Daily earnings dropped drastically

1. 93

   Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years ago

   My daily earnings have dropped drastically -- WHY?  Is it because HP has pulled ads on my hubs due to the "unfeatured" hubs, which are mostly poems?  Are poems not worthy of being featured and getting daily earnings? And WHY does HP decide what should or should not be featured? Is that not googles job to rank articles? What is going on? Am I beginning to waste my time here at HubPages? I hope not, for my passion is writing and I have been writing more than ever lately.

   replyreport
   1. 86

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If your hubs are being unfeatured,of course you would lose ad revenue.  You need to find out why this has happened and see if you can correct the problem.  If people have stopped reading your work, there's not much you can do about it, but if you have quality problems, you can fix them and become featured again.  Check the learning center to find the quality guidelines, perhaps that can help.

      replyreport
   2. 82

      Marsha Musselman1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I too heard that the summer time isn't the best time for getting a lot of traffic. I'd wait until the fall and see if it gets any better. It may also depend on how well you did on the other site. You could probably do a bit of both just so you don't have any duplicate content.
      
      I peeked at your hubs and it looks like you have a lot of quality hubs not just ones related to poetry.

      replyreport
   3. 85

      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If a Hub is unFeatured, it can't earn a cent because it can't appear in search engine results.  The first thing to do is look at your Account page and see why they're unFeatured.   
      
      If you see a white circle next to a Hub, it means it's failed the Quality Assessment (QAP).   You can resubmit to the QAP simply by editing the Hub and adding a few extras, e.g. an image, a video, a poll etc.   Once you've save it, it will go back in the queue automatically to be re-assessed.  The quality assessors are human beings and they do make mistakes, so it's always worth giving it a second try.
      
      If you see a half-white, half-black circle, it means it's been unFeatured for "lack of engagement", which just means lack of traffic.  It does not mean HubPages thinks your Hub is unworthy or poor quality.  It's just an unfortunate victim of a policy designed to catch spammy Hubs.
      
      Some time ago, HubPages decided it needed to do something drastic if it was going to recover from its traffic losses.  Google's new algorithm penalizes sites that allow poor quality articles, so it was vital that HubPages got rid of them.   The QAP is the long term solution, but in the short term, HP had to find a quick way to hide the cr@p. 
      
      Their thinking was - If Google isn't sending traffic to a Hub, it may just be because not many people are searching for it, but equally, it could be because Google judges it poor quality.  Therefore if we unFeature all Hubs that don't get Google traffic, we'll get rid of all the poor quality Hubs at a stroke. 
      
      HubPages has said they recognise there is "collateral damage" to this policy, in the shape of good quality Hubs on rarely-searched topics.  However it's the best they can do with their current resources. 
      
      So, if your Hub is unFeatured for lack of engagement, revising it is unlikely to help unless you can see how it would increase your traffic.   Articles on subjects with low search volumes are probably better on other sites.

      replyreport
      1. 93

         Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you, everyone, for your helpful insight and suggestions. I am amazed this issue brought in so many replies so quickly. I really appreciate all your help.
         
         I am in the process of going over all my hubs to fix the ones that are not featured, in hopes this will make a difference. Most of the ones not featured were written before I began paying more attention to titles, keywords, and placement of key words.  I have found over time that the title and specific keywords should be prominent throughout the hub -- and that the title should be mentioned within the first 60 words of the hub.
         
         I am researching and studying a lot more now since I opened this forum and am finding that my older hubs need some tuning up. 
         
         Again, thank you everyone, I appreciate your replies.

         replyreport
         1. 85

            Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            When beefing up your keywords, be careful not to overdo it.
            
            You'll see advice that you should have the same keyword in every heading and sub-heading - don't!  It's outdated, and Google now sees that repetition as keyword stuffing.  Certainly it's important to use keywords in your headings, but mix them up.
            
