools, they'd always bring back the results, with screenshots, showing that my hub was ranking, but when I looked manually, it was the other hub.
       
       Anyway, all seems to be back to normal now, and all the keywords I was ranking for that were once lost have now returned to webmaster tools.

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15. 65

    Cheeky Girlposted 10 years ago

    I wonder can I politely suggest adding tags from your hub's title and keywords to each and every one of your photos or graphics on your hub, and then try pinning it on some place like Pinterest. They get noticed by the bots and might give your hub a lead in search engine results. Also your photos would show up for those searches in photo searches in pinterest and other photo search tools.... just a wee suggestion.

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    1. 59

       soulfullyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for the suggestions, Cheeky Girl.

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