A Webmaster Chat: Can this example site stay above water?

1. 75

   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   
   
   Pretend this is my website ^
   
   I was happy to get in the ballpark of $4-6 per 1000 views, but I shared around 60% of impressions with my site users.
   
   Now with only 250-270k views my piece of the pie is only $500-$600 a day - with a small staff and a large server farm can I recover?
   
   Im thinking that if I cut out a bunch of high traffic hubs(I mean articles) and ones that seem to be mostly about making money or selling stuff that people want that maybe I can make more money.
   
   Everything Ive done seems to be helping me to lose more traffic, what else can I do to lose more traffic and maybe cut my server costs?
   
   
   
   Am I doing it right?
   
   disclaimer - this is so definitely not my site, just a fun example for chatting and stats are based on estimated data which are often wrong

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   1. 60

      Eric Graudinsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Your analysis is a bit naive sunforged.
      You obviously know nothing about website flipping.
      I have applied a bit of advanced webmastering, and you'll see that the situation is quite OK.
      
      With website flipping applied to your graph, you can see there's nothing to worry about.
      After a long period of decline, traffic is now increasing dramatically.
      
      
      So don't worry. Everything that is happening with the site now is only improving it.
      And as for server costs, I'll let you into a little secret.
      Many web hosts offer unlimited disk space and unlimited bandwidth for a few dollars a month.
      
      Just shove the site onto one of those hosts, and everything will be fine!

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2. 0

   EmpressFelicityposted 13 years ago

   
   
   How much would daily server costs be for a site this size?

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   1. 75

      sunforgedposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I might own my own server farm and energy costs are quite high, but if I was to rent I would be looking at around $1600/monthly per server and I probably have at least a dozen.

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      1. 0

         EmpressFelicityposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Wow - if this, er, purely hypothetical site were renting servers then they wouldn't even be covering their costs once you factored in things like staff costs and office space.

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3. 59

   SiddSinghposted 13 years ago

   I hope you are not ruing rejecting the suitors that were interested in buying your company a few months ago.

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4. 58

   TerryGlposted 13 years ago

   Good question Sunforged..
   
   What I would do is go on the Google forums and everywhere else that has some semblance of real people who know what to do and talk about how you cherish your members and will do everything you can to help them.
   
   If that doesn't work, I would start a forum thread and ask how you could cook something slow on the bar b que.
   
   Now if that doesn't work, get your wife to come in and tell everyone how things are going to be. As we know she will be shot down in flames because you have taken your bat and ball and gone home so then throw one or two of the other minions into the mix to say their five cents worth.
   
   When your minions come out looking stupider then anyone else you have ever met you have to dig deep and bring out the big guns.
   
   Now when everyone starts laughing at what twats they all are, you then come in and make some statement that has nothing to do with anything. Something really outlandish that makes you look smart but everyone know's your a tosser.
   
   That works every time. Its a simple formula for success. Because all the crawlers will come out of the woodwork telling you what a good job you have done under such hard times and everyone else, your senior site members leaving in droves, don't know what they are talking about.

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5. 65

   Mishaposted 13 years ago

   I don't see anybody suggesting hiring cheap temp moderators to help remove any trafficked pages faster, and booting all non-native speakers from the site to reduce international traffic. Should help with server costs quite a bit.
   
   Oh, and you should certainly mobilize community to hop through the pages and flag any that gets any traffic, for later unpublishing by new moderators. This also has a side effect of turning everybody into a fink, which makes wonders to your community health

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6. 85

   Deborah-Dianeposted 13 years ago

   This is my first venture onto the HubPages forum, but I think what I'm reading is that traffic is way down, and the administrators are not being responsive.  All I can say is that I'm seeing the same comments on other forums of writing sites that rely on Google Adsense.  I think the Panda update hit us all across the board, and I think that we also are not paying enough attention to the fact that our country is NOT recovering from the recession, yet.  Many people just don't have money to spend, so they are ignoring ads out of self-protection.
   