            Also check your keyword density overall.   It's good to include as many keywords as possible but don't overdo the same one over and over again.   This tool will allow you to check:
            
            http://tools.seobook.com/general/keyword-density/
            
            You don't want any word or phrase to go over 3% or 4%.   Once upon a time, it was recommended to go up to 5% or even more, but that will get you Google slapped these days.

            replyreport
            1. 93

               Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you, Marisa. These keyword rules I have been aware of for quite awhile -- so, I know you are right. Thanks for participating and for your very important suggestions.

               replyreport
      2. 60

         ameliam.michelle1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Marisa has very comprehensively explained the reasons, therefore, I need not repeat that. Having a hub unfeatured does not mean that you have produced a poor-quality hub. If visitors are showing little interest in that topic, then it automatically drops down, just pick the topics carefully and ya do not do keyword stuffing, just diversify it in your text and things will improve

         replyreport
      3. 81

         peachpurpleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         marisa has given a full detailed on the unfeatured reasons

         replyreport
      4. 93

         Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I understand what the symbols (white circle, half and half, etc.) mean and I pay attention to those and edit those hubs to re-submit.
         
         I also understand that HP should be making sure that the entire site has quality hubs for all around better ratings as a site. I have seen some pretty poor quality hubs and wonder how they are even approved for publication.  I think HP might benefit greatly by have new members take a basic training course on writing for the web. If they pass the course, then they can publish their hubs.
         
         I have decided to not write any more poetry for HP, because those are the first hubs I have to edit and re-submit, since traffic to poems is not all that great. Eventually, all my poems will go to my blog.

         replyreport
   4. 93

      Solarasposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe you could try adding a poll to a poetry hub.  "How did this poem make you feel about___? (i.e.1. Made me cry, 2. Made me laugh, 3. I didn't get it.  Or would you like to read more poems on the subject of___? The hub tips seems to like when you add polls, and you would not have to change your poem.  Maybe you could also add some content after the poem that explains the inspiration of where the poem came from...

      replyreport
   5. 70

      denden mangubatposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      mayber your poems does not give enough traffic.sometimes traffic matters than the quality and passion.because traffic not just lead to your write ups but logically to hubpages.com

      replyreport
   6. 93

      Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      WOW! I made a whopping 10 cents yesterday! A dime use to buy an ice cream cone  -- or a huge bag of" penny candy" at the old Five and Dime. hmmmm .... I guess I just dated myself, huh?

      replyreport
   7. 93

      Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I just read a very helpful and informative hub by Paul Edmondson:
      
      What We Don't Know About Google Panda
      by Paul Edmondson
      
      This hub is a bit technical for me, so I will read it again -- but, overall, it did help me to understand a lot more about why traffic is falling which has an affect on our earnings. I recommend reading this hub to all. It is well worth the time.

      replyreport
      1. 92

         Alisha Adkinsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         
         
         Thanks, Phyllis -- the article helped me make sense of the traffic drop. 
         It sounds like a Google Panda update hit us, and HubPages didn't fare well.  I've gotten  virtually no Google traffic in the past few days.  I wonder how frequently Google Panda updates -- and if HubPages will be able to improve its rating for the next one. 

         replyreport
         1. 93

            Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            You are welcome, Alisha. Paul's hub has answered a lot of questions for me and I know I am right then to stick it out at HubPages and grow with the site.

            replyreport
   8. 85

      lovebuglenaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I have published poetry hubs and they've done well traffic wise so I wouldn't stop publishing poetry on here...

      replyreport
2. 93

   Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years ago

   ALSO, I dropped writing for another site that I had been writing for since 2007 so I could focus more on HubPages and publish more of my work here. Now HubPages is making me consider going back to the other site where I felt valued.

   replyreport
3. 86

   Healthyannieposted 10 years ago

   I have been writing here on Hubpages for a while now, and I have also been writing on other  writing sites. I must admit I have noticed that earnings have gone done. One of the problems is the time of the year. Most people spend less time on the internet during the summer.  There has also been some changes on Hubpages recently, and I think there may be some issues which the Hubpages management team is busy working on.

   replyreport
4. 92

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   Phyllis, I've noticed the same with my earnings. It does concern me, making me tweak my titles to see if that will help. I thought it was due to the beginning of summer and especially the recent holiday where I saw earnings really plummet. My views used to shoot up on the weekends, now recently, they go down on the weekends. I really do think it's because most people are out on these beautiful weekends. But of course, your overall concerns are valid about the value of poetry, its earning potential here at HP, and whether or not your time invested is worth it.

   replyreport
   1. 93

      Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Jan, I think you are right about people being out and away from the computers on these lovely summer days. That makes a lot of sense now that I think about it.

      replyreport
      1. 93

         Solarasposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         And I was cursing all the rain we have been having down here in Georgia- bring it on and keep the people glued to their computers lol.

         replyreport
5. 77

   Greekgeekposted 10 years ago

   My average earnings per hub have been creeping upwards lately, fwiw.
   
