What happened? Stats Plummeted Over Night

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   jansharesposted 8 years ago

   Has anyone else seen a steep drop in traffic and earnings all of a sudden? This is so strange. Actually started Thursday.

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      clivewilliamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      wouldn't notice that. My earnings are pretty dismal as usual

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   2. 89

      Nell Roseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Hiya Jan, yes my earnings are pretty dismal at the moment, its been a long time since I got this low money each day.

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         sallybeaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, same here, the lowest traffic and earnings dismal too.

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   3. 59

      paradigmsearchposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Peeked at my GA. I'm still seeing the usual weekly quasi sine wave, Friday and Saturday being the usual worst. No spikes either way.
      
      As for earnings, I'm doing straight AdSense and that's always erratic.

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   4. 84

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      How steep a drop are you talking about.  50%  90%?
      
      Check your most well performing hubs to see if they have been copied.  Also, check WMT to see if Google has placed any penalties or warnings on your hubs.

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   5. 84

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Here's another thought...are you keyword stuffing without realizing it?  I checked your hub on self care and that term appears quite a bit.  You may have to restructure some of your sentences and find some synonyms for that term.  You shouldn't have more than 2% max.  Less is better.
      
      I use the "find" tool on my word processing menu to count a specific keyword, then divide that number by the total number of words to get the percentage and go from there.
      
      Also, I noticed your capsule titles in that hub continually repeat that term also.  Readers should be able to skim those titles and see the basics of the story you are telling, so that may be an issue also. 
      
      Don't know if I'm right about this, but it won't hurt to take a look-see.

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   6. 84

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      One more thing:  your photo is "above the fold".  Unless things have changed, that's a no-no with Google.  They want to see content there.  Take a peek at any of my hubs to see how I handle that.  I had all of my hubs set up the way you have done this one at the time when I lost 90% of my views and think that may have been at least part of my problem.

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      1. 92

         jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks a million for all of the advice, TIMETRAVELER2. The first thing I thought of was copied hubs so I checked on the best performing by googling the topic. Couldn't find anything, not even my own. Should I google the title instead? The same hub seems to account for most of the steep drop in traffic, about 66%.
         
         I will also check for unintentional keyword stuffing and make some changes.
         
         I don't recall hearing about the change with images above the fold. ALL of my hubs still have the image above the fold. I will experiment with a few and see what happens.
         Thanks again, appreciate your reply.

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         1. 84

            TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            If you could not even find your own hub with a search, that tells me that it has lost its ranking for some reason.  THAT is the one I would really spend some time on if it's the one that brings in the most views.  This may be your issue.
            
            I recently have been doing some updating and have found some horrendous errors that actually shocked me.  Have been wondering why certain hubs weren't doing well, and now I know!  One even had several capsules that repeated themselves, another had parts of a hub I reworked that were no longer part of the overall topic.  Editing (especially when you combine hubs or change titles) can be very damaging.
            
            Let me know how it goes.

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            1. 92

               jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               I'm OCD about editing every 2 to 3 months, all 82 hubs, so I don't think it's anything like that. But I will look at some of the other issues you suggested and let you know how it goes. I have found plenty of glaring mistakes over the last year or so but I think I've gotten them all by now.

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                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  I really think your problem is that one article you mentioned. If it's bringing in 66% of your views, it's an important one.
                  
                  I had one like that,lost all the views, and never totally did get it back again.  So, I wrote another one on a similar issue,and between the two of them, I do OK, but it has taken a very long time.

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                  1. 92

                     jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                     Yes, I'm thinking the same. The views have gone back up but not as high as they were. Maybe they were way up before due to sharing and are leveling out. What ever the case, I need to keep watching that hub.

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                        TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

                        You can find out easily by checking the stats at the top of your hub and hitting "referrers".  That will tell you who is doing the reading.  You can also find this info out on Google Analytics.

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                        1. 92

                           jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                           I checked it out and to my surprise, there was a spike in views from HP, not Google, in the month of February. I'm purposely not saying which hub because I'm being cautious and also not trying to give the appearance of promoting it. I've done some investigating and haven't found anything yet. The views are now approaching where they were. I'm beginning to suspect it was a weekend drop which happens. Or I jinxed myself as I said below. I never would have thought to look at some things you suggested. That's why I like the forums (most of the time).

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                           jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                           Views are back up to normal high.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            To check for copies, google the first sentence of the hub

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            1. 92

               jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               Forgot about that, Marisa. Will do.
               Edit: Only my hub came up, second page #4. So it does not appear to be copied. Thank you!

