Staying off the top 200?
This is going to sound really bizzare because I am sure there is a ton of people wanting to be on this list - however I am not one of those people, can I get off the list and still be successful? How does ranking work?
A few days ago I got into the top 200 and I don't even feel that this was right. I had done very little the previous day and jumped up 114 places on the ranking list? This made no sense to me what so ever. I am listed as a top creator.
I thought the ranking was determined daily, but this lead me to think it might be done weekly and daily, or something like that anyway. I don't really understand.
I admit, I am a cynic and question almost eveything in life and this can have its ups and downs. Too much of my time can be spent contemplating possible causes, consequences and potential outcomes but this does lead me to making some good choices.
Personally, I don't really want to even be on that 'top 200' list, but I do want to be successful in what I am trying to do here with my site.
My concern is that I don't want tens of thousands of ppl potentially looking me up. Not because I am unhappy with the thought of helping them (if I even can) because I am more than happy to do that.
My concern is having a bunch of people following me. That sounds awful doesn't it? I am really am no expert here what so ever and being on tht list just seems inpropper.
I don't want any attention or unessasary gratification either, I am not making money yet and there are a ton of other people who are.
Is this list just part of the deal and a part of being successful through WA?
Is there a way to do both - be successful and stay off the top 200 list? Maybe Im writing to many blog posts and need to focus more attention on my site?
I don't think being in the top 200 will last long anyway because hunting season is opening here and I dont think there will even be any internet where I am going, nor will I have the time or energy to work.
Please let me know your insights...
If you enjoyed this post, please hit the like button below. If you have any comments or questions please drop them below and I will get back to you asap.
All the best to you!
Recent Comments
44
Surely the ranking just shows how much you are doing both on your own site and giving information to others.
Derek
I dint think it does show what you are doing on your site. I mean, it might be slightly effected by the content you create if you use the content creating tool on here. Thank you for this.
Hi, Catherine.
Paul here from slightly Up North here in Canada.
I would not be too concerned about your 'rankings' here at Wealthy Affiliate. The only real benefit that I can see is that if you have referred someone to WA and they see that you are in the top 200, or top 100 or an ambassador, it might influence their decision to join.
Even that should not be a selling point. They should want to join based on the value information that you have provided on your site prior to getting them here for example.
I never worry too much about rankings here because I have never been able to figure out the 'Criteria' used for same. I have seen my rankings go from 400,000 plus when I first joined back in 2016, to as low as top 25, and then back to 1500 and then back to top 200 and so on.
Never lose sight of the big picture here which is your site and adding quality content.
I bet that if you wanted to (and I know you do not), you could improve your rankings by the hundreds overnight simply by writing a post or question that gets lots of comments or even providing a simple training tutorial.
Regardless of where you post your work, I do believe that the value returned (in the way of rankings from any source, Google, WA, Bing, etc...) is based on the Value that you have provided to them.
So while you are away hunting, and enjoying the fruits of your labour and come back to see that you are now ranked 50,000, it would only take a couple of carefully placed posts for a 'smart cookie' like you to be back on top (if that's what you want).
It is difficult to establish what is 'Value' and what 'Value is not..' but I am 100% certain that the outcomes are based on 'True Value.'
And only you know if you are providing 'true value' or not to your readers.
Hope this helps with your post.
I enjoyed reading it.
Kindest regards and respect from Canada.
Paul.
P.S.
Hunting and Fishing is amongst the best in the World further north from where I am in the Great Bear and Great Slave Lake regions of this most vast Country.
Listen.
Just have fun. Enjoy your journey. Everything will fall into place. Don't stress, enjoy.
Who said..."Don't Worry, Be Happy..."
Everything that falls behind can always be brought back up to date in a few heartbeats.
Shine Brilliant, Catherine.
From Up North.
Hi Catherine,
I'm not sure what factors are used to determine how one is ranked but I do know that being active here can move you up the ranks quite fast - especially if you write a lot of blog posts and get a lot of interaction.
You can stay off the top 200 if you spend less time here and more time on your website. However, there are those that can quite happily manage both and are listed in the top 20.
I'm with you on that about people approaching "you" just because you're in the top X. Most people do follow you based on your rank.
However, there are people that are low ranked and they are just as well equipped to help others here.
I try to balance my time between being here in WA and my website. 30% here and 70% on my website. I limit myself to maybe an hour each day on WA unless I am watching a training video or need help with something and searching the platform.
Do what works best for you.
BTW This post will see you move higher up the ranks. :-)
Hi Catherine!
This post made me laugh! I understand your reasoning though, being the “go to” person is a lot of responsibility, and time consuming. I wouldn’t worry too much, if you aren’t available there are at least another 199 people to go to for answers! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, just enjoy seeing your success.
All the best.
Kyle Ann
Hi Catherine,
The WA ranking system is strictly for the ego as you don't make one dime for being number 95!
But the comments responses and posts can help others and that is what is important in the non-financial arena.