   Unfeatured hubs don't earn. So the question to focus on is: why were they unfeatured? Was it because of very few visitors? Are they the type of content that people are likely to search for, or not? Are there lots of other pages on the web on the same topic that may be competing with yours, so that you have to improve the content to beat the competition? Are visitors likely to read your whole hub or click away because they don't find whwt they're looking for (checking what search terms brought people to those hubs can help give you an inkling of your audience)?
   
   i suggest thinking like a detective and put yourself in the shoes of a random visitor landing on your page. What's in it for them? What's likely to keep them there? Did the title clearly indicate what the page is about, both to search engines and to people trying to decide whether to visit thwt page or the others listed in search results?
   
   The more you can figure out what your target audience audience is looking for, and the more you give it to them, the more likely your hubs will start pulling enough sustained traffic to remain featured.

   replyreport
6. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 10 years ago

   My traffic and earnings continue to muddle along... And, yep. They've dropped somewhat, which I, too, am attributing to the summer season.

   replyreport
7. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   I think it may be a little of both.  Yes there is a summer traffic droop, but it is on top of an overall downward trend.

   replyreport
   1. 92

      jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm feeling the same, psycheskinner.

      replyreport
   2. 81

      Dale Hydeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with this as well.

      replyreport
      1. 93

         Solarasposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I agree as well.  A previous thread suggested that the new Panda update had improved people's pageviews.  I was not experiencing that uptick.  I am glad to hear I am not the only one.  Misery loves company.

         replyreport
8. 93

   Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years ago

   This is so true, ameliam.michelle1. You and Marisa are spot on. Thank you!

   replyreport
9. 82

   pinappuposted 10 years ago

   It is nothing but the effect of Google Panda updates. I have checked my hub traffics and saw that each and every release of new updates of it has drastic effect on traffic. HP is trying its best to keep away Panda from its tail but till date they have not got much success.

   replyreport
   1. 93

      Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That is very interesting. Thanks, pinippu.

      replyreport
10. 60

    The Examiner-1posted 10 years ago

    Has your traffic dropped, or slowed? If you cannot change a few words of the poems, try changing the background/scenery.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I will check my traffic history. I do not usually do that. I just focus on writing and my earnings. I was writing for six websites and dropped 3, so now I will have more time to look into my reports, etc. Thank you for the suggestions. I am in the process of revising all my hubs that are not featured and I know that will help.

       replyreport
       1. 60

          The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

          I keep checking to see if I am still under review for my AdSense and I just noticed something. If you 'make changes to a page, it may be 1 to 2 weeks' before they notice and update. That may be another reason why your earnings have dropped. I am changing my pages all of the time - it is just a suggestion.

          replyreport
11. 83

    georgialgal1984posted 10 years ago

    My daily earnings have gone up the last couple of weeks. I only have 17 hubs and am almost reaching $1 a day. Not a lot, but it keeps rising so that is encouraging. Hope you have a wonderful day!

    replyreport
12. 69

    MountainManJakeposted 10 years ago

    georgialgal1984, I don't know if you utilize eBay ads or not, but they shot my earnings over $1 a day easily, earning me ~$10 a month alone.

    replyreport
13. 85

    lovebuglenaposted 10 years ago

    just because your hub is unfeatured doesn't mean it doesn't have ads... You are the one that decides whether ads are shown on your hubs or not.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       lovebuglena, it is true that I have the choice of having ads on my hub pages, yet, it a hub is not featured, ads may be pulled by HubPages. Also, google may pull ads for any number of reasons.

       replyreport
       1. 85

          Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Phyllis, whether ads are shown on unFeatured Hubs is irrelevant.   No one visits unFeatured hubs so you can't earn from those Hubs anyway.

          replyreport
       2. 85

          lovebuglenaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          are your poetry hubs I featured because of quality or engagement?

