The Mystery of Algorithms and Happy Holidays!

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I don't have much time but I wanted to share something with you guys quick.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how the site that I had been working on the whole year (ElderStrength) had taken a sudden hit in traffic since around end of August.

I hadn't changed anything on the site but the drop was significant and almost overnight. So I concluded I was hit by either an algorithm update or a penalty by Google.

Frustrated with the drop in traffic I decided to start working on my other site.

I didn't check the traffic or work on the site since September. I kept busy with other projects.

Christmas Surprise

So today I went and checked my Amazon earning and to my surprise they were back on track after a significant dip.

"OK. It's the Christmas season, so people are more eager to buy." I thought.

Then I went on to search console and saw a significant spike after 11th of December.

Just like my performance had started a downward spiral seemingly overnight, it had turned it's course overnight.

So naturally I checked Analytics for the actual traffic:

Analytic confirmed it! I had reached a new record in organic and total traffic!

The Lesson

So what should I (we) learn from this? I think the most important take away is that you can't make rash decision based on Google data alone.

The key thing to remember here is that I did literally nothing, not a thing, not even updates, on the site for about two months.

So that recent improvement in performance is not of my doing, it's clearly associated with Googles search results.

Now one may argue that search volumes are simply higher for many terms before Christmas, but it's hard to believe the increase in traffic would be so sudden, don't you think?

This just goes to show that you shouldn't stress too much about traffic fluctuations. Just follow the training (like I did) and let Google do it's thing.

It's potentially dangerous to go and try to fix a drop in traffic with radical procedures. Just keep going and give it a few months before doing anything major.

And you shouldn't do what I did probably. Quit working on the site unless you have full confidence with your plan.

In all honesty I had many reasons to take a break from that site so the drop in performance was the perfect excuse.

What Next?

So what will I do now? Well I've already decided what I'm going to do for 2020. I'll share the details that with you in my upcoming New Years resolution.

In short, I will be focusing on advertising WA and other online business opportunities through my other site IHateWorking.

Since ES is picking traffic nicely, I might have to prioritize it a bit more. But for now I plan on adding alternative ways to monetize the site with the existing content. Including ads and CPA offers.

Hopefully the traffic will increase as the site ages even with infrequent content updates and I can get it to convert better.

I'll see how the performance evolves and I'll post something on the site if and when I have time from my other projects. I'm a bit torn here because I know I'm kind of leaving easy money on the table.

But I'm super confident with my current plan. It's going to take work, time and a bit of fait but I know it's the more lucrative option on the long run!

That's it for today! Happy holidays, Merry Christmas or what ever celebration you are having! I will take a couple days of with the family like probably most of you guys.

P.S. The picture is from last year. We do have snow currently but the temperature is above freezing so it's very wet and not very Christmasy (is that a word?).But I won't let that bother the celebration!

P.P.S Sorry for the rambling post, had to wing it due to time constraints.

Cheers!

Jukka

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Recent Comments

12

Congratulations on your new organic traffic record Jukka, and thank you for sharing your results.

I wish you a very Blessed Merry Christmas and all the very best to you for 2020.

Monica

Thanks Monica! Same to you.

Thanks for update .....,
Tim

Not a problem Tim!

Happy Holidays!

Likewise!

Thanks for the info.

You're welcome!

Jukka
Thanks for the info. It will keep us all calm
As we notice spikes or declines in traffic to our sites.
Have a great day!
Tom

Likewise Tom!

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