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Marion Hawkins
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This has a number of reasons, but one of the most important is to ensure that the hard work that our editors have put into the Wiki "Gamepedia" continues to occupy a good place in the search results.
Even before the merger of the two platforms, the Gamepedia team noticed that changes to Google's search algorithm seemed to harm the "Gamepedia" wiki, while the fandom wiki performed better. This is crucial for the wiki, as over 90% of all wiki traffic comes from Google searches. On average, these changes to the algorithm have led to an increase in the number of Google search results for "fandom" and a decrease in search results for "Gamepedia."
The algorithm at Google is a secret that is very closely guarded by Google, but also by many other companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google.
For over two years, Gamepedia's search engine optimization has been negatively influenced by the secret sauce Google uses to determine how pages are displayed and sorted in its search results. The changes Google has made have reduced the visibility of the Gamespedia wiki by 10%, while the fandom wiki has been increased to 18%. This is stunning and makes it difficult for content on Game Wikipedia to find an audience.
Migration to another area is a measure we are taking to address this risk, to prevent future losses, to regain lost visibility, and perhaps even to increase the discoverability of content on Gamepedia.
We don't quite understand how this change affects fandom and the Gamepedia wiki, but what we do know is that brand strength and domain unity can protect the wiki from SEO crashes and lead to SEO benefits. For example, if algorithm changes occur about four times a year, we could lose 40% of our search visibility and gain 70% visibility by migrating to a fandom URL.
This first migration test will help us to become more precise over time and to understand the impact on transport. We will start the process by migrating the Wiki this month, confirming the SEO impact and limiting the numbers, and migrating it in early 2021.
In case of a conflict between the wiki names changes will be made to the subdomain. When the community crosses and is part of Project Crossover, the combined wiki moves to mtg.fandom.com. This will remain as fallout _ archive _ f fandom _ com, as it will have been the new home for the archived wiki of Fandom, and will also become the archive for the archived wiki of Gamepedia, if it is still available.
As announced last year, Curse has begun to explore the possibility of extending beyond the wiki of Gamepedia and recognizing the potential for a broader approach , as they have begun to explore the possibilities of extending beyond it, such as Moviepedia. We are also working on ways to better recommend wikis based on interest, and we are conducting market research and comparative brand awareness studies of the various wiki communities. Compared to other wiki sites, the average fan is less likely to know what fandom is about, due to market research and comparative brand awareness.
For this reason, we decided to move the Gamepedia wiki to the fandom URLs, as well as a number of other changes, such as adding the "fandom" section to the wiki.
Although Project Crossover has certainly drastically reduced the number of potential conflicts in the Community, it has not even begun and we are still in the early stages of development.
The fandom approach is one that anyone can be interested in, while Curse Gamepedia curates with a dedicated team that believes it has potential and promotes it. Teams from both platforms will meet in person to begin the merger process. Origins will be back next week when we announce the "fandom vs. curse" merger.
D'Anastasio spoke with the Online Performers Group, which manages Twitch broadcast talent, about the impact Gamepedia has on Twitch channel audience numbers and whether it will actually translate into meaningful interaction. What Kotaku has uncovered is a problem that could affect a number of full-time workers. Once a channel is selected, embedded streams throw a ton of new viewers at it, but what do they do with it?
Depending on the size of the station and the time of day, it can be a dramatic percentage of your audience, according to D'Anastasio.
Facebook inflation is catching up fast, but until the opaque curtain on how Twitch defines and communicates views is lifted, the water will remain murky at best and dangerous at worst. Twitch ads are almost guaranteed to be a problem for any non-endemic brand that takes a risk to advertise on a gaming platform like Twitch.