By giving and receiving worthwhile communications with other WA members it helps bring new ideas to our businesses.
Thanks for sharing.
Bill
Lol I TOTALLY get what you're talking about. At the very beginning when I started at WA my ranking was jumping ridiculously fast.
A saw myself pushing for that ranking and not focusing as much as I should be on my niche website. It took some time to remember why I started at WA. I wanted to create a jiu jitsu blog as a means of income so I can have 8 hour bjj training days and not have to punch a clock for work. Lol the entire purpose of me starting was to take on the road to world champ. I saw myself in a way "wasting time" in terms of pushing to my ultimate goal.
There are a TON of ways to make money on wealthy affiliate and everybody's journey is different. Everyone thinks of "success" differently.
Keep yourself balanced and go after the goals most important to you first. For me it's my niche website.
Once I see a full time income I'll look more into the affiliate bootcamp or maybe starting another website. How you handle all this is completely up to you. There's no right or wrong way when it comes to which direction you want to go in first.
Most of the people at the top are really good helpers, however I think there might be a couple who are less knowledgable than they should be. I know this because I have been inaccurately helped once or twice. When I'm more knowledgeable then I'll push for the ranks which I think will ultimately help me stay there more easily. Best of luck and keep learning!
Yes, I keep reading stories like this and although i like to think that i am learning from them and focussing more on my site, perhaps i let this slip recently without really noticing.
I wasn't creating any posts because I have been working on downsizing my images. This has been a really long and difficult task - one that I still haven't completed.
i think I need to do what you did and maybe set myself a time limit for tending to WA notifications. Once they are clear, shut it down. I too need to focus on that full time income and hold that aim at the forefront of everything I do here.
Thank you for reading and all the best.
if you have gigantic oversized blurry images on your site I had the same problem. You may have to change your theme. It can be risky if you don't know how to save your content to not get lost so I'd recommend getting some help with the right precautions and change your site theme. I kinda just took a risk and got lucky, but once I had my new theme my website posts are beautiful in comparison to what the last theme was doing to my uploaded images.
This is great advice. Although i didn't get round to this task because of how my images looked, it was because I stumbled across this blog post by Kaju. He said it lead to his success so I thought I would give it a try. Turbo Charge Your Site Speed! The only problem is that I really don't understand it and what I am doing doesn't seem to be making a difference to my site speed.
Think i am going to return to my site and revisit it at a later date when i am earning - even though this goes against the recommendations I have had. I have spent way too much time on it and don't feel i have really got anywhere with it.
Glad you got your theme sorted.
I had gotten to 113 or 114 but am now 234 and that's directly related to me not being on here and helping out as much as I once did. We got slammed at work and WA was left in the background for a bit. That said this is just your ranking on your interactions in WA. If you're looking to just work your site(s) then this isn't an issue. If you're looking to give back or otherwise help the WA community then this number does carry some weight.
Thankfully i think the exact same thing is going to happen to me here the next few weeks. I think I need to consider the time I am spending n different things and get a better balance. All the best.
That is why you are in the top 200. Because you get back to people and because people like your posts.
Thank you for this, what you say makes a lot of sense and thus highlights a difficult choice.
I really don't want to start ignoring the kind people who make the time and effort to read my posts, nor do I want to stop writing blogs as I know they contribute to your online content.
Hmmm.... I think what you and what Kaju says below is right. I need to make sure I spend more time on my site than on WA, whist also responding to the kind community.
I thought I had been doing that but maybe I need to consider this more carefully.
Thank you and have a great day!
My thing is, I read a lot of blogs and I respond to everybody. I guess I am too social, because it eats my time, however, I have learned A LOT by doing this and the learning is the most important thing to me. My site has benefited from that greatly.
I completely agree, I like regularly checking the dashboard to see what others are doing and quite often end up watching some kind of tutorial or other interesting thing. WA really is a catch 22! Thanks for this.
This is what I do, but I force myself to complete at least one site related task a day. Then I "play" all I want because I enjoy it and as I said, I learn A LOT that way.
I like your technique. i have been doing this too but maybe i need to do two or three things to get the balance right. Thank you for sharing.
You are right Catherine. This may sound bizarre from someone ranked #4, but don't worry about rank. Focus on your websites and your business.
The only reason I am ranked high is because I like to help people with my knowledge and I happen to write well, not that I planned it. Moat of the time I am working on my businesses and projects.
Same here. I'm ranked 355 and it is only because I like to help people and I am very friendly.
Hi Kaju,
The funny thing is, that I haven't been worried about rank, it just happened. You do help people and you read and comment on a lot of blogs. I think I have been doing this more recently too.
I think I just need to be very aware of the balance between site and WA.
Thank you for this and take care.
Yeah me too. I just need to remember why I am here and then relax a little bit more when I am earning more financially. All the best and have a great day!
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You have a fascinating unique persona, Catherine. It can't help but elevate you. Kick back and enjoy the ride!
Thank you Mike, I hope you are right. All the best.