Decrease In Traffic And Earnings Over Past Weeks?

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   Jlbowdenposted 12 years ago

   Possibly I overlooked the answer to this question in the forums, but I have noticed over the past three weeks at least, a significant drop of at least half of my traffic views during this period.  And of course a significant drop in my earnings.  Are other writers in the community experiencing this same issue lately and what is the solution if any.  Could google have something to do with this in addition?

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      theherbivorehippiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      My traffic on this profile dropped drastically 3 weeks ago as well....23 days to be exact. 

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         Jlbowdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Hello HH:
         
         It does seem that from what you are saying about your traffic and earnings over the past three weeks, and especially over the last 23 days is a carbon copy of what has been happening to me. Possibly Google has something to do with this once again, but others who chimed in did not think that was the case. It can be somewhat discouraging especially when we are all here trying to earn a little side income, it shouldn't stop us  though from doing what we all love to do here and that is writing articles, poems and the like. But than again some may have second thoughts.  If you learn further of issues that could be causing this, I would like to know. Again thank you for chiming in with your input.
         
         Jl

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            brakel2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Please hang in there. I believe it can get better. If you go to Quantcast, all the writing sites are down right now. It happened on August 19 at time of Google Panda. I don't know the answer about people who saw many visits that disappeared. I just trust that the idling of some hubs will make everything somewhat better.

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               Jlbowdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Hi Brake:
               
               Don't worry I plan on hanging in there for the long run, despite my lack of patience. But than again this will pass too as I previously mentioned. I am currently trying to catch up on everything within the community, including writing more articles after being temporarily incapacitated with a prior eye injury. And of course that didn't help much in not being very interactive over a period of nearly two months. Despite all of the traffic idioms and other nonsense...let the games continue!  Thanks for chiming in and see you around the community.
               
               Jl

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               greenerydayposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks for relieving comment I've been experiencing traffic drops over the past few weeks as well, I think this is because the new algorithm google has been applying, I know the best thing to do right know is to hang in there and glad that I am not alone with this kind of situation.

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   David 470posted 12 years ago

   My traffic has been going down lately as well. However, I am not sure if this is because my older hubs that used to make me more traffic and money are just topics that are being searched less or Google has something to do with it.
   
   There has been some minor Google updates lately as far as I know, but I don't think any thing significant compared to earlier this year.
   
   If I compare how I did last summer to this summer I made progress. However, If i compare how much I made overall in a month -- the last several months are not record breaking.
   
   I believe a hubber named Relache mentioned something about this long ago...Always compare the current month to the previous years month (for e.i. June 2011 to June 2012). Advertisers generally spend more in the holiday months and it's often easier to get more traffic surges during holidays (in my experience and what i have seen).
   
   So what I am essentially saying is that you should not always compare month to month because some times during the year advertisers spend a lot more money which in turn means higher CPM for us.
   
   Sorry if I got off topic a bit here. It's just sometimes people blame a Google update when it might just be the time of the year that is the cause of traffic decline or other variables. Not saying it was not a Google issue, though.

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      Jlbowdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you both so far for your insightful comments and feedback to my prior question.  And yes it does make sense to me that the fall in traffic etc... could be a mix of several things and not directly because of an unforeseen google issue, or another related Panda disaster,which I too remember very well. Over the last couple of days though, I have seen a notable increase in traffic views and that is a good thing. But given it is a long holiday weekend and with other factors that come into play, such as folks wanting to get some last minute summer fun in before it all ends, could without a doubt be  other contributing factors as well.  But as they say...you sometimes have to take the bad along with the good, or vise versa. Thanks again all for your feedback.
      
      Jl

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3. 71

   brakel2posted 12 years ago

   A google Panda caused disaster to many. Hopefully the idling of hubs will help. See if you have any hubs marked zzzz. They have to be updated to get the traffic back. They are the far right column in account statistics.

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   viryaboposted 12 years ago

   The "bad" has been lurking around for far too long while the "good" seems to have gone with the wind.
   Its so disheartening.

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      Jlbowdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      yes it certainly is and you have said a mouthful in stating that point! thanks for your additional feedback in reference to my previously posted forum question.
      
      Jl

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   Vampsdesposted 12 years ago

   I have had the same problem for about 3 weeks as well.  I was only getting about 60-80 views a day on average.  Not a lot but it stayed pretty consistent.  I had 3 hubs that performed pretty well consistently.  About 3 weeks ago, all at once, my views dropped to nothing.  I'm getting anywhere from just a few to 15 views a day.  I'm not even making pennies everyday.  I was making about 50 cents or a bit more per day, especially from ebay clicks.  It's incredibly disheartening.  I had felt I was making progress, but now I just don't think I'll continue.

