Antique-shop.com

Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: mart on July 02, 2017, 09:12:02 AM

Title: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: mart on July 02, 2017, 09:12:02 AM
I have noticed how slow it has been recently so decided I would do a search to find out why ??  I just put "antique forums" in the search engine to see what comes up !!  Everything except Antique-shop was there !!  Anyone have a clue why ??  We used to be one of the top/first three listed !!  Try it and see if you can find it !!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: Raven31557 on July 02, 2017, 02:07:22 PM
You're right!!
 :-\

That's how I found this forum, by Google'ing "Antiques forum" way back when.
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: mart on July 02, 2017, 03:59:08 PM
I tried google and yahoo !!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: Pelady on July 02, 2017, 08:41:02 PM
I googled "antique questions" and only found tons antique apppraisor sites.  :(
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: KC on July 02, 2017, 11:46:32 PM
Like the commercial says...."Inquiring minds want to know!"
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: Mat on July 03, 2017, 02:42:00 AM
I did a search for "antiques forum" and it came up on the first page, but towards the bottom... But yes, it is a bit quiet lately, maybe people just look at the top results...
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 03, 2017, 03:40:55 AM
Yeah, it has been slooooooooooooooooo oooooooooow in here, i check in every week or so to see if there is any furniture posted and, it's been awhile. I did a google search
 " antique forums" and we came in at #3, not bad actually so i don't think that's it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=antique+forums&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS745US745&oq=antique+forums&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l3j0l2.8645j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

HAPPY 4th of JULY!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: mart on July 03, 2017, 07:49:42 AM
When I click on your link Jacon4,, it is #2 listed !!  Wonder why its not on all the search engines ??
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: mart on July 03, 2017, 08:08:28 AM
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEViNUTlpZsn4AY4knnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTEzajVvczlrBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwYWdpbmF0aW9u?p=antique+forums&pz=10&ei=UTF-8&fr=yhs-mozilla-003&bct=0&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-003&b=1&pz=10&bct=0

This is my Yahoo search,, we are not even on the first 5 pages !!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 03, 2017, 09:35:13 AM
Wonder why its not on all the search engines ??


EARTH TO MARTHA, come in dear, are you there? At this point in the internet age, yahoo doesn't matter, it's ALL about google search, 10 years ago yahoo, msn/bing, etc mattered and maybe 10 yrs from now google won't matter either but as of july 3, 2017, Google is ALL that matters, trust me. You are talking 80% or more of the search market.

So where does that leave us? Google search position, CHECK! Search term, CHECK! Maybe the old women in here are driving posters away!? J/K, i think it's just slooooooooooooooooo oow, it happens.
Another thing, it's officially summer now, i would guess 1/4 of people where i am, charlotte nc, is on the coast at the beach this july 4 holiday, it's only 3 hrs away by car. People are out and about more this time of year.




Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: mart on July 03, 2017, 11:25:29 AM
Mars to Jacon4,, anyone home down there ??  It has been this way for two months at least !!  Yes we can plan on it being slower but not dead  !!  Other forums do not seem to be slowing down much !!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 03, 2017, 11:31:47 AM
well, then we are back to the old women running off posters! BAM! what you been doin to these posters?
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 03, 2017, 11:44:02 AM
There is another possibility and, i hate to bring this up but.............. the software on this site is rather dated, antique you might say. It's difficult to post pic's, the photo quality is poor and the site often is MIA for days at a time, just sayin

Just did a quick google and came up with this, i don't post here but one thing i notice is, the pic quality is very good compared to here and seems like much more activity
https://www.antiquers.com/forums/
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: Raven31557 on July 03, 2017, 12:56:53 PM
... maybe people just look at the top results...

That's what I do whenever I do a Google search.
Only if I can't find exactly what I'm looking for in the top 3 resulys do I read the next 4+ results.
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 03, 2017, 01:04:00 PM
Well, i think this site is in SERIOUS need of updating!!! It's not 1995 kids, it's 2017! I just joined that forum i posted, did a post on the introductory forum thingy, posted a few pics of bird chest & already have 6-7 comments in LESS THAN AN HOUR!

LADIES!!!! you need to get off your stools/stumps and START YOUR ENGINES! you are being passed by in the marketplace on forums! MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: Skinny on July 03, 2017, 01:51:18 PM
I googled antique questions forum and this one came up first. Of course, Google knows that I use this site so that may affect my results
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: mart on July 03, 2017, 02:45:10 PM
Well, i think this site is in SERIOUS need of updating!!! It's not 1995 kids, it's 2017! I just joined that forum i posted, did a post on the introductory forum thingy, posted a few pics of bird chest & already have 6-7 comments in LESS THAN AN HOUR!

