I have an article that had been getting 50+ views per day. Then overnight it dropped to 4, then 3, now 2. This article has been selected for a network site, but was in the queue waiting to be edited. Could it be that the editor is working on it? Seems strange that it would drop so sharply, but still be getting a few views. Ideas??
My September traffic is now down 15% versus September of a year ago despite multiple new articles.
Maybe Google doesn't like the massive number of ads on every page. I can't imagine the typical visitor likes them either.
I take a look at the articles that are beating me and they are spammy as all get out.
Are they on big brand sites? Google loves big brands, especially the ones that buy Google advertising.
No, they have folksy content, jumbled up with ads that make the page jump up and down while to you to read it. Every two sentences, which are double spaced, is another ad. So this spammy content thing got lost in a Google update, or there is something more important,like lots of low quality content that does not answer your question.
I see in in recipes too. Paragraphs of useless information about how they discovered the recipe, who likes, what the kids had to say, neighbors at picnics etc...it takes for ever to get to the recipe. I hate it.
I see that a lot on the recipe sites too. I have ended up saving the ones I want to look at again as text files so that I can delete all of the extra and useless information that is stuck on top of the recipe.
Why are these useless things coming up at the top of every search?
You might as well get used to it. It is in the nature of Internet traffic to go up and down.
Take small portions of the text a couple of sentences at a time - from the intro, from the middle, and copy them one by one into Google. Duplicate articles should show up.
Okay, I tried that and nothing came up?? I found my own article a couple of times.
It would seem that everybody's traffic has taken a hit over the past few weeks. Google must be tweaking their algorithms again.
I'd been sailing along smoothly for most of the summer, then as soon as September rolled around - whammo, right into a wall.
Me, too. I'm down nearly 20% in the last week or so.
Okay, that helps. I just joined less than 3 weeks ago, so I have nothing to compare to. Trying to get an idea of what is normal. Thanks!
Have a look at this guide in the Learning Centre which shows you how to setup Google Analytics.
https://hubpageshelp.com/money/Learning … -analytics
GA's graphs and stats give great insight into what is happening to your traffic (and the Real Time feature is addictive!).
Thank you, I was so confused as to why my traffic had plummeted so drastically. Even though I'm quite new to HubPages my traffic had never been like this.
There's been a slow rollout, Google algorithm update during the week.
Thanks eugbug. I signed up for Google Analytics, but being so new, not much was happening there, so I haven't checked back. Hopefully things will pick up this week!
All of my traffic is down across all network sites. I think it's the newest Google update as others have said.
Oops, taking that back! Sharp UPTICK of Google mobile traffic for TurboFuture. I'm also noticing that, while I'm not getting increased traffic on WeHaveKids, it's stabilizing compared to what it's been over the past year.
The algorithm is really kicking in now. I had 10% higher traffic than last year but it's dropped 20% in the last couple of days.
It's really frustrating because just like last year, traffic was increasing steadily and then went over a cliff. It's as if Google doesn't want articles to become too popular and try to level the playing field every time.
Some new information:
Google may be reacting to a decline in site performance. I just ran GTmetrix.com for the first time in a year. The numbers are the worst I have seen yet.
Google PageSpeed and Yahoo YSlow both rated the site an F, the lowest grade possible.
You also can test your pages directly with Google.
https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/
Every so often, GA flags pages in "insights" that they reckon are loading slower than before. I wonder what that's all about?
Some ads pack enormous javascripts while others do not. A page unlucky enough to get massive ads will load more slowly.
If you run GTmetrix often enough on the exact same page, you'll often get different scores simply because of the ads.
The waterfall part of the report will identify what slows the page the most.
If you go to Analytics - Behavior - Site Speed - Page Timings you can get speeds for each URL and check for improvements. Most of mine are up in the 90s so according to Google are speedy enough. User experiences in the real world could be different however.
Really annoying because this is the generally the busiest and best period of year for views and earnings! We we got hit by Google around this time last year too!