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      Jlbowdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Don't feel bad and welcome to the club of other disheartened ones including myself. But I guess we all have to remain patient and this too shall pass, as the ole saying goes. Thanks also for chiming in with your feedback and thoughts about declining traffic as well.
      
      Jl

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         Vampsdesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Jlbowden, I too will try to remain patient. 

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      greenerydayposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's number similar to mine, I guess the best thing to do is to remain patient and hopefully things will get better as we all hope to be

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   jellygatorposted 12 years ago

   I've had the same drop from 275-300 hits daily down to 130 or so. This has happened once before.
   
   I've noticed a couple of things - not that I have any answers, exactly.
   
   The last time this happened, it recovered with a huge surge afterward for about 24 hours - 300% suddenly but my traffic sources reported similar numbers both when the views were high and when they were low. I'm hoping to see this again, but another thing I've noticed has me wondering, too...
   
   Recently, the traffic sources shows negative values under them, sometimes from funky pages that are not sending traffic in the first place. There was something a couple weeks ago where a lot of people had undesirable sites listed in their traffic sources, with numbers like -1428485 under the views column for the weird sites, and a negative, single digit integer for the sites that do send traffic normally, like from other hubbers. This went away, and over the last few days, as I've watched my views plummet again, I'm seeing a repeat of this.
   
   If anyone understands if this is some sort of attack on HP or... ? I'd love to understand it.

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   sabrebIadeposted 12 years ago

   I have no Idle or ZZZZ HUbs, yet my views have dropped down to levels I haven't seen since 2007.
   And yeah it was about 3 weeks ago.
   When was it Google rolled out that Penguin update?
   
   And Google...knock it off with the cute names!
   Armageddon, The End of Days or Ragnarok would be much more accurate codenames!

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      jellygatorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I had 5 or 6 on "idle" when that was rolled out, and today I have a dozen. Sigh.
      
      I agree on the Google name thing, too!

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      theherbivorehippiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I thought the last update was on the 19th (or around there). However, my traffic took a huge nose dive on the 10th. I agree; a different name would have been more appropriate. When I look at my Adsense and see how much this has affected my earnings...I certainly do not think of cute little pandas.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Same thing happened to me...and my views continue to be 2/3 less than they were before.  However, I think the new guidelines and the end of summer will bring them back...at least I hope so!

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      brakel2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have no idle hubs, and my views match yours. Better days are ahead, right? I think when the hubs get out of the z status, things will be better. I am the eternal optimist.

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   caninecrtiticsposted 12 years ago

   Does anyone from hubpages have a answer it seems they never know the answers to the nose dives.  We write articles for them and earn them money but don't get any straight answers on traffic problems when are income falls off the earth.

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      jellygatorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I suspect they're somewhat in the same boat we are. Google protects its algorithms, and as a result, their updates leave people guessing. By the time people have a good idea of what's happening, there's already been a change.
      
      So far, I think a couple of things are affecting what I see on my own traffic:
      
      - I think HP gets attacked like every commercial site, and when it does, it affects traffic temporarily.
      
      - I think HP's record keeping methods take place in a certain way/time that can affect what is reported to us inaccurately. At least some of the visits may still be there but aren't being reported.
      
      - I think that Google's process for indexing sites is a redundancy method that affects our traffic. Google takes a million pages today (let's say... I'm just pulling a number from thin air!) and must re-rank them in comparison to the other ranked sites. While it does, those pages are de-indexed from their Google.com, but may still be available through archives or international Google searches.
      
      How to confirm any of this? No idea.

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         David 470posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I don't think HubPages understands everything Google is doing.
         
         You also have to keep in mind that there are only a little more than 20 staff members...Which I always thought there would be more given how large this site is.
         
         I think Google should focus on destroying spam more than anything instead of punishing innocent people who write original content with decent writing skills.

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            jellygatorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I agree with you, David, although I think a lot of people think they have good writing skills but aren't actually writing anything better than at a 4th grade grammar and spelling level. I wouldn't mind seeing those pages get a lower ranking instead of getting 1/3 of the way in and losing interest in reading what they wrote.

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   GmaGoldieposted 12 years ago

   I have to state my crazy thoughts. I wonder IF Google is being erratic in the traffic simply to shack out those who remain brave? This roller coaster ride is extreme - completely extreme. I just finally recover and boom August 28th completely disowned by Google.
   
   I don't have time to do anything more. I am not making money at this - I love it but must move on to things that are more productive. Google doesn't want me so I must move on to other sites where I am wanted. Fortunately, I have other interests but I am sad. I was so ecstatic to have recovered and then it was all taken away from me.
   
   GmaGoldie will continue but only on a fractional basis. I love this site and love my hubs, I refuse to completely give up.

