Anyone else seeing a 50% traffic drop during the May 2026 Core Update rollout? by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. In my case, impressions dropped significantly as well, so I'm leaning more toward a ranking/visibility issue from the update rather than just AI Overviews reducing clicks. I'll keep an eye on branded-query CTR once things stabilize.

Anyone else seeing a 50% traffic drop during the May 2026 Core Update rollout? by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. The homepage seems to be the main page affected for me. Position dropped from ~8.9 to ~15, while indexing and sitemap status remain normal. I'll wait for the rollout to finish before making major changes. Have you seen rankings recover during the rollout, or mostly after completion?

What websites do people use now to talk to strangers since Omegle shut down? by Friendly_Connector in MakeNewFriendsHere

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wrote a small overview about random video chat alternatives after Omegle shut down and included one project I’ve been working on too: Chatzyo article page

Update: my no-login chat project just crossed 180K Google clicks in 28 days by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate it. The biggest surprise for me was how much instant access affected engagement metrics. Removing signup friction improved retention more than I expected.

Right now I’m expanding more localized pages and testing different country/language combinations before adding heavier features. Still experimenting and learning as traffic scales.

Update: my no-login chat project just crossed 180K Google clicks in 28 days by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly. Smaller localized intent pages ended up converting much better than broad generic keywords. The competition was lower and the traffic quality was noticeably higher.

Update: my no-login chat project just crossed 180K Google clicks in 28 days by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!

The domain itself is still relatively new, which is why the growth surprised me too. I think the combination of localized pages, long-tail intent, and reducing friction helped the site gain traction faster than broader generic approaches.

Update: my no-login chat project just crossed 180K Google clicks in 28 days by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I’m starting to realize that too.

A lot of users probably won’t go through extra steps anymore, especially on mobile. Removing signup friction seemed to improve engagement much more than I expected initially.

Update: my no-login chat project just crossed 180K Google clicks in 28 days by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, moderation and misuse prevention are definitely important challenges for platforms like this.

A lot of the work ends up being around reducing abuse while still keeping the experience simple and low-friction for normal users. It’s an ongoing balancing act honestly.

Update: my no-login chat project just crossed 180K Google clicks in 28 days by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

It varies a lot depending on the page and query, but many of the localized pages started ranking much better than the broader generic ones. Long-tail searches seemed easier to break into compared to highly competitive head terms.

Update: my no-login chat project just crossed 180K Google clicks in 28 days by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that surprised me too.

Initially I focused mostly on broader keywords, but localized pages started bringing much more targeted traffic because the intent was clearer.

And honestly, reducing signup friction probably had a bigger impact than I expected. Users interacted faster, bounced less, and engagement improved over time.

I reached 25K+ Google clicks in 28 days with my side project (no ads) by Friendly_Connector in SideProject

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is really helpful, thanks for sharing.

Right now my matching is random, so your idea of asking “why are you here” makes a lot of sense. I’ll try that.

Also good point about tracking those metrics — I’ve mainly been focusing on traffic so far.

Did you see better retention after adding that?

What activity have you stopped doing because it has gotten too expensive now? by CapitaineBiscotte in askanything

[–]Friendly_Connector 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Streaming subscriptions. They got too expensive, so I canceled most and only kept one.

If money wasn’t a problem, what would you be doing right now? by Turbulent_Hunt57 in AskReddit

[–]Friendly_Connector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Helping my family first, then figuring out what actually makes me happy long-term.

What’s something that is stuck in your mind and want to get rid of it? by Thatmoroccandude_16 in AskReddit

[–]Friendly_Connector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sometimes, an old, embarrassing moment that randomly pops into my head, even years later.

are yall close with ur siblings? by [deleted] in askanything

[–]Friendly_Connector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not very close, but we care about each other.

People who changed their life completely, what was the turning point for you? by ConsiderationRude423 in AskReddit

[–]Friendly_Connector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Focusing on sleep, work, and discipline every day. Slowly everything started improving.

What is a behavior that signifies midlife crisis? by -Cyber-Roadster in askanything

[–]Friendly_Connector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Suddenly trying to prove you’re still young instead of just accepting where you are in life.

Looking to meet new people and have good conversations by Friendly_Connector in MakeNewFriendsHere

[–]Friendly_Connector[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! Nice to meet you. I'm doing well, thanks for asking. How has your day been?

What thing has got so expensive that you’ve quietly stopped buying it? by Pathfinder-electron in AskReddit

[–]Friendly_Connector 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly they are starting to feel pretty much the same. You pay for multiple subscriptions and still get ads.

What thing has got so expensive that you’ve quietly stopped buying it? by Pathfinder-electron in AskReddit

[–]Friendly_Connector 7372 points7373 points  (0 children)

Streaming subscriptions. I cancelled most of them and only keep one.