backdraft7 - 5:25 pm on Apr 2, 2012 (gmt 0)

Not exactly - the Update Google code-named Venice was just one out of at least 40 that they made in February.

- Yup, I correct myself a few posts before. Essentially the same thing though.

@ Scotts - I still don't buy the economic theory for two reasons. 1. I sell one paid content item, at one low price, so it has nothing to do with order size. 2.- My product actually helps people save money in tough economic times and in the end helps save the user gas. So, I SHOULD do better when the economy tanks. Those who know my business should know what I mean. LOL!

@ Shaddows - I believe you hit the nail on the head with that theory! That is the exact pattern we are seeing. When conversions drop off, we do not see any noticeable changes in serp position at all...we just see almost instantaneous ON and OFF cycles. In fact, traffic level can even INCREASE while simultaneously conversions dramatically DECREASE.

This started somewhere in 2010 (MayDay). In comparing say 2008 traffic vs. sales to 2012 traffic vs. sales, in 2008 we would get 1,200 visitors per day with 24 sales. Now in 2012 we get 2,400 visitors per day and only 12 sales.

Now I'm not so ignorant that I'm going to assume identical market conditions, competitors, social network distraction and the occasional scraper who gives our stuff away for free, but in the same time I have doubled our product offering for the exact same price. We should be increasing a bit, but we're actually going the other way lately.

One day we are banging away like pre 2008, then next we get shut down. It's a real paradox and enough to drive ya nuts! Luckily, you folks only really see me on these forums when things go haywire, which always seems to correspond to major algo updates. I was quiet right up till about March 10th when I saw a big drop in conversions.

Thanks for that info Shaddows...is there any way to track those referral profiles?

[edited by: backdraft7 at 5:29 pm (utc) on Apr 2, 2012]