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    Angie Jardineposted 12 years ago

    Hmmm … I have noticed a drop in my earnings too. Ever since HP were ever so helpful and assessed some of my
    under-performing hubs as ‘idling’ …
    
    I know this was meant to help us … but frankly it doesn’t seem to have helped me.
    
    Anyone else notice any correlation like this?

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       jellygatorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       yep

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    postsposted 12 years ago

    I don't know whats going on but the traffic is significantly decreasing and the phase seems to be continuous. Almost 20% traffic drop within a week!!!

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    LeanManposted 12 years ago

    I should probably not say this as it will probably reverse if I do, but I am not seeing what others are seeing. I have been seeing a steady rise in views with some of my hubs climbing positions within the SERPS for keywords and gaining additional traffic. Maybe some of my hubs are "maturing"?
    
    I have however seen a slight drop in the amount that HP is shelling out per view but only slight.

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    psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

    None of my hubs are idle and traffic is down. Not in a panda way, just a slow bleed way.

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    Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

    None of my Hubs are idle.  I had one Zzz, fixed it, and everything is green dots all the way.  My daily traffic is nothing to write home about, but it is steady and has not dumped or completely gone down to nothing.  It has remained 130+, and seems to like it there--no matter what I do.  This is why I am down to writing an article a week here.  I've done all I can do to my account, and that includes all the hacking, tweaking and photographs needed to establish my new profile.  Now, it's all about sitting back to see what happens next.  Kinda like watching a soap on the telly.

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    eddiecarraraposted 12 years ago

    My traffic tanked back on August 23rd  and slowly continues to drop, all and all, my traffic and income has dropped about 93%, if it drops any lower, I'll have no views.  I just goes to show us how much power the big G has over us, and how little control we really have.  I thought keyword research was the key to good traffic, NOT! Google is the key to good traffic.
    I think the hubbers who's traffic have not fallen, probably have most of their traffic coming from sources other then Google, like Yahoo, Bing, forums, etc...  The hubbers who's traffic heavily rely's on Google have suffered the most, just a thought.

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       LeanManposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       When it comes to organic searches we ALL rely on Google, they are the search engine that sees the majority of searches. My views are steadily increasing even on Google as I am seeing hubs finding higher positions in the SERPs so they are being clicked on more often.
       My traffic has generally followed the general pattern for HP but currently it seems to be increasing slightly and not falling as many others are complaining about. I am also seeing the same trend on my personal sites which I am continuing to build, they are gaining traffic also.
       Here on HP I have only added one video hub in many months, not deleted any large numbers of hubs (just I think maybe 2-3 that I really was unhappy with and that was ages back.) I have updated a handful but otherwise I have been watching for the last several months.

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    Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

    Since my last comment, traffic has been creeping upward.  Along with a few red Christmas trees thrown in.  I'm not one to analyze the antics of Google because anything can happen.  My account could completely dump tomorrow.  Who really knows?

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    SmartAndFunposted 12 years ago

    My traffic is doing well (for me) and actually up a bit, but the money lower than ever, despite the small traffic boost.

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       Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       My traffic's fine, but CPM still pretty low with the exception of Sat and Sun, where it was significantly higher.

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    Angie Jardineposted 12 years ago

    My traffic is usually down a little between Friday and Mondays, then it recovers though I only have between 200 - 300 views on my 95 hubs a week.
    
    However I have noticed that these views are now earning less for me …

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19. 94

    GoodLadyposted 12 years ago

    I  earn very little, work very hard at writing hubs, understand almost nothing about how remuneration for online writing works (still) but one thing is becoming very clear.  Google is a monopoly and monopolies are unhealthy - and we are dependent on it.
    There is a randomness about 'traffic' and earnings for which nobody has explanations. There is supposition, speculation, chat but no sensible explanation, ever, (unlike any other marketplace).  In the miasma of trial and error and uncertainty money is not being made predictably- though the work goes on.  Seems wrong.
    It is wrong.
    There is nowhere to go with it though.
    People talk about holding on tight, and hoping things will right as they did before and so on - but based on what information?
    I'm disheartened.

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       TIMETRAVELER2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Something else I've noticed along with the dropping numbers is that the CPM amounts are much less.  This has really damaged my pocketbook, which wasn't outstanding to begin with but was starting to really make headway.  Maybe the holidays will perk things up a bit!

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          David 470posted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, along with a traffic decline, my CPM is also much lower lately. Something is up. I guess this time advertisers do not spend much maybe? Prob saving money for holidays.

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             wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             I think CPM depends quite a bit on the topic.  Mine has nearly doubled from what it was two months ago, just as it did last year at about this time.

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                TIMETRAVELER2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

                Except for the fact that I have 104 hubs on a great variety of topics which were earning three times as much until a few weeks ago.