On pretty much the same day September 27th. It's the Google Birthday Update.
My Amazon earnings, which were fairly substantial three years ago, are now down to about ten percent of peak levels. I used to get a windfall at the end of each year. I will work on the Amazon hubs to affect an improvement, but I'm not optimistic. The decline of Amazon income has effectively cancelled out all the gains I've seen over the last few years in Hub Ad income. I feel like I'm treading water at the moment, no gains despite a lot of work over the year.
Yep, whatever the bad thing is that is going around, it finally got around to me. Both traffic and earnings showing weakness.
My HP traffic is stable but my poor old website's views have been decimated
I'm down around 500 views per day from this time last year. It's like my last year's worth of stuff not only did nothing, but took away from what I'd already done.
Well, we can only hope it will help us this time! Link below if anyone else interested.
Possible Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update On October 3rd
Anyone who uses Google Analytics to track their audiences might want to look at the Publisher report.
My report for September versus the same month a year ago shows a massive decline in AdSense CPM of 62% and a decline in ad coverage from 99% to 78%.
Although AdSense and Google organic search are different beasts, AdSense does respond to site changes just like search. So I'm not surprised that Google revenue and organic search are both in decline.
If other's see the same trend, it's another indication that Google doesn't like some of the site changes.
Google algo updates are apparently ongoing, so too early to draw any firm conclusions in my opinion.
Google is using a new way to identify "good content". Essentially, nofollow links are now given some weight.
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2019/ … ntify.html
Many sites nofollow all links, including many forums. This reduces the likelihood of them getting a penalty from Google, if spammers insert self-serving links. In the past, Google ignored nofollow links completely but now it takes them as a "hint" of genuine reader interest.
This made sense when I looked at my account yesterday. A few of my articles that are link magnets got a big boost. Seems to have faded somewhat today, though. Maybe Google tweaked the impact of the change. Maybe it is just the weekend effect.
My other pages lost 10 or 20 percent of their traffic.
I am wondering what all this means for link juice flow. If such a thing still exists.
Also, HP uses a lot of nofollow links within the HP network. Is this having an impact?
My guess is that "hint" means Google is using nofollow in a very limited way, passing no link juice but using it as a ranking signal. So, the interlinking within the network should not be a problem. But who knows where Google is taking nofollow next, lol?
I dunno about anyone else but today it seems like things have begun bouncing back. My hub that took the biggest traffic hit over the past week or so (it dropped from the low three digits per day to single digits per day...yikes!) has suddenly started racking up eyeballs again, at a level comparable to where it had been before The Great Plunge. Hopefully this trend will continue.
Never mind, looks like it was a temporary bounce. Things have now returned to their semi-comatose levels. Sigh.
Same here FatFreddysCat. Don't know what is going on. Its been a roller coaster ride the last few weeks; up one day, down the next.
So... related question, my understanding was that articles would get more traffic on network sites. I have several articles on network sites that are getting less traffic than they did on hubpages. Some have had 0 views since being moved to the network site. Why is this??
It's because Google has been updating their search algorithm a lot lately. Every time this sort of thing happens we all get hit hard, eventually things return to normal.
I have another account whose earnings are at 10% of what they were one year ago. This account is shrinking 10% every month. Very discouraging.
I am down 75 percent and income is still sliding.
One of the depressing things is that mainstream media now do the "10 Best Whatevers", and are not shy about affiliate links
eg "10 Best Tablets..." with plenty of links to Amazon
https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-di … nt-an-ipad
Nymag has "Best Ear Buds...
http://nymag.com/strategist/article/bes … hones.html
We can't compete with these sites. Not only that, the SEO-orientated writers and marketers these high authority sites have hired probably use sites like the HP network for keyword research.
Yes, those Aholes that did the new AKC site stole my best producing blog article - even stole the title (just changed one unimportant word).
I will say that a couple of articles that had been Hub Pro edited and slid off a cliff; I re edited, put back my original titles and added back some keywords, since they had all been removed(????) and regained some traffic.