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      2. 94

         Dolores Monetposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         So pix are now supposed to appear below the fold? I remember when they said that one image should be above the fold. If that is the new look, I better get busy.

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            Millionaire Tipsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            No, that is not a HubPages rule - it is one person's opinion.  In fact, I am pretty sure the HubPages template includes a big picture at the very beginning right underneath the title.

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            1. 84

               TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

               It is not an HP rule, but it is what Google wants because they downgrade articles that do not have content above the fold.
               
               Some will argue that photos are content and/or that text on a photo is the same as content, but I think that's a bit shaky.
               
               To protect myself, I moved all first photos down beneath an introduction and made them full width, usually with text to make them Pinterest photos.
               
               Also, having nothing above the fold but a photo leaves less room for Google Ads, which is why I think they prefer it that way.
               
               However, to each his own.  If you are getting good views with photos wherever you want to place them, go for it.  All I know is I almost lost my entire site that was doing extremely well overnight, and I think photo placement was one of the reasons.  Once burned, twice warned.

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                  Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  I cannot think of any successful site that follows your pic location suggestion. Honestly. If you come across one, please post a link so that everyone can have a look.

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                     Jesse Drzalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                     More confusion with pictures on top of the article. Some claim it's beneficial to start with a good photo, and I think that came from a member of the staff as well.

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                        Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                        The vitally important word here is GOOD photo. If it's a photo that perfectly encapsulates the subject and entices the reader to scroll down, that's fine. If it's just an average photo, you'll get a lot of bounces and that will hurt you with Google.

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                           Jesse Drzalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                           Do you think a stellar photo is advantageous even? Or is it seen as neutral to Google, as long as an image is a good quality?

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                              Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                              To Google, a photo is just a line of code

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                           2. 89

                              NateB11posted 8 years agoin reply to this

                              The question really is whether the visitor likes it.

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                     NateB11posted 8 years agoin reply to this

                     +1
                     
                     I've seen various opinions about images, this one about photos above the fold and on another site I was told that my photos were "too big". And, like you said about photos above the fold, I haven't seen successful sites that follow these unwritten rules. Probably most sites I've visited, including the biggies, have big images and definitely have some above the fold.
                     
                     Also, I'd include that my own successful articles have had big pictures and some above the fold.
                     
                     It's bogus "rule".
                     
                     Edit: I'd agree that ads above the fold might be a problem. Google specifically targeted such sites that liked to bombard people with ads above the fold because users don't like to wade through a bunch of ads before getting to content; makes sense.

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   7. 85

      gmwilliamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      My earnings significantly decreased in November and has steadily decreased since then. Hopefully earnings will improve but I seriously doubt it.......However, I am not losing hope that my earnings will return to normal ........someday.

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   8. 85

      Jackie Lynnleyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Here is something new getting started with hopes of making money and doing things that we enjoy doing. This is from HP so don't think it hurts to link it. Hope you will join. You could write or be an editor or maybe some other opportunities to interest you.
      http://hubpages.com/literature/forum/13 … -and-poets

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         jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Wow! I missed that forum post. Thanks for sharing, Jackie. I will definitely consider joining.

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            Jackie Lynnleyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Great! I am anxious to watch it grow and have high hopes for it!

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         Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         The new site is purely for creative writing and the goal is not to make money. It's also not endorsed by HubPages.

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            jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Yup, I know.

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   9. 93

      alikhan3posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      For no apparent reason overall traffic has been steadily going down after the Christmas holidays. It plunged during the Christmas holidays and hasn't recovered since then.
      Earnings are also going down ......

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       NateB11posted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, both earnings and traffic are low. Not sure what happened either.

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   11. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       I hope you can recover jan! You're getting some good advice from one or two hubbers about possible causes and I can't really add to that. Please let us know how things pan out for you.
       For me, earnings are a wee bit down due to the CPM being lower but nothing as drastic as what you describe. I'll keep churning out the hubs for a few more months, see what transpires.

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       1. 92

          jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

          Traffic seems to be creeping back up, maybe it was a Friday thing. I do need to keep my eye on one hub in particular. Thanks, chef-de-jour.

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   12. 85

       gmwilliamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Mine started in November, ONLY RECENTLY everything HAS SOMEWHAT IMPROVED.........
       

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2. 93

   FatFreddysCatposted 8 years ago

   The whole month of March thus far has been quite crap-tacular for me...

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3. 92

   jansharesposted 8 years ago

   Thanks everyone for replying. I guess most of us are feeling decreases. I feel like I jinx myself sometimes when I go to the forums. Just two days ago, I said how things were looking up and BAM! I hope it turns around after the weekend.