   By the way, this IS the funniest serious of comments about low traffic I have seen anywhere!  I love the approach!

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   1. 68

      Pearldiverposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I DON'T THINK that you have Interpreted this thread correctly at all!! 
      
      Why are you Making Excuses for the OP's Example?
      
      This has NOTHING TO DO with the recession in the USA or Google!
      My country was destroyed by an earthquake.. what has that got to do with poor management and lack of direction?
      
      Please..... No Excuses, No Tall Stories, or cloaked Defense of Incompetence!
      
      This Is.. As the OP states a fictitious site!
      Eric and Eric jointly answered the problem and has produced a graph that doesn't require much further analysis, graded accolades or standing on our heads to understand the meaning of 'deceptive advertising!'
      
      Don't worry... I found out quickly that my first ventures into the forums would have been more appropriate.. If I Had Just Listened.. Instead of Speaking!!

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   2. 0

      Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Welcome to HubPages and the forums!

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      1. 85

         Deborah-Dianeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you for the welcome!  I appreciate it.

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7. 75

   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   I came here to flag this ruse of a thread and move it to the religion forum where it belongs rather than the HubPages Knowledge Exchange since it obviously has nothing to do with HubPages, Hubpages isnt declining rapidly, I was just reading the graph wrong.
   
   But, it seems someone has beat me to punch and moved it from HbPages Knowledge Exchange to "# Technology
   # Internet and the Web
   # Web 2.0 and Latest Web Technologies
   # A Webmaster Chat: Can.."
   
   Who could have done that?
   
   I didn't know this fictitious example site was a web 2.0, must be part of that relatedness I could never get a handle on.
   
   So, if I read everyone's suggestions right - I should remove MORE content? - obviously those non-natives have to go, then perhaps I can get some free labor for flagging? People will actually do that?
   
   What Im wondering is what can I offer? I mean, at least in many non-us countries 60% of a few pennies can buy a backrub or something, when I have a big collection of proven professionals and devoted hobbyists ,
   
   .. will they work for maybe gold stars or something?
   
   you know since money is so tight and 60% of pennies is still pennies?

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   1. 0

      EmpressFelicityposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      This, err... fictitious site we're talking about obviously thinks of itself as a social (web 2.0) site above everything else.  No?

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8. 94

   habeeposted 13 years ago

   Let's go with Eric's graph. I find it much more appealing!

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9. 0

   cookingdivaposted 13 years ago

   Sunforged,
   
   *cough*, I bet we all know this hypothetical site that you are talking about, don't we?
   
   Only time will tell if there is any ray of hope for its users.

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10. 75

    sunforgedposted 13 years ago

    I recently stumbled upon the an instruction manual that may prove worthwhile in dealing with any upcoming issues
    
    ...
    [Vogon Captain] All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display in your local planning department in Alpha Centauri for 50 of your Earth years, and so you've had plenty of time to lodge any complaints and it's far too late to make a fuss about it now!
    
    (ANGRY SHOUTING)
    
    [Vogon Captain] What do you mean you've never been to Alpha Centauri? Oh, for heaven's sake, mankind! It's only four light years away, you know! I'm sorry, but if you can't be bothered to take an interest in local affairs, that's your own lookout! Energize the demolition beam! God, I don't know! Apathetic bloody planet, I've no sympathy at all!
    
    
    there are tons of useful goodies in here for management styles, ill be off digging deeper

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11. 71

    earnestshubposted 13 years ago

    A truly useful source.

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12. 75

    sunforgedposted 13 years ago

    Apparently its Towel Day! so this quote and the discovery of the likely HP Instruction Manual must have been predestined.
    
    Todays relevant quote from the Manual in regards to said fictitious site:
    
    "Slartibartfast:  Best laid plans of mice.
    Arthur: And men.
    Slartibartfast: What?
    Arthur: Best laid plans of mice and men.
    Slartibartfast: Oh. No, I don't think men had much to do with it."

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