Mystery Pageviews Spike - Can anyone take a guess why?

Discussion in 'Traffic Analysis' started by mdvaden, Feb 22, 2011.

  1. #1
    On my site stats today, there was a huge traffic spike, for one particular page on my site about what used to be the world's tallest tree in 2000.

    When I click on the link in the stats page, is shows a BING page with "Stratosphere Giant" in the search box.

    I did not notice any for a search on Google or Yahoo. Just Bing. That's why I don't think a general news story ran somewhere on TV about that redwood. Otherwise most people would be searching with Google if it was like a cable TV special.

    Do any of you know what could occur at the Bing end, or anything related, that would trigger a large surge of searches like that, pertaining to two specific keywords?

    All the IPs are different too. It's not like its just coming through one computer.
     
    mdvaden, Feb 22, 2011 IP
  2. mdvaden

    mdvaden Active Member

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    #2
    20 views and no guesses?

    I called my son who understands computers and internet stuff pretty good. His first question was whether the clicks rose in my Google Adsense. Which was affirmative.

    This one page is not just being visited, but is being read, and the ads clicked on occasionally.

    Anyhow, we haven't figured it out yet, and I'm still rather curious since I haven't had activity of this nature before.
     
    mdvaden, Feb 22, 2011 IP
  3. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #3
    Look at your analytics? :)
     
    digitalpoint, Feb 22, 2011 IP
  4. mdvaden

    mdvaden Active Member

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    #4
    Google Analytics won't post anything until midnight.

    My other analytics source says everyone is a Bing search page that I referred too. Maybe Google will break it down differently. But sure, after midnight or tomorrow I can give that a look.

    So your location says San Diego ...

    I'll be back down there in April when our son graduates from Marine Corp training. Looking forward to the visit. Its a nice area. Drove our daughter down there after her husband graduated.
     
    mdvaden, Feb 22, 2011 IP
  5. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #5
    Google Analytics is only lagged by 30m or so... just set the date to today.
     
    digitalpoint, Feb 22, 2011 IP
  6. mdvaden

    mdvaden Active Member

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    #6
    Okay .. I looked at Google Analytics last night.

    My website had almost a 100% increase in traffic yesterday. Almost doubling from the normal 1200 pageviews daily, up to over 2200 pageviews. Almost all of the extra traffic was triggered by about 560 extra entry pageviews to that one single page for the tree Stratosphere Giant.

    Analytics listed 99% of those 560 pageviews as Organic Searches

    So I'm still stumped as to what would get upwards of 500 people to organically search "stratosphere giant" only on Bing, but not on Google.

    It is still continuing this morning too.

    No complaints, because its only helping me. But I'd like to learn something from this.
     
    mdvaden, Feb 23, 2011 IP
  7. mdvaden

    mdvaden Active Member

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    I think the reason has been found. And I was not even looking for it. I read a post by one of the few Twitter users I follow. They posted a link that went to a Bing Page, under the TRAVEL tab. It was one of 17 small articles, about Redwoods the Tallest Trees. Under a heading of the World's Tallest, including mountains, bridges, etc.. The article included a link to to a Bing search page for the Worlds previous tallest tree, Stratosphere Giant. On that search page, my page was one of the top links. Now I see why every backlinks I checked were all Bing organic searches for that tree.

    Bing Page with Travel Recommendation for Redwoods.

    Have no idea who submits these travel suggestions. But with near 800 people having clicked the Facebook "Like" button, its almost certain that's where my site got the traffic spike.

    [​IMG]

    Stratosphere_Bing700.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2011
    mdvaden, Feb 23, 2011 IP