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    timorousposted 12 years ago

    I'm as perplexed as the rest of you, but in the opposite direction. My hub views were averaging about 125 a day this past June (and usually under 100 on weekends). But then when HP introduced the hub status thing, I had about 3 that were asleep. So I did some keyword tool research, and updated those hubs, plus I ran the Title Tuner here on Hubpages..and altered a few titles, and shortly after, my hubviews (and earnings) have more than doubled. Very curious..but hey..I'll take it.
    
    I guess what I would recommend, is that you re-visit your hubs, then use the Google keyword tool to see how many people are actually searching for the main phrase in your hub title (the search volume changes over time..so what worked before, may not be so popular now). Having the best 'searched for' title does make a difference, if you get it right. Your content has to have that phrase, plus related phrases sprinkled thoughout the article. It also has to cover the subject fairly well, including many related issues that users would find useful additional info.
    
    From what I understand from various affiliate marketing folks, Google's algorithm is getting smart enough to know what releated issues usually accompany the main subject, so they're favoring such articles and websites that cover the subject well, and in some detail.
    
    Oh..and try to write something unique (I know we all try to at least). If you're writing on a subject that's been covered dozens of times already, your article will be lost in the shuffle. The Google keyword tool will tell you whether the search volume is worth going for (under 6,000/month for your [exact] keyword phrase).
    
    Just hang in there my fellow hubbers, go and do some research and a bit of re-vamping, and cross your fingers. Best of luck to you all.

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       jellygatorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I have a serious moral objection to this, although I agree it is what is happening: "From what I understand from various affiliate marketing folks, Google's algorithm is getting smart enough to know what releated issues usually accompany the main subject, so they're favoring such articles and websites that cover the subject well, and in some detail."
       
       This works against unique material and instead, rewards "dumbed down" material that's JUST like everything else.

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          timorousposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          On the contrary...it forces you to be more thorough than all the other me-too articles, by being more creative with your research, and presenting more 'useful' information that people are likely looking for. This is just the sort of 'positive user experience' that Google wants to serve to their customers.

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             GoodLadyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             If this is the case, then it's very useful.

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             jellygatorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             Except that the first 50 results a user sees are nearly identical. They have to wade through a bunch of same ol' to find your unique part. I'd rather type in a search query and see fifty summaries that I can pick and choose from instead of being force fed a one-size-fits-all page.
             
             The other net effect of the way these changes are taking place is that the only sites that will continue to rank are those that have a full staff to keep up with both updating and generating new content if the frequency of these rises and falls is an indication.

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    GmaGoldieposted 12 years ago

    I literally have motion sickness from all of this. After being in the tank and then red trees everywhere and then plummeting to the very depths of nothingness again for the fourth time (but who is counting?) today I have the most beautiful red triangles appearing. Oh, I hope it lasts this time and we are all headed for stability in the SEO world.
    
    What I am continuing to do is the keywords and the photo descriptions, for me this seems to be the ticket. I did revamp a few titles as suggested in this forum and that helped too. I haven't yet tried the analysis with the sleeping hubs - I like that idea though and appreciate the programming effort.

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    ocbillposted 12 years ago

    my traffic is way down too. What are we supposed to do? 
    Do we always have to update the content?
    Even videos & top-rated movies become stale after while.

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    Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

    You are supposed to check on your flock, anyway.  The Zzz is a reminder for me because you can easily publish a Hub, and then ignore it.  Once I write something, I'm done with it, but it doesn't work that way now.  I get a Zzz, I'm doing something to the Hub to update it.  I've had two so far, and I know they needed updating just by reading them.  Zzzzzzzzzz.

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    alexadryposted 12 years ago

    My earnings in the past week (except for September 10th)  are significantly lower and can't figure out why and I so miss the good old times when things were much more steady and predictable and there were no kung-fu Pandas or crazy penguins around. Thankfully, the advice given here a while back of keeping eggs in different baskets is helping me through these tough times.

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       TIMETRAVELER2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       To respond to those who say update your hubs, etc...I just finished updating every single one of my hubs in addition to dumping about 25 of them.  My numbers had tripled...and then suddenly, I lost 2/3 of my views and almost half of my CPMs.   I never did get any ZZZs and when I write, my hubs are published immediately, which has really surprised me.
       
       I also write on a wide variety of subjects, do the photo notation thing, etc...it just ain't workin' right now folks!
       
       So, I'm writing when I feel the urge, going back randomly and changing titles and wording, and hoping to get back to where I was.  However, it's been three or more weeks and I have seen zero improvement.
       
       The only thing I will say is that I am getting some readership, whereas last time this happened, I lost almost all of it.
       
       Just waiting to see what will happen...and waiting...and waiting.

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