How do you stay positive when your stats are down?

1. 91

   Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years ago

   How do you stay positive when your stats are down?
   
   I've been feeling very optimistic about hubpages, seeing fairly steady gains in views and money. But the last 2 days my growing google traffic has completely collapsed. It gives me a small taste of what hubbers who have come to expect income from it must feel when their traffic goes south. If you've stuck out a bad patch, what kept you going?

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2. 72

   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   By focusing on other writing websites. How am I doing there? What is going on in my school? If my grades are up, it doesn't matter. If I'm doing great in my relationship, it doesn't matter. Fill your office or work area with positive, colorful, and fun pictures, cards, sayings, etc. It really helps focus on other matters instead of one area.

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      Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sure, hubs are not the most important thing.

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3. 85

   Jamie Brockposted 12 years ago

   Sherry, I have found that if I just keep writing and try not to focus too much on the earnings they usually return to normal and sometimes better.  It's like the highs and lows of life... it's going to happen.  Just keep going and before you know it, they will be up again or at least they always are for me.  Keep your chin up

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      Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I hope that's all it is, all my lovely google traffic had evaporated overnight.

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      JKennyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I've found that too Jamie, most losses of traffic are temporary, so I don't worry about it so much. As the saying goes 'keep your eyes on the prize' keep writing quality stuff and good things will happen.

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      Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It just seems really odd that my top 8 hubs, which all were getting 100+ views a week have all seen 0 in the last 3 days.

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      Jamie Brockposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      hum, so it just keeps being 0 on all 8 hubs? Maybe there is something wrong with HP's reporting... that is what it sounds like to me, anyway.  You could email them about it. @JKenny- Yep, so true

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4. 0

   Lynn S. Murphyposted 12 years ago

   I find the stats to be a fickle lot. It has no rhyme or reason. I write what I feel comfy with and what I love and somehow it all shakes out.

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      Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It's not like it was a lot anyway, but still it takes the wind out of my sails.

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      Lynn S. Murphyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      While I answered this my hubscore was down to 86 and now it has bounced to 89. I've been making comments and answering questions. I did rehab a couple of hubs which have made a bounce as well. I used to wig out as well - just makes you nuts.

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5. 67

   TeachableMomentsposted 12 years ago

   I am fairly new to hubpages, just a baby really, but I started to feel a little excited  when I noticed my traffic growing. I was excited to say the least. Then, starting yesterday, that tiny flow of views appeared to just stop. I know it isn't healthy to keep checking, but I did. The more I checked, the harder it was to write. Then, during one of my stat checks I came across your question. A light turned on inside my head. What keeps us going? I think it's the hubpages community. People asking the same questions. People sharing the same concerns. Other hubbers responding with positive thoughts. It'll get you over the hump. It'll be just enough until your traffic goes back up, right where it's supposed to be.

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      Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the positive thoughts.

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   Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years ago

   The last time my traffic dropped, I freaked out. I confess. My Google traffic completely dive-bombed to nothing. The five months of work I had put into HP seemed worthless. That's when the penguin update hit. I was ready to hang it up. I figured I couldn't really get this writing thing to make any decent money.
   
   Then I realized I HAD to make this writing thing work. We couldn't afford to live on just one income, and with only one car working at the time, I couldn't get a "real" job. So, I started reading about the penguin update in the forums, and elsewhere online. I poured my frustration into finding a way to get my traffic back. I ended up filing out the Google form for websites that had been incorrectly pinpointed as spam by the new algorithm. About a month later, Google liked me again.
   
   Then I joined the apprenticeship program, and I have learned quite a bit about how fickle traffic can be. About a week ago, I lost half of my traffic for two days, but instead of becoming overly anxious, I focused on writing for a site that pays me upfront for my work, and took a break from HP. Two days later, my traffic was back, and I published two more hubs.
   
   Writing on the internet is a gamble. You have to be willing to take the risk and wait out the rough patches, because there will probably be more rough patches than green grass. But watching your traffic grow over time is well worth the effort in the long run.

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      Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's an encouraging story, thanks. I'm doing a couple of those write for money sites, not as much fun, but you do get paid. If this continues maybe I'll try that form.

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      Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I hesitated to fill out the form, but I'm so glad I did. I can't say for sure that's what turned my traffic around, but it's the only thing I did differently. I'll try to find the address for you.

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   hi friendposted 12 years ago

   We don't worry about our ups and down as it is quite natural phenomenon. Just concentrate our work truly and faithfully.  The result will be fruitful.  Sure.

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   edhanposted 12 years ago

   Always look on the positive side as if writing is your passion then forget about google traffic as it will come again. People who are too focus on google traffic will end up zero.
   
   I always believe that one should write with the passion.

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   Zubair Ahmedposted 12 years ago

   I've seen that and have learnt to ignore it as long as it comes back up after a day or so.  Usually it does return to normal and I get my traffic and earnings back.  What you have to do is not to keep all your eggs in one basket f you rely on your online earnings for your main income stream.
   
   I find easier to spread my online activities and money making between a number of sites and blogs that way if one is doing slow the other makes up the difference.
   
   Why have you not monetised your blog - your losing a money making chance get it monetised its easy and free.  Need help drop me an email.
   