Still 75% off is horrid. I am looking at 55-60% off, with no end in site for the slide. Actually I have added articles, so maybe 75% year over year is my experience too.
And yes, those beating me are crappy articles packed chock-a-block with spam. Folksy crap, about how they like to think about things, then comes a brief list.
It seems to me that Google meddles with their algorithm just for something to do, and return worse results each year. Sure they like you to think it is about quality content, but that is just blah blah; those who advertise with them and/or create large blocks of drivel are winning, with adverts jammed in every 3rd sentence. sad
Joining the Maven was supposed to make us competitive with those sites. That was the purpose. They said that with the Maven and HP aggregated, that we had as much content as NY Times. Unfortunately, the Maven has not gained the authority that the NY Times enjoys, or WaPo.
NY Times sends me recipes I can't see unless I subscribe. That was the Maven concept too, that users would have to subscribe. Maybe HP should look at finding was to send people tempting emails, where they come for recipes or best of reviews, for example, but don't have to subscribe. Each site could gather user lists and send out articles that the staff has curated, rotating through the niche sites every 2-3 weeks.
We need a bold new way to reach out to those who have found value in the work here.
They haven't done much with social media, either.
I have always reckoned the niche sites needed real editors, with some vision for a coherent identity.
But maybe I am too old-fashioned and too print-orientated.
Anyway, I might think about some stuff, then throw in some listless lists,
I've been pretty disappointed in some decisions made by niche site editors, but the list type articles certainly seem to do well for me. I just wish I could stay excited about making those kinds of things.
Solaras, I really like your idea about reaching readers through means other their search traffic. I sometimes spend time on Quora and when one of my answers gets sent to users through email my stats there soar. Of course, I'm not getting paid, boo! But still, it's an effective way to boost traffic.
I also would like to see the niche sites get a makeover. I have sites like Bustle, Romper, etc. coming up for a lot of my HP article search terms and those articles have tons of affiliate links and are NOT being penalized in rank for it because the content is relevant and helpful. I'd like to see us be able to add more types of capsules too, like GIFs. People like to be entertained while they're being informed and our formatting should be upgraded to be more in-line with that style.
Also, we need a social media presence, period. We've lacked it for so long and I'm disappointed to see that we still lack it and here we are going on 2020. Readers aren't just hanging out on Google, they're getting a lot of their content from Facebook and Instagram too.
I've been saying that for ages. I follow the FB pages for ReelRundown and Spinditty (because those are the two niche sites that most of my stuff appears on) and they are updated irregularly (at best).
Would it be too much to ask for someone at HQ to pick, say, one or two of the newest articles from each of those niche sites each day and share them on their "official" FB pages?
by Alex Rose 8 years ago
Has anyone else experienced this huge drop in earnings from the Hubpages Ad Program? Throughout the month of September I was making a steady amount per day. Over September 24-25, my earnings dropped immediately by 50%, and are now consistently 50% less than what they were a month ago. If it were a...
by Claudia Porter 2 years ago
Am I the only one seeing a fairly significant drop in earnings from Sunday, 9/20 to Monday, 9/21? My traffic stayed relatively the same during the same time.
by Sondra Rochelle 10 years ago
I'm guessing it's because school started this week, but today my page views have taken a drastic drop. They have been cut by more than half...is this happening to anybody else?
by Oyewole Folarin 4 years ago
An editor reviewed this particular hub and decided that due to the fact that it has been extensively covered they could not get it on Toughnickel. To my surprise I found it doing well on the main site - HubPages.
by Ginny 10 years ago
I have been through a lot of ups and downs with my other account, but this account has been pretty stable until the past several weeks. My traffic was cut in half several weeks ago and then today it dropped another 75%. I would have thought I would be used to the roller coasters, but it...
by Petite Hubpages Fanatic 19 months ago
Hello Everyone,Is it just me or has anyone else noticed a steep drop in earnings this month? Could that be because of low traffic due to holiday season?
Copyright © 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2023 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |