Newsletter Advise

1. 68

   PaulGoodman67posted 19 months ago

   Credit where credit's due, I'm glad that HP have given their take on the latest Google algo changes and offered suggestions and advice for how hubbers should respond.
   
   Algo advice and explanations used to happen all the time in the old days but became uncommon in recent years. I welcome it back and hope it will continue.
   
   The faster load times of JPG images was something that I learnt. I guess I'd like to know how big the effect will likely to be and whether it's worth converting, as changing all my article images from PNG to JPG is a monster task.
   
   ***Oops, I made a spelling typo in the thread title, I don't think I can change it, though

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   1. 84

      Kenna McHughposted 19 months agoin reply to this

      Paul, The newsletter deserves acknowledgment for offering advice to HP writers. This one I'll read when I have the time. I've used JPG images since the inception of my membership. I only use PNG when the client insists (on another platform), or the EPK only has them available.

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   2. 85

      SerenityHaloposted 19 months agoin reply to this

      To be honest, I think we're all just throwing paint on the wall. This is better than not throwing paint on the wall at all, but it's really hard to tell what exactly is sticking and what is fruitless.
      
      My account's views started crashing about a year ago, and I do think that was related to Google's changes. I know a lot of other people also got hit by the changes. I'm not sure how many of us recovered. I think some PetHelpful writers rebounded okay. 
      
      I have way too many articles to be constantly editing and improving, and I don't think it's good to get stuck doing that when new content helps push the way forward. For a time, I had some new articles that would get picked up virally, but that has since stopped.
      
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      Google has changed substantially, and I don't think it's helpful for writers. I miss the old days when it was basically a link directory. Now it gives you a spread of 30 different questions related to your question plus random unrelated images and TikTok videos. You have to scroll past all that to get to links, and it's hard to get it to give you more link listings. I think it's designed to distract you to keep you searching and forgetting the real reason you went to the search engine in the first place.
      
      I don't think Google as a product is as clean-cut as it used to be. My hope is another search engine will eventually rise as a competitor and then writers can start to get decent traffic. It's not really a navigable space for writers the way Google is set up currently. If people get annoyed enough with Google, this could happen... but it's not a horse I would bet on in the near future. Google is king. 
      
      As for whether Google has a stake in AI, absolutely it does.
      
      -------
      
      HP could come up with some different scenarios to help benefit writers during this time. Perhaps add a tip jar, promote some of the stronger writers for a more steady income, do what Medium is doing and increase earnings through engagement madness... something. If HP wants strong writing and the best content, it needs to incentivize its creators.
      
      My earnings aren't going to go back to the normal I used to expect unless the structure is changed because Google is going to keep getting weirder. Google cares about making money, so it's going to do wacky things to try and win more investments, and that often means breaking an already good product to squeeze out dollars for the top of the line. I mean, look at streaming! It used to be affordable and simple, but now it's mutating into cable with extra ad-ons (that no one really cares about) and ever-increasing costs, not because streaming has actually become more expensive or better but because raising those prices is the best way to continue to bring in more investments.
      
      Google isn't our friend. In order for HP to stay alive and healthy, the people running it will have to think outside of the box.
      
      Anyway, I'm going on a soapbox. It's been a hot minute since I've dropped in the forums. Hello, and yes the newsletter was a nice change of pace. It's a good idea to follow its recommendations, but also with tempered expectations.

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      1. 68

         eugbugposted 19 months agoin reply to this

         I tend to agree. Google frequently featured many of my articles at the top of SERPs or in the featured snippet spot. Now they're not good enough for them. Google is a hypocrite. It frequently puts thin and crap content at the top of SERPS, while preaching about E-E-A-T.  As regards the newsletter, most of my images are JPGs because I take photos myself or create infographics. I compress all images before using them. My articles are long and comprehensive and go into topics in great detail. They're helpful (at least I think so) and based on experience and knowledge gained over decades in the case of troubleshooting guides. I use tens of photos per article, and also caption them, with captions describing what's in the image. And yet it's still not good enough.

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         1. 85

            SerenityHaloposted 19 months agoin reply to this

            I know you’ve worked really hard and have diligently done what you can to maintain your articles. It’s upsetting that things haven’t turned around yet, but it is clear that the problem isn’t your writing or editing. HubPages is definitely a better place because you are here. If it were me, I would be doing what I can to have you stay. The best part of HP is honestly the people, writers and staff included.

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            1. 68

               PaulGoodman67posted 19 months agoin reply to this

               I think the internet as a whole has radically changed. It was essentially an open public platform when I joined HP.
               
               Over the past dozen years, it's been gradually privatized, with just a small number of huge corporations now effectively owning it. They dictate the money flow, which can make or break businesses and individuals.
               
               There were major downsides to a completely open, laissez-faire internet. Hate speech and child pornography were impossible to control, for example. The early vision for the WWW was naive, to say the least.
               
               However, the move to a privatized model has been politically and commercially disastrous for societies and commerce. Small to mid-sized companies, not to mention individuals, are now at the behest of behemoths like Google.
               
               Some sort of balance needs to be found.

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               1. 68

                  eugbugposted 19 months agoin reply to this

                  Fat brown envelopes involved too maybe.

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               2. 85

                  SerenityHaloposted 19 months agoin reply to this

                  I’m all for a more balanced Internet. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.

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               3. 84

                  Kenna McHughposted 19 months agoin reply to this

                  Pay Google for advertising, and you'll have high rankings.

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                  1. 68

                     PaulGoodman67posted 19 months agoin reply to this

                     I think it's worse than that.
                     
                     It's pay Google more than anyone else to get the top ranking.
                     
                     Only the big corporations can win at that game.
                     
                     Even if you write a great personal product review, Walmart will still beat you over 95% of the time with just a generic description.
                     
                     It wasn't always like that.

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                     1. 84

                        Kenna McHughposted 19 months agoin reply to this

                        Yes. It will continue that way.

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2. 73

   Azure11posted 19 months ago

   Yes it was an interesting newsletter that made me have a think about my hubs which I haven't actually done much on for years!

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3. 84

   EricDockettposted 19 months ago

   I agree. I was critical of the newsletter a few weeks back, but this recent one was very good. Nice job, HP staff!
   
   When I use PNG images they are typically ones I made myself. To reduce file size, I run them through a compression program before putting them up on HubPages. TinyPNG is fast and easy to use, but there are others out there.

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   1. 68

      eugbugposted 19 months agoin reply to this

      I usually do that too. Image filesize can be compressed hugely, often by a factor of five or six times, while maintaining the resolution in pixels, with very slight loss of detail.

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4. 68

   PaulGoodman67posted 19 months ago

   Yeah, I never saw it as that important. I've got a lot of PNGs. Part of my complacency was that some were put there by editors, I believe, maybe they're compressed.

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5. 84

   Rupert Taylorposted 19 months ago

   The Google algorithm leaves me slack-jawed in wonder. What I mean by this is that I have little comprehension of most of it except there will be a greater acceptance of AI-generated text. Could it be that Google has a financial stake in AI? I don't know.
   
   Then, there's this:
   
   "There is a longstanding trend of hosting third-party content on the main part of a website or on a subdomain.
   
   "An example of this is news media websites hosting third-party credit card affiliate content on a subdomain."
   
   I think this refers to something my delightful Egyptian neighbour once told me, "Trust in Allah but tie up your camel." I could be wrong about that, but I don't think so.
   
   As to the image information, with much of what I write about there isn't a wide range of imagery to choose from in the public domain. Generally, I have to use what's available and it doesn't always conform to pixel requirements, although I'm very hazy on pixels - something like sprites and fairies aren't they?

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6. 83

   Nicoartzposted 19 months ago

   I'm been a SEO content writer for a year and this is nothing new for Google. They are constantly changing algorithms and what content is relevant. Frankly, old articles are just that; old news! If you want to be in this game you have to constantly be ready to shift your content and make it relevant again. Or just sh!t-can the article. That's my experience anyhow. Btw, I also used to develop websites and my stuff is always on the first page top 3.

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7. 83

   Nicoartzposted 19 months ago

   (not a year like 20+ years) typo, ty

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