          replyreport
       3. 85

          lovebuglenaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          you should consider having a Facebook page for yourself to promote your poetry hubs and others. Either an author page or a writer page... also tumblr... you can even join wattpad and other writing communities/sites and mention you are a writer for HubPages and provide link to your profile

          replyreport
14. 92

    davidlivermoreposted 10 years ago

    I am getting more hits but seeing decreasing revenue myself.  So it's very dis-concerning.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I agree, David, it is dis-concerning. I, too, am getting more hits, but less revenue, so I find it odd.

       replyreport
    2. 73

       Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Advertisers don't pay as much for their ads in the summer either. That is part of the problem. I've noticed the hits I am getting from my website aren't paying what they did in the winter months either.

       replyreport
15. 61

    paradigmsearchposted 10 years ago

    Just thought I'd toss in my 2 cents...
    
    As to my ytd monthly traffic, courtesy of Analytics:
    
    The bad news. April was my best month.
    
    The good news. My May and June were higher than my February and March.
    
    So, for me anyway, the only problem seems to be seasonal. Dog Day Afternoon, anyone? July and August will be gone before we know it. So, I'm not too concerned at this point. I'm even contemplating a new hub.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Good for you, paradigmsearch -- just keep writing and let things flow as they will, I guess.

       replyreport
       1. 88

          Victoria Lynnposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          I remember last summer being really bad, too. Maybe not this bad, but bad. Good for you, paradigmsearch. I say we just keep on keepin' on!

          replyreport
          1. 73

             Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             This summer is much worse for me than last and I have more hubs. It is depressing.

             replyreport
             1. 88

                Victoria Lynnposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                Yeah, I know. It's a real bummer. My hubs that used to get 100 views per day may get 10 or 15 now. :-( Maybe it will pick up again soon.

                replyreport
16. 88

    Victoria Lynnposted 10 years ago

    A lot of folks are reporting decreased views and revenue. Mine are less than half lately. Some of it is summertime, but I've also heard that Google had another recent update several weeks back. It is very disconcerting, but I do feel that everything will go back up in time. I would hang in there. :-)

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks, Victoria. Yes, summertime does slow down traffic to the internet. It seems that I am constantly revising my older hubs now, in hopes that will help.

       replyreport
       1. 88

          Victoria Lynnposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          I think it will help, Phyllis. I've been revising some of mine now and then, too. Sometimes, it gets me a few more views, it seems. :-)

          replyreport
          1. 93

             Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             Do we not have a 'Like' button? hahaha

             replyreport
17. 81

    moonlakeposted 10 years ago

    My views are about the same but my earnings are really dropping.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Well, moonlake, from what everyone is saying, and I agree to, the summer months pull people outside and away from the Hub. And that means, less people to click on the ads.

       replyreport
18. 69

    Anamika Sposted 10 years ago

    You would be surprised to know that without having even a single unfeatured hub, my HP Ads income has dropped drastically. Views are more or less the same. Amazon income is also down.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Anamika, I also have seen my Amazon income drop and that is bothering me.

       replyreport
19. 60

    Is2222posted 10 years ago

    My revenue is up!!! From twelve cents to fourteen cents for the month. I can't wait to get to $50 and get the payout...I wonder if I'll live that long

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Hahaha - Is2222, here's to a long life for you!  Cheers !

       replyreport
20. 61

    paradigmsearchposted 10 years ago

    Uh-oh... I just dropped by my AdSense and couldn't believe how low my view count is for this time of the day. HP stats seem ok. Hoping AdSense is just behind schedule...

    replyreport
    1. 61

       paradigmsearchposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Follow up.
       
