The Start of Year 3 for me on HP

1. 39

   ChristinSposted 9 years ago

   So, I noticed I have the 3 year accolade now and I went back and reviewed my earnings over time and other such things.  Interesting that a lot of my hubs that I wrote towards the beginning of my time here are the ones that get the most page views.  A couple of newer ones do also, but the whole "aging" thing does have merit when it comes to hubs for sure. 
   
   I'm hoping that in another year or two, with some tweaks and updates, that my newer hubs will also see the traffic some of my older ones do.  My earnings have been progressive steadily over time, even with the Panda smack down - so I am pleased. 
   
   I haven't had the time to write many hubs in recent months. I am hoping to have a slow down in client work later this summer and will try to add to my hub collection at that point.  Of all the sites I've written for HP is the one I've stuck with the longest and, in my humble opinion, is the best for many reasons. So glad I found this place 3 years ago and looking forward to many more years!

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   1. 72

      Matthew Meyerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Congratulations!

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   2. 68

      RockyMountainMomposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for this post!  I'm on day eight here and you touched on many of the topics I've been coming across and wondering about.  Aging being primary among them....this is the third or so reference to panda, which I had not seen before today...time for a query on that one...

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   3. 85

      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Many congratulations to you, ChristnS.

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      DonnaCaprioposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for sharing the good news that older hubs still get page views. I'm still fairly new here and I wondered how long the hubs showed up high in the search engines. Congrats!

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2. 82

   Mark Ewbieposted 9 years ago

   Well done ChristinS!  That age thing works and I hope that the two hundred pages I purged last year don't turn out to be a big mistake.  It is a slow journey - but still my favorite place.

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   1. 68

      RockyMountainMomposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Mark, by pages do you mean individual hubs?  And do you mind if I ask why? I'm new and have seen others talk about deleting for various reason (low scores, poor performance, lowering their overall hubscores, etc.) but your comment made me curious.

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      1. 82

         Mark Ewbieposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I don't mind you asking why.  When I joined up, and for a couple of years after I just wrote any old thing - for my own egotistical amusement.  After Google slammed the site and half the internet - people were saying that content that did not get traffic was not worth keeping.  They probably said that before as well.
         
         So I went back and back and back again through my pages trying to see them as others might - particularly search visitors.  I also had (slightly) less ego and slightly more experience.  A lot of the stuff was irretrievable. No chance of reworking into a page (Hub) that would gain any traction.
         
         They also lost my focus.  300 pages is a lot to revise, improve and look after.  So I let over 200 go.  And I spend a lot of my HP time revisiting what I have left to try and tweak and consider and improve.
         
         Sorry.  Very long answer but it is an interesting question for me to consider again.  As I said - I hope I didn't lose any jewels in the lot I deleted but I don't think I did.

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         1. 68

            RockyMountainMomposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you sincerely for the detailed answer.  That makes a lot of sense and I appreciate the insight and information.  I think the first few posts I saw about deleting hubs were people who panicked because their scores dropped.  In those cases, longer term hubbers advised more patience, unless it were a more carefully considered decision like yours was. But the motivations were implied, rather than implicitly stated.  So I greatly appreciate this answer!

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            1. 82

               Mark Ewbieposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               imo scores mean nothing.  Traffic is the key.  With traffic you can start to see what works and what doesn't.  Pretty much all the time I have been here it has been a roller-coaster - sometimes good, sometimes bad.
               
               I read what people say - the experts and the loud ones - and I try to build my own knowledge.  What might work for me, what sounds as though it makes sense.
               
               The best person is yourself.  Your writing, pages, knowledge and audience.
               
               I'll stop now

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               1. 68

                  RockyMountainMomposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  No need!  It's great info and great advice.  As a technical writer, a biologist, and a long time government agency employee, the concept of mass appeal is like learning a new language.  Legal defensibility and clarity trump all else, and after too many years it makes it hard to connect with an audience. 
                  
                  Every little bit helps, especially the bits that keep me from latching on to the wrong indicators early on. 
                  
                  I'm VERY grateful!

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3. 71

   relacheposted 9 years ago

   Congrats on making it through some of the more roller-coastery years of HubPages.  Keep stats for yourself and don't forget to look at them from time to time.  Those are your best resource for growing what you are doing here over the long-term.

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   1. 68

      RockyMountainMomposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Do you have any advice on organized ways to keep meaningful personal stats?  I was thinking about that earlier in the day, as some of the things I'm proud of in my first couple of days are separate from things my stats here are tracking.   But it's hard to tell yet what will be meaningful down the line.  And between being new and fighting through Lyme disease brain fog, I'm likely to spin my wheels on all the wrong things.

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   2. 39

      ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks! Have you done a hub on this subject yet? I'd also like to hear your input on how you keep personal stats.  I use the Google analytics tools, but probably not in as organized of a fashion as I should.

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4. 94

   peeplesposted 9 years ago

   Congrats! Glad you are here! Can't wait for you to get back to writing again!

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5. 94

   jansharesposted 9 years ago

   Way to go, ChristinS. Congrats on your success. I'm beginning to see the same with older hubs as well. Patience with time is the key as we tweak and let our hubs age gracefully.

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6. 94

   My Bellposted 9 years ago

   Thank you, ChristinS, for your insights and continued determination on HP. You are an inspiration for us all! I am new to HP and love to read about others who have been plugging away, writing hubs, for a few years. I love to write and am looking to resurrect my freelance writing career now that the kids are a bit older. I've had so much fun writing on here and hope to get approved for payment soon, although I'd probably do it for free anyways. Cheers to all!

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7. 87

   Torrs13posted 9 years ago

   What an amazing milestone! Keep up the great work

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8. 83

   Purpose Embracedposted 9 years ago

   Congratulations Christin S. I always benefit from your insights on the forum.

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9. 39

   ChristinSposted 9 years ago

   Thanks everyone for all the wonderful replies!
   
   Mark, sad you deleted so many hubs - but I understand your reasoning and I hope it helps in the long run! I agree with you on the listening to others, but finding what works for you.  Some of my most popular hubs are the ones that I did absolutely no keyword research on etc. I wrote passionately about what I know and social media runs with them - they get precious little "Google" traffic and frankly, I don't care .
   
   My Bell - welcome to HubPages.  As a freelancer myself, I've found that HP is a great way to showcase writing samples when seeking clients.  I have built up a few solid, regular clients who I love working with with the help of my HubPages profile. Hopefully it will help you also as you grow your career in this area. 
   
   To everyone else - I'd respond individually but don't want to clog up the forums lol I appreciate you all and hope all of us have continued success here on the good ol' HP.  Have a great what's left of the weekend!

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10. 85

    rebekahELLEposted 9 years ago

    Congrats Christin on the 3 year mark.  I haven't published new material for quite a while, but my best performing hubs are aged from 2009.  A couple of things that make the difference that I can see are quality, incoming links and evergreen, searchable topics.
    Nothing new in that regard, I guess.  I wish I had more time to write but I simply don't have the time I had a few years ago.
    Good luck with your continued success on HP.

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