LADIES!!!! you need to get off your stools/stumps and START YOUR ENGINES! you are being passed by in the marketplace on forums! MAKE IT HAPPEN!

I joined that forum a while back !!  Was seriously told I had no idea what I was talking about by more than one person !!  So now I just go read all the wrong answers !!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 03, 2017, 02:57:18 PM
Jeez, you got roughed up huh? Well, post to me i just got there on introduction thingy!

Still, i say if you want more traffic, you gotta compete for it, get off that stump and update this site! I predict you'll get more traffic if you do.
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: Mat on July 04, 2017, 08:05:08 AM
I think many people prefer to ask for help in facebook groups nowadays, there are many antique groups with thousands of members.
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: KC on July 05, 2017, 12:30:46 AM
All sites go through cycles.  I know this one has in all the years I have been on it!

I know we get lots of viewings every day from people reading posts but never posting.  Also, many like to read information and never join. 

If any of you have any suggestions/recommendations you can always send a message to Ed "dontbe". (Note:  He started the site and has footed the bill for the "FREE User" site since the beginning.)

As for the "old women" on here...not going to even get started on that one...  Like a prized fine wine...
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 05, 2017, 06:33:20 AM
OK, i have done a little research & been emailing with the old woman! AKA Mart, over the holiday weekend and i'll post what i think is happening to this forum later today, gotta run a few errands first!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 05, 2017, 01:17:59 PM
OK my thinking on Mart's post, I don't really have a dog in this fight because there are few people that collect what i do and fewer still that post on forums. I have come round from thinking like KC says, it's just a cycle to agreeing more with Mart's, What has happened? I don't post everyday and sometimes not for weeks at a time but after looking into it a little bit, i am going with Mart on this one, Something has happened!
I would say without a doubt that antiquers.com has cut into your traffic a lot. I would say there are many reasons for this but the bottom line is, if this forum is not prepared to deal with that fact and make changes to level the playing field a bit, your traffic will continue to slide, simple as that.

My 2 cents!
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 05, 2017, 01:20:48 PM
UPDATE: Right now, on home page here it say 2 members & 22 guests, me and ghopper, i would argue that half or more of those 22 guests are search bots, stats do not break that down, but should, between "real" guests & bots.
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: cogar on July 06, 2017, 05:16:49 AM
Still, i say if you want more traffic, you gotta compete for it, ......

What Jacon4 says is true, ........ but it's tuff to compete with Facebook.

The wife has a Facebook account or whatever and I think she is a member of this Facebook Group, to wit:

Early American Pattern Glass Society 

10,595 Members(53 new)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/146031692077139/?fref=nf (https://www.facebook.com/groups/146031692077139/?fref=nf)
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: ghopper1924 on July 06, 2017, 05:27:02 AM
OK my thinking on Mart's post, I don't really have a dog in this fight because there are few people that collect what i do and fewer still that post on forums. I have come round from thinking like KC says, it's just a cycle to agreeing more with Mart's, What has happened? I don't post everyday and sometimes not for weeks at a time but after looking into it a little bit, i am going with Mart on this one, Something has happened!
I would say without a doubt that antiquers.com has cut into your traffic a lot. I would say there are many reasons for this but the bottom line is, if this forum is not prepared to deal with that fact and make changes to level the playing field a bit, your traffic will continue to slide, simple as that.

My 2 cents!

Yep, I agree with this, more or less. What it all comes down to, of course, is money, i.e. the resources to change how this site operates and to "bring it into the 21st century." Posting photos, in particular, has been a notable problem all along. However, this site exists through Ed's largesse (right?) and I believe that we all know what a huge debt we owe him for the years of fun we've had.

But I think Jacon and Mart are right; this site will continue to slide into obsolescence, as we've seen, until it's just a few people knocking about in a big, empty "room." Jacon and I have already experienced this on a Victorian site that seemed to be abandoned, even by its webmaster, until it was just a stray person dropping in every few weeks. There was no point in even talking about anything, because hardly anyone was reading it. Very sad.
Title: Re: What has happened ?? We are not on the search engines anymore !!
Post by: jacon4 on July 06, 2017, 06:10:35 AM
Yep Yep, ghopper is correct, we both witnessed a furniture forum go kaput because of a lack of commitment, this sort of thing happens to a lot to blogs /forums because, let's face it, it's a lot of work frankly and needs constant attention.
Most forums/blogs that i visit that are successful over a long period, have some sort of way to raise revenue. Some have an Amazon button where posters can click & the forum gets a small cut of the sale for something they were gonna buy on amazon anyway, some have paid memberships, some seek donations, some allow ads, bla bla bla, to help defray expenses.
I would be sorry to see this forum go down as i have been a member since 2007, 10 years this fall but, i don't think it can be denied that on it's present course, that's where this forum is headed.