       Made a mad dash over to Analytics. Analytics is showing 10X what AdSense is showing. So, either HP has run out of AdSense ads to show, or AdSense is indeed just fallen behind on the reporting.

       replyreport
       1. 73

          Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          My Adsense had a notation on it when I checked the entire report that they were behind and they would catch it back up. I can't remember the exact wording, but that is the problem.

          replyreport
          1. 61

             paradigmsearchposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             All is well in HubPages Land...

             replyreport
21. 57

    SAM ELDERposted 10 years ago

    Crazy crazy couple days.. WTH ... - 90% traffic ... :'-(

    replyreport
22. 81

    moonlakeposted 10 years ago

    Yesterday my visitors went up according to Google analytics. Now today right this minute there are no visitors at all!! I was shocked to see that I always have visitors.

    replyreport
23. 92

    Alisha Adkinsposted 10 years ago

    Only a few days ago, I averaged about 250 views a day.  In the last 24 hours, I've had only 41 views, the lowest it's ever been since I started paying attention to HubPages.  My earnings, typically at least .25 a day, while not much, were at least quite consistent.  I just got my daily update -- I earned 2 cents yesterday! 
    I agree with everyone else here.  The drop in traffic is huge.  Something is going on.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Alisha, I agree with you. Even though summer pulls people outdoors and a lot of hubs are being unfeatured, I do not think this accounts for the drastic drops I have seen on my pages. I mean, to drop from an average of almost 2.00 a day to less than .30 a day is rather startling for me and very unsettling.

       replyreport
       1. 92

          Alisha Adkinsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          4 cents today... My articles seem to have disappeared from Google altogether.
          I'm beginning to wonder why I am spending so much time with HubPages (as opposed to my blog or other sites).  More to the point,  I fear that others will feel the same way.  If traffic and earnings don't pick up soon, many Hubbers may begin to focus their attentions elsewhere, and losing quality writers can only further damage HubPages as a site.

          replyreport
          1. 93

             Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             Alisha, according to the article Paul Edmondson wrote, I understand that it is Google Panda that is messing things up -- so, that tells me that other sites also may have the same problems.
             
             I am just going to stay with HubPages and hope things will smooth out eventually. Meanwhile, I will keep writing hubs -- just no more poems. If the quality writers stay with HP then we have a chance of seeing HP getting better.

             replyreport
             1. 92

                Alisha Adkinsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                I suppose other sites may have similar troubles.  I guess my trepidation stems from another forum thread I've been following that is about Hubs being unfeatured for lack of traffic.  I can forsee a vicious circle in which articles lose Google traffic due to HubPages acquiring a poor Panda rank and then become unfeatured because they aren't getting Google traffic.

                replyreport
                1. 93

                   Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                   I think a huge part of the problem with HubPages, is that anyone can sign up to join and just start writing hubs. A lot of people come here with no 'writing for the web' experience at all and this pulls HP ratings down. That is not the only problem that causes lower ratings, but it is a major one. I have been writing for the web since 2007 and have had a lot of very good training from other sites -- even with the good training I received, I still get some hubs (98% poetry) that are unfeatured.
                   
                   I think the Apprentice program is good, but the real training should be done up front, when someone wants to join HubPages.

                   replyreport
                   1. 92

                      Alisha Adkinsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                      I don't completely agree with you that people without training are to blame. Not everyone can write well.  To a large extent, training will not fix this, at least once someone has reached adulthood.  For those who do write well, the fine points of writing for a particular medium can be picked up along the way.  For example, although I had no prior "writing for the web" experience, weeks after joining HubPages, one of my very first articles was selected as a Hub of the Day. 
                      But this is beside the point.  What I was trying to say is that I am worried that HP's low rank with Panda will cause good articles to lose Google traffic, and those articles will then be unfeatured because of that lack of traffic.

                      replyreport
                      1. 93

                         Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                         Well, you have some good points and I have to agree with you on your viewpoint. Now that I think about it, a new writer has to start somewhere in order to learn along the way.

                         replyreport
24. 88

    Robbie C Wilsonposted 10 years ago

    Looks like I am bucking the trend here. I did have a bad couple of weeks in May, but aside from that, my traffic has proved pretty robust. My traffic is about + 200% compared with the beginning of the year, although I have almost doubled my hubs.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       This is good, Robbie. Thanks for the encouragement -- maybe we all can make a difference somehow. I have a lot of new articles prepared to edit and submit and I am hoping that will help me a lot. Thanks for sharing.

       replyreport
25. 83

    georgialgal1984posted 10 years ago

    I have seen a rise in traffic to my hubs. I've learned that it's all about the content, no matter what time of year it is, good evergreen content is king. I'm still learning many things here, but am thankful to see a continual ride in my traffic and earnings. Hope your traffic picks up and you have a wonderful day!