   All the best

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10. 73

    Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years ago

    I generally look at what is working for me, and then try to do more things similar to that.

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    Tricia1000posted 12 years ago

    Traffic over weekends is the worst and I admit that I do get discouraged at times.  Fortunately my love for writing always keeps me going.  It is fortunately not always about the traffic for me.

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    Gamerelatedposted 12 years ago

    I am relatively new to online writing.  I started about 2 months ago and I kind of just jumped in.  I write here, on my blog, and at WebAnswers.  When things go south on one platform and I find myself disturbed and discourage by it, I end up checking out my other writings.  I'll take a break from HubPages for a day and then I'll go answer some questions. 
    
    From time to time I will also hop on my blog which I write on just for fun.  That one is not for money.  I do have AdSense on that site, but I don't do any keyword research or anything like that.  I have my blog to keep me grounded.  Even if nobody reads that blog I don't care.  When things get bad that is where I go.  For me that is my space where I can go and just relax and take a deep breath for a little bit.  There I write without restrictions, no word counts, no keyword researched titles--just writing whatever I feel like writing.  It gives me a sense of freedom.

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    WannaB Writerposted 12 years ago

    I don't stay focused on my stats except to check my account status every day to see if there are problems to correct on any of my hubs. I do watch the earnings accumulating at the top and panic when they don't update if there is not a message explaining it, but lately I figure it's a bit like at myLot. There are many days at myLot, especially after a weekend or holiday, when earning totals are delayed, and I've learned that if I'm patient , the updates will happen and I am still earning,  whether the totals to prove it are there or not.
    
    If I get discouraged at HubPages, I spend some time updating Squidoo lenses or catching up on a blog. I know it's important to keep writing and that I can't stay focused on all sites at once, including three of my own, eight blogs, five social networks, Zazzle, and six other writing sites.  There is always something to be done somewhere else.  So if Squidoo is down when I'm trying to write a lens, I'll make some Zazzle products, write a hub, or work on a website. If I think I'm not inspired enough to write something creative, I'll list books, do bookkeeping chores, or, if worse comes to worst, there's always housework.           
    
    What's important is to keep writing something somewhere. If being discouraged is making you less productive, maybe it's time to take a break and go back to the non virtual world for a few hours. Take a walk. Do a chore. Visit a friend. Try or invent a new recipe. See if there are any free events in your area worth attending where you might find new writing ideas. You could even try reading a book with an eye to writing a review.
    
    I think sometimes when we spend so much time writing online and promoting our work on social networks we get a skewed perspective of what's important. Then a  day or two of bad stats can seem to be a disaster when it's just a blimp on the stats page. The cure may be to change one's perspective by getting back into the rest of life for a few hours.

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       Jamie Brockposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       OH MY GOODNESS! How do you keep up with 3 websites, 8 blogs, social networks, writing sites????  I have HP and 3 blogs and I am always falling behind, on the blogs anyway.   Out of curiosity? How often do you update your blogs?

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    2. 90

       WannaB Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Jamie, I don't update them often enough.  First three in importance to me are HubPages, Squidoo, and Zazzle. I try to update my five Tumbler blogs at least twice a week. I try to update the other blogs at least once every two weeks.

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    shuck72posted 12 years ago

    I know how you feel I went from getting 1K views a day on a regular basis to only 100 views a day over the last 3 weeks.  It seems Google hates me now. 
    
    Reading these comments though gives me some hope that maybe the traffic will return someday.  I assumed I was just flagged or something and should just give up.   I have now started to write for info barrel a bit to see if I could get anything going over there. 
    
    I hope if we keep plugging we will work our way out of this current slump.  I have hope too that the hubpages staff will figure out how to get some traffic back.

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    Greensleeves Hubsposted 12 years ago

    Certainly it seems to be normal for views and other stats to fluctuate in apparently random ways, and I prefer to guage things over a longer period of time - months rather than just days. I don't worry too much if this week's traffic is down on last week's but I would be worried if there was a long term trend downwards. Fortunately to date my traffic has generally been going upwards slowly - it's been a case of 2 steps back and 3 steps forward each month - but I think I'd find it intensely disheartening if things went the other way.
    The disapppointing thing is that when traffic slows, or collapses, it's so difficult to figure out why. If one only knew, one could do something about it or at least rationalise it, but often there seems no obvious reason.
    Just stick to it, write the best hubs you can, ask questions of the community as you have done, seek support, and maybe dabble in other areas of writing - I guess the old adage about not putting all your eggs in one basket still holds true. Best wishes.

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    TIMETRAVELER2posted 12 years ago

    This has happened to me twice, and both times I simply stopped writing or going to HP for a few weeks.  By the time I returned, things improved, although this last time things haven't come back yet.  However, I don't write for the money, but even so, I like to feel that my work is worth reading.  Low views make you feel like you are writing for nothing, and that's tough to swallow.
    
    Hang in there, the views will return...perhaps not as fast or as many as before, but they'll be back.

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       Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for the positive thoughts. It's not that it was a lot of money or anything. It just made me really happy seeing those steadily rising views. It really does feel like I've been slapped.

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