A Different Perspective on the Move to Discover to Raise Ranking

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   bravewarriorposted 9 months ago

   I just sat in on an "emergency summit" held by AWAI (an organization to which I belong and from which I've taken many writing courses) which discussed the latest Google algo update, why sites' rankings are falling, and what can be done from a writing standpoint. I found this discussion particularly interesting:
   
   Google likes and rewards sites that build community, are constantly updated, and provide long-form content. This can be done by:
   
   Including comments in posts. This engages the community, especially when the author responds to comments and answers questions. It also organically creates updated/current copy and results in long-form content. As a side note: responding to comments also gives the author ideas for new articles.
   
   To further my point, when you Google almost anything, the search results show AIO responses first, then YouTube videos. The bulk of the results that show below those are from Quora and Reddit, both of which are community interactive sites.
   
   So..... it would behoove HP/TAG to reinstate comments on all articles as HP -  the format that we all know and loved - did in its heyday. Make them visible, easy to post and respond to, which will in turn facilitate an interactive community. Then watch the Google rankings rise!
   
   Oh - and ditch the obstructive intrusion of ads! Google doesn't like those, either.
   
   I welcome your thoughts and hope the HP powers-that-be read this post and take it into serious consideration.

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      DrMark1961posted 9 months agoin reply to this

      I personally feel that the lack of comments on our articles is a much more serious problem than the overabundance of ads. Ads can be ignored but no comments is no comments, and those search engines surely must notice the lack of engagement from readers.

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         bravewarriorposted 9 months agoin reply to this

         Absolutely, Dr. Mark. I agree with you wholeheartedly! When we had comments in place, my articles ranked much higher than they do now.

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   Jodahposted 9 months ago

   It is good to read that coming from an authoritative source, Shauna.  It makes so much sense, and what we have been trying to say for ages to no avail. What will it take for TAG to realise they changed something that was already working successfully (and not for the better)?
   
   Change HP back to its original formatting that allowed comments and was overall a better experience for writers and readers alike. They always use Google wants this and Google wants that for changes. Well, it is clear they are not following Google's preferences now.

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   MariaMontgomeryposted 9 months ago

   Great advice. I had much more interaction with my articles when we had comments. The multitude of ads is annoying. Whenever I send the link to one of my articles to anyone, I always warn the recipient about the ads, and apologize in advance. There are so many ads it's hard to read the article.

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      bravewarriorposted 9 months agoin reply to this

      Exactly, Maria. Google doesn't like that either. One of the factors they take into consideration when ranking is user experience. Users HATE the ads and end up closing out of the article/site and going elsewhere to get answers to their questions or resolutions to their problems.

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