What happens when you stop blogging? You lose traffic.
About 6 months ago I started receiving odd emails asking me to approve comments, but the data was blank. Then I tried to post a blog post and it wouldn’t take. It turns out my SQL database had maxed out. The database only had 100 Mb and I was at 148. I called my web host and explained the situation. They said I needed to export the old database and then import it into a new one. I made a couple of attempts at exporting the old database then importing it into a new database. Unfortunately they failed as the database was so large. So I asked if they could do it for me.
They said no, I would have to do it. They suggested some tool to use, which I tried and it also couldn’t handle the size of the database. So newmediaMike went into a coma.
Life got hectic and busy and I kept thinking, I really need to get this done. I was watching my traffic fall over the last six months as the coma continued. I talked to several people who had experience with SQL and they made it all seem so easy. But I was having a problem with the import due to the size of the database. I even had a “Plan B” up my sleeve.
Last week I reactivated mikeallan.com. My “Plan B” was to manually copy and paste the posts I wanted to keep, the ones that drive the most traffic of course, and repost them on mikeallan.com. I would then use a global re-direct and send all traffic from newmediaMike to mikeallan.com.
Not exactly the best plan if I wanted to keep traffic. A number of posts I have top ranking for would have tanked and slowly percolated their way back up to the top, but I didn’t want to risk it. I have already lost 35% of previous traffic levels by letting the site sit and not be updated on a regular basis. So on a whim I called my web host and explained that I wanted to import an overloaded SQL database into a new one with lots of room to grow. But that I was running into technical challenges. This time the tech said YES!
An hour later I was able to log in and update WordPress to the latest version, update my plugins and now write a new blog post. Now it’s time to reverse the trend and start blogging to regain traffic.
A follow up post will surely follow.