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      Millionaire Tipsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Check your traffic sources.  If your traffic was going up and then went down, it might have been a short-term spike due to social media sharing.
      
      Edited to add: Kept reading. Maybe HP was promoting the hub for a short time.  My hubs get some extra traffic from HubPages sometimes and other times not so much. Not sure when they decide what to promote what.

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         jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I think you're right, Millionaire Tips. My investigations lead me toward this theory even more.

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4. 59

   paradigmsearchposted 8 years ago

   Wow! Caught up on this thread. Looks like the extermination of the subdomains pretty much slaughtered a lot of people and not just me. As to what I'm seeing here about earnings, guess I won't be switching back to HP Ads anytime soon...

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   GiftsByDianaposted 8 years ago

   Each time we try to get a handle on things, they change - LOL
   I'll have pages that do well and have a good following and those pages get unfeatured for traffic ??? -  Crazy.  Then I have some that almost no one looks at and those are steady.
   I have given up trying to know what HP and the big G want and am instead trying to keep my readers happy as that's why I write.  A little extra money would have been nice through HP, but that is not my main reason for having pages.  Good thing !

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   1. 92

      jansharesposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Hi GiftsByDiana. Getting paid is not easy anymore. My last payout was in November! So we really have to love what we do and hope the earnings will come, and accept that it won't be as often for some of us.

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6. 96

   RonElFranposted 8 years ago

   On the "photo above the fold" issue. I did a search and could find no reference to Google penalizing photos above the fold. Their "page layout algorithm" was designed to penalize excessive ads above the fold, but I couldn't find anyone who applied that to photos. In fact, most folks thought that photos that enhance the written content were advantageous because readers love them, and that's what Google is looking for.
   
   I think the confusion is in thinking that only written material qualifies as "content" for Google. In my search, I could find no indication of that being the case. If a photo illustrates the writing, Google apparently considers it just as much "content" as the words. Significantly, most of the websites I saw that discussed the issue had images above the fold.
   
   As far as I've been able to see, photos that support the text are not an issue for Google.
   
   Here's Google's 2012 announcement about this policy: https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2012/ … ement.html

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Ron: 
      
      You must have missed this section that clearly states that Google may not rank articles that don't have an appreciable amount of content above the fold.  This is mighty clear to me!  This is what I was talking about...and even though most of this quote refers to ads, the bottom line seems to be that anything above the fold that blocks the visitor from immediately seeing at least some meaningful content will have problems with Google.
      
      "As we’ve mentioned previously, we’ve heard complaints from users that if they click on a result and it’s difficult to find the actual content, they aren’t happy with the experience. Rather than scrolling down the page past a slew of ads, users want to see content right away. So sites that don’t have much content “above-the-fold” can be affected by this change. If you click on a website and the part of the website you see first either doesn’t have a lot of visible content above-the-fold or dedicates a large fraction of the site’s initial screen real estate to ads, that’s not a very good user experience. Such sites may not rank as highly going forward."

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         Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I don't understand why you think that pics cannot be meaningful content. Almost every online article starts with a picture for a good reason. People like pics.
         
         The above the fold thing is all about ads.
         
         Nothing to stop you doing it your way, of course.

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            Solarasposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            +1

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Read the first sentence in Google's quote again.

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7. 88

   Will Apseposted 8 years ago

   I like people to see the beginning of the text when they arrive on a page so they can start reading immediately, So I don't like pictures that are too tall.
   
   Obviously, you cannot control stuff too much in an age of mobile where there are so many devices. But you can have a look at how your pages appear on standard smartphones and tablets to see what the majority of visitors will encounter and come up with workable dimensions.
   
   The most important thing with a leading pic is that it should convince people they are likely to find the info they are looking for.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      What Will said. The picture has to give the reader confidence that the Hub is going to answer their question or meet their need. If it's just an amusing image or a pretty picture, it will do you more harm than good, because readers can't see any text and will form their whole first impression of the Hub on that photo. If the photo is frivolous or uninformative, they'll assume the Hub is too, and click the back button without even reading your hard work

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8. 92

   jansharesposted 8 years ago

   Regarding OP, the hub in question is fine. It was moved to the new site. The ups and downs I observed was the "picking process"? Of course my overall traffic is way down now, because my best performing hub has flown the coop. Hope she'll be okay. But I look forward to the benefits, hopefully in the near future.

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      Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sure everyone wishes your page a full recovery, lol.

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