Does anyone wonder ??

[mart]

Why or how we went from one of the top sites to one that can`t be found on google ??  I looked through pages and and with different search topics and this site does not even show up anywhere !!  Only way to find it is to use the correct name !!  But how many new people would know it ??  I searched several different ways !!  Ideas??  We need to generate some interest !!  But how ??

[ghopper1924]

Yes, I wonder that quite a bit. I do remember the "top site" days. What is the key difference between then and now, besides the ever-more depressed antique market? 

I suspect it relates to a discussion we had a year or so ago regarding old software. I remember Jacon chiming in, and I agreed with him.

[Rauville]

Apparently, you have to be term / word specific. The following comes up at the top of list for me.

"Jul 29, 2019 · News: Wow! Antique-shop.com forums are in the big #1 spot on Google for the search term "antique shop forum", for 4 years running! Thanks to YOU."

[cogar]

The name ……. Antique-Shop.Com ….. was great before the Internet got polluted with dozens n’ dozen  of similar sites because “antique” was the primary search “word”, ….. aka: “antique anything” ……..and the word “shop” didn’t matter.

But now days, ….. no one does a Google search for an …… “antique shop”, …… unless its "city" specific.

So my advice, get the website owner to change the registered name to ……  Antique Questions Forum, ….. or something to that effect because that is what people want to know, …… they want answers to their questions.

[mart]

I searched for antique discussion groups, antique forums,  and one other term that eludes me now !!  But under each I looked through the first 5 pages and found nothing !!  I know google has changed some things about their search criteria but didn`t pay attention to what it was !!  Didn`t think it would affect the general searches !!
Problem is,, we need to generate some interest to draw people here !!   
Rauville,, who would use that phrase when doing a general search for information ??  Not many !!  "Antique shop" is more of a local thing !!
I did notice that the forum I disliked came up at the top of the list !!  Twice !!  Guess people don`t care if the  members are rude !!  Ticks me off to no end !!  And yes,, I know the grammar is not correct in the last sentence,, tell that to all the old people !!  You might get an ear full !!

[KC]

This is a very interesting discussion.  I am going to try several different searches and see what I come up with as well.

Thanks for the info y'all.  Hope Ed sees this!

[mart]

Of course if you use "antique" in the search topic it brings up anything you ever searched for using that word !! But very few groups or information forums !!

https://www.google.com/search?q=antique+information+groups&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b

This is the first page of my search for "antique information groups" !!  What I am trying to figure out is how to get this site out there so people can find us again !!

[cogar]

Mart, since you are a contributor to the ….. Kovels Antique Collectibles Forums ….. maybe you could mention that ….. Antique-Shop.Com …… is also a great place for discussions and getting questions answered.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I think that the reason that there are few antique discussion groups is that many website-based discussion groups have migrated over to Facebook groups.

[mart]

Mart, since you are a contributor to the ….. Kovels Antique Collectibles Forums ….. maybe you could mention that ….. Antique-Shop.Com …… is also a great place for discussions and getting questions answered.

I have done that Cogar but only once has anyone came here for more than one post !!  Singular question they needed an answer for !!  Recently Kovels "updated" their website !!  Its a disaster !!  To be honest they could care less about the free registrations and the discussion/Q&A forums  Their main issue is selling the paid subscriptions and the outdated books and price guides !!  Many of the prices there are years old !!  I would never recommend that site !!

Tales,, I think you may be right !!

[Pelady]

I believe that that some of the issues you’re talking about with Google an antique shop are correct. I do believe there’s a whole other factor also. Facebook groups. There are groups for everything.
I am in some for:
Antique identification in value
Antique and collectible‘s for sale
Identify and value my painting
Depression and elegant glass
Decoy collecting
There are so many more.. often posts on these sites get six or seven responses with in a minute or two.

I feel like the people that are posting are looking for an instantaneous answer. They are in the shop or at a yard sale, thrift store, or at a flea market and they want to know if somethings a good deal. Often they’re not contacting for information on their own items.

I think that is the same reason we get one post and the person never comes back.

[cogar]

Pelady wins the prize for the correct answer,   

[mart]

I will second that Cogar,, but how  do we correct it !!    Not sure how correct the facebook groups are and really,,I have no idea how to find them !!  I do have a life other than sitting at this computer !!
Brownie point for you Pelady !!

[jacon4]

I am going to disagree here, FaceBook is a factor but, not the main reason you are not showing up on Google search results.
Websites are like most ventures, you are going to get pretty much exactly what you put into them, you put nothing in, don't expect to get much more than that in return.
Your software is dead with the old age
It's difficult to post photographs (a KILLER for this type of format)
You don't itemize categories (furniture,silver, pottery, etc)
You are attracting fewer & fewer posters
The new posters you do get don't stay, in fact most leave
You have fewer & fewer real "antique" postings which translates into fewer & fewer search results showing up on Google

In sum, a death spiral if your goal is to attract new people, posters, so NO! i don't "wonder" why forum is what it is, i just assumed people here liked it this way.

[jacon4]

Let me give a personal example, for many years i was a project manager doing very large commercial projects and my website? the only thing i used it for? email! my traffic was pretty much ZERO to that site but it didn't matter, i wasn't using it to attract business/people/eyes.
When i retired a few years ago, my goals changed, instead of doing bid & spec work where only 1 thing mattered, the NUMBER! Now i was semi retired, not doing that big work and i needed a website that attracted people/eyes as i was doing small residential work.
Solution? pitch the old website & redesign a new one targeted to attract EYES! and move up the search engine ladder one step at a time.
Times change, goals change, conditions change, simply put, those that change prosper, those that don't change don't, it's as simple as that.
 This ain't rocket science folks!

I just checked on Google the search term "antique forums", this site is on the bottom of page 2, not many "eyes" are gonna venture that far down the list, just sayin.......