Follow-up to PageRank
I thought I might do a follow up to my previous post about bloggers losing PageRank.
If you have read the post (link above if you haven’t) you may recall that I attributed a lot of my PageRank loss not just to taking sponsored posts but taking posts that may not be relevant to my blog’s topic or topics that I wouldn’t normally talk about on my blog.
The majority of the posts that I had felt were not relevant to my blog came from assignments from PayU2Blog. So, with that thought, I placed my account on hold with them and have since been locked out.
It’s all good though.
I continued to look into what others were saying about their loss of PageRank and I feel like I have a slightly different point of view now.
While I want to “monetize†my blog, I want to do so in ways that are less invasive, with good placement, and proper content.
I know my sponsored post to real content ratio is good. I blog, a lot. So my concern isn’t that I have taken more sponsored posts than I should just that what the sponsored posts were about was not good for my blog.
There are a lot of people out there that can take a sponsored post and make it personal. They can twist anything into their own lives. I have found I’m just not one of those people.
To have the ability to write good content that applies to my life or me I have to be inspired by a topic and to tell you the truth, I’m not inspired by Orlando vacations or prescription medication bought online. And because of that, those looked liked sponsored posts. I made no active effort to put those links or sponsorships into my own life because I didn’t see a fit.
But the good news is I feel like I’m looking in directions that I wouldn’t normally have looked into or had previously looked into and didn’t do much about.
Somehow, I’ve been compelled to look into more to do better.
Funny thing is a lot of the opinions that I have read indicate that people are slowly starting to believe that PageRank will have less and less to do with the sponsorships our blogs are eligible for. I’m not sure but I’m no expert there either.
What would be nice is to have people see that blogs are worth more than their PageRank simply because they have readership, people subscribed via RSS, and links coming in. From what I’ve heard, it’s getting there but only time will tell on that.
Technorati Tags: Bloggers, Page Rank, Loss of PageRank, Sponsored Posts, Blog Topics, Monetize, PayU2Blog, Blog Worth, Readership, RSS
November 6th, 2007 at 6:27 am
They’re claiming with the drop in pagerank that readership/viewing isn’t going down, but i can definitely say that it has. I’ve had a significant drop, and I know it’s not just because I posted a few “god, I’m dying” posts, XD.
Honestly, I think too many people put too much emphasis in what Google and Alexa says. If more people, especially advertisers, said “PageRank/Alexa Rank means nothing to us, it’s the content”, maybe Google would get off their high horses. They’re penalizing those who use something other than Google to monetize their blogs and that pisses me off.
November 6th, 2007 at 8:54 am
You know, PayPerPost’s new model “Argus” is supposed to give us opps based on readership, visits, and unique page views. This system just might change the way people are looking at handing out sponsorships.
To be honest, I don’t know enough about Argus to spend too much time talking about it. But, I do know that I’m just a few days away from getting a preview of it and a key to start working with it before some posties at PostieCon.
Will follow up with what I find out. :D
November 6th, 2007 at 9:01 am
I’ve heard that about Argus. I’m so looking forward to it. I’ve already got a key for it, XD (another reason I love PPP, they give users who can’t attend events like PostieCon chances to preview things as well), and I can’t wait to see how it works :)
November 7th, 2007 at 1:19 am
Hello! Have fun at Postiecon – I’m sure you won’t be a wallflower!
I’m amazed that you lost rank (same as me 3->2) – your blog is soooo much better than mine…
Just goes to show that Google needs to look at it’s parameters. Not that I think it will.
I will go on doing what I have been doing, I won’t be dictated to… Visits have come down considerably though, have you found that as well?
More socializing is the only change I’m planning on at the moment – I found you at Blogcatalog :-)
I’m amazed that Google puts so much into crushing the little people, while the spammers and splodgers are still out there, raking in the millions. Go figure.
November 7th, 2007 at 11:35 am
You know I heard that some of the major blogs were losing rank just a couple of days before I did. There were a lot of people who thought the change with Google wouldn’t end up knocking down “the little people.” But it did, big time, and a lot of people.