    replyreport
    1. 83

       georgialgal1984posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       ride= rise sorry..

       replyreport
       1. 62

          JaniceloveGod7posted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks for the message

          replyreport
       2. 88

          Victoria Lynnposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          That's good that you're writing evergreen content. That will help. :-)

          replyreport
    2. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I agree on evergreen content and the benefits of them. All my hubs are evergreen.

       replyreport
26. 81

    moonlakeposted 10 years ago

    I wonder about some of the ads that show up on our hubs. Why would anyone click on them?

    replyreport
    1. 60

       The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       By mistake. I have done that unintentionally and quickly closed it again but I doubt that it helps. Another reason is that the person is an online/offline shopper and cannot pass an offer.

       replyreport
    2. 96

       DrMark1961posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I have wondered the same thing about the "related ads". Have you ever clicked on them? They are not related at all.
       If I were visiting a web site, and found "related ads" that were just drawing me away, I would just close the window and find another site. Does HP staff think they are making money off of those things?

       replyreport
       1. 60

          The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

          I close the windows before anything appears, but the money may already be made as soon as someone clicks on it.

          replyreport
       2. 92

          jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          I just starting noticing those a couple days ago, just posted in another forum about it. What is going on with those? WHY? FOR WHAT? They are unattractive and sometimes unrelated to the hub topic.

          replyreport
          1. 93

             Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             I have, too, Jan. I do not know why those ads are there and see no purpose for them. But, I never click on any ads, so I also do not know what they are about.

             replyreport
          2. 96

             DrMark1961posted 10 years agoin reply to this

             As far as I can tell those ads are just set up to roll along and convince people that they are related, even though they are not. HP gets 100% of the revenue for those ads since they are no longer in your HP subdomain.

             replyreport
             1. 92

                jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                Wow, DrMark, I didnt know that. Thanks for the heads up. Now I know what it's about.

                replyreport
             2. 93

                Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                OMGosh! 100% ?

                replyreport
27. 81

    moonlakeposted 10 years ago

    I never click my ads but I was just noticing some of the ads and I don't understand why they are on our hubs. Some are pretty bad. One I saw today Columbian Cupid. Just not the right kind of ad for HubPages in my opinion.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I agree, moonlake. I have seen some that are pretty raunchy/trashy.

       replyreport
    2. 60

       The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       As far as I know HP chooses which ads are allowed on its pages and which are not. I could be wrong but I do not think so. After all, they have rules about what we can and cannot place on here. Correct?

       replyreport
    3. 96

       DrMark1961posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Looking at those "related ads" has nothing to do with adsense. When you click on one of the words you are taken to a different page and 100% of the revenue goes to HP, 0% to the HP author.

       replyreport
    4. 85

       Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       HubPages doesn't control what ads appear.

       replyreport
28. 93

    Solarasposted 10 years ago

    Okay - I see that my page views on my blog, The Modern Bark, are up 2 fold and views on HP are down 50% over last week.  That means that I am earning more on my blog with the same number of posts than on my hub posts here - which seems remarkable.  I will be focusing my effort over there until I see some improvement on HP.  I hope things improve here shortly.  I am relatively new to HP and was hoping HP would outstrip income from the blog enormously.

    replyreport
    1. 94

       alexadryposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       My personal blog which has less articles is also blooming these days,but it's also true though that there I get 100% earnings without splitting. I have moved some of my articles there and replaced them with a few new ones here. Will see how they do there and evaluate. As always, best to keep eggs in more than one basket!

       replyreport
    2. 85

       Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       In 2010, you would've been right. HubPages enjoyed enormous trust from Google and Hubs ranked well effortlessly. 
       
       Ever since Google launced the first Panda update in 2011, they have declared war on content farms and in Google's eyes, that includes HubPages.  I know many people who are doing much better on their blogs than with their Hubs now.
       
       The big challenge with blogs is to learn to monetize them properly.  I've helped a few people get a blog started, but although they get good traffic, they don't make money.  The advantage of HubPages is that the monetization is done for you.

       replyreport
       1. 93

          Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          You are right, Marisa, about blogs --they must be monetized properly in order to earn a residual income. I have to make sure I have mine monetized and work on getting more followers/traffic.

          replyreport
29. 59

    DenisesArtposted 10 years ago

    I am also frustrated with the direction of Hubpages. I was a member before  images were allowed and I use the site for posts that I'd like to write rather than the ones I am paid to write. I never made much money which is fine.
    