I haven’t noticed a change in visitors. Sarah said the same thing and I haven’t had that change . . . yet. Just double checked my stats now too. Not having the loss in visitors is probably what keeps me sane with the loss of PageRank.
Socializing is great. I thought I’d get into that a little bit more as well which is probably why you found me on BlogCatalog. I joined a few groups over there and started talking with others. I’m also doing BlogWorld and PostieCon not just for the information but socialization as well.
The next place for me to start spending more time at is Technorati. There’s so much than can be done there and I just haven’t ever done it, now I will.
November 7th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Well, readership/viewers/visitors did drop for a few days but the big reason was that I didn’t post, or when I did post, it was more whining than anything. Lately, its going up, and I’m getting more and more hits from other places that don’t rely on google (like Technorati, since they have their own ranking system). :)
November 7th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Agreed, traffic from other sources is going up. But I think that’s because people are no longer completely relying on Google to bring them all the information they want to get from blogs.
I think there’s a huge explosion in the popularity contest with other blog directories like Technorati and BlogCatalog. Using these places I think you’re more likely to find blogs you’re interested in reading and blogs without any PageRank at all.
What I struggle with is that I’m Blogging That does so well but no amount of posting is getting me the traffic I’d like to have at Raise It, Clean It, Blog It.
It’s taught me though that what your posting is more important than PageRank or anything else. I get it, the whole world doesn’t just want to know about my kid and for that I’m modifying what I’m posting on that blog to just not be my kid but the entire spectrum of Motherhood.
November 7th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
I don’t get how you can post to more than one blog. I do, but one is the very private one, and the other is the “out there for the world” one.
I can’t imagine trying to do more than one.
November 7th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
You know, about a year ago I just decided that blogging was for me. I’ve always enjoyed writing. . .
I’ve written a book about my life, have pages and pages of poetry and I’ll be the first to write you a novel in response to a one sentence e-mail.
It’s my thing.
So, when I got into the blogging world I went fast and furious with it. I enjoy coming up with topics to discuss on each blog without blogging about the same thing all of the time. All day long with whatever I’m doing I think 1,000′s of times “that’s a great blog post, I gotta remember that.” Few times do I actually remember though so I have got to start a notebook for myself with all of my blog post ideas.
The key is to have a niche. Even if it’s a broad one. LOL The other thing that helps is that I’m doing so much all day long that it just provides fuel for my blog fire. *Ãœ*
November 7th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I love to write as well. It’s the biggest reason I’m doing NaNo this year, and I’m hoping to continue the writing. It’s like a lifeline to me. It helps me release everything that’s bottled up inside of me.
I love getting long e-mails, XD. I always have to keep myself from writing a book in response.
Notebooks are a good idea. I’ve got several (currently have a 5-subject in front of me). I use them for everything, from notes on what to do for today, to jotting ideas down for posts, to taking down information when receiving phone calls. I even have one in the bathroom, complete with attached pen, XD (hey, you never know when you’re going to get an idea), and one in my purse. I run out of room in my planner, XD (I have one for the shop/blog and one for family/personal).
Finding the niche is always the hard part, it seems. Some people find it easily, and some are struggling, even after years of doing it. I’m still a bit, though I’m finding ways of blending all of the parts of me into one.
November 11th, 2007 at 8:32 am
Interesting post. I am new to the whole PayPerPost gig. I’ve done maybe four. I did not realize Google PageRank was so closely tied to the content of the paid posts.
That seems like such a Catch-22. To get higher paid “opportunities” to blog, one must have a higher PageRank and Alexa rating.
To have a higher PageRank and Alexa ranking one must have more traffic and a higher advertiser rating (I think) with PayPerPost.
It’s like chasing your tale. I am surprised by people who won’t “associate” with bloggers who are less successful based on that criteria.
Talk about feeling like you’re in Junior High School again!
Good luck on the re-vamped postings