    Two issues are bothering me. First, the "featured" is ridiculously unfair and I resent that Hubpages decides what is viewed. If I have written a poor article, the readers will let me know; I don't need HP to do it. Secondly, the scores seem to be based on how much time I spend putting bold headers and photo's into my posts. I am a writer and this new method takes longer than writing.
    
    I hope things return to the previous methods soon. As it is, I have pulled most of my articles a couple of months ago - one had over 10,000 views so it was probably worth posting but it is gone now.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I understand what you mean, Denise. This is one reason I wrote a hub called Whatever Happened to the Fine Art of Writing? A writer used to be able to pen an article, poem, or write a book without worrying about capsules, images, what rules to follow, etc.  It is becoming increasingly difficult to just write what one wants to. Thanks to google and other such 'gods', we are no longer just writers, but internet slaves.

       replyreport
30. 61

    paradigmsearchposted 10 years ago

    Am not amused with my yesterday's traffic and earnings. Am postponing rant for the time being...

    replyreport
31. 73

    brakel2posted 10 years ago

    Phyllis. A person must have five featured hubs now before continuing on the site. That is fairly new and an improvement.

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks brake12. I have unpublished my unfeatured hubs, mostly poems, until I decide what to do with them. A few of the unfeatured ones I have are seasonal, like for Christmas. I think I may unpublish those till the seasons roll around.

       replyreport
       1. 73

          brakel2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

          That rule is for new hubbers, and it should help with qualitiy on the site. Good luck to you with your writing Phyllis.

          replyreport
    2. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I never knew that one has to have five featured hubs to continue on the site, brakel2. Where is that written and when did that take effect? I have always had more than five featured, but, this is something important to know. Thanks.

       replyreport
       1. 73

          brakel2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

          That is for new hubbers, Phyllis. Sorry if I confused you.

          replyreport
32. 69

    receivetipstricksposted 10 years ago

    If you only write poem ,i would suggest to go for self hosted blogs ,, You will find more opportunity and more revenue ,,

    replyreport
    1. 93

       Phyllis Doyleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I write more that poetry. In fact, I removed all but one or two poems so I can put them on my blog. Thanks, receivetipstricks.

       replyreport
33. 58

    David J Spetchposted 10 years ago

    It's sad that the internet was at one time a social place where you could get the attention of even millions in a day.
    
    These days all web sites are being governed to make you work your but off for so very little return.
    
    You could spend months working on your social circles on various sites and yet only a small fraction of those people ever see what you display the way everything is going down the toilet.
    
    They don't want you to be successful they want yo to work to make them successful and all you ever get these days is shafted for it like you just did Phylis Doyle.
    
    / David

    replyreport
34. 83

    Marcy Goodfleischposted 10 years ago

    Google drives all of it - at one time, Google apparently did not filter content the way it's being done now. so just about anything would get featured and get hits from Google.  HubPages did not change that or restrict traffic to poems, etc. (why would they? a hit is a hit, and if poems brought in money, it only helped the site).
    
    But now, the Google Game is only to reward those things for which people search.  Since people typically don't search for poems, or for words in the titles of poems,  nor do they search for short stories or personal anecdotes, those types of hubs have seen a huge drop in traffic.  Worse yet, since Google  apparently factors in elements in the entire site, hubs with no traffic (even excellent hubs, brilliant short stories, beautiful poems) can create Google problems that affect  everything else in that Hubber's account, and also everything else on the entire site. 
    
    It isn't fair, and none of us like it.  But I do not blame HP at all.  I finally removed just about anything I had that was a poem, a short story, an essay, etc. - I simply knew they would not get traffic, and that my entire account would be dinged, as well as the site as a whole.  Sad, but it's the way Google operates these days.

    replyreport
35. 88

    Victoria Lynnposted 10 years ago

    Marcy, I'm wondering if I should remove some of my poems, too. I have some that do really well but many that don't. Did your traffic improve once you deleted some?

    replyreport