Combining Hubs

1. 65

   Arachneaposted 9 years ago

   I have a few hubs that aren't doing well at all. Since they are along a similar theme, I was thinking of combining them to one hub then shift the focus to the general topic and add more info on that. Has anyone else tried this?
   
   Edit: I would of course delete the old hubs as they no longer serve a purpose.

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   1. 97

      sallybeaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I wonder if this would be seen as duplicate content when you try to publish them?  Would you not have to delete them and wait a few days before doing so!
      Perhaps someone else knows!

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   2. 92

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I have combined hubs before and got better results by doing so. I delete the two separate hubs first then work on the new combined hub. I wait, like Sally mentioned, a few days to make sure the old hubs are gone from the internet.

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      1. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Exactly the right process.

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2. 61

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   Whenever I delete a hub, content on a blog, website, I use the Google URL removal tool as well. I don't simply hit upublish and delete. HP takes at least 24 hours before they remove your deleted hub from their system.  HP does not remove it from Google search engine like we do using the Google URL removal tool.  It might take Google a day, maybe several days to remove your URL as well.

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   1. 92

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      That is true, Linda. However, I always change the title of the new hub slightly in order to prevent any issues with a duplicate URL.  That way, I can republish sooner, once I know the hubs are gone.

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3. 61

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   Phyllis: I delete hub, article, etc.  Change title.  Run the content through Copyscape, it comes up anyway if I have not had the original URL removed by Google url removal tool.  Even then, I have had content appear in Copyscape at various times, so I then rewrote my article as well.

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   1. 92

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Linda. I have only done the combining/deleting a few times and had no issues with it. However, I think I should do as you say and use the Google URL removal tool.  Maybe when I deleted then republished with a new title I waited long enough for the content to be gone. Running through Copyscape is a good idea, also.  Thanks - I will remember this.

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4. 71

   Marie Flintposted 9 years ago

   Without knowing which hubs you mean, Arachnea, I can't give a strong opinion; however, I have noticed that scores can fluctuate a great deal on a hub. If you have had them up for only a few months, I'd wait a bit longer before changing anything.
   
   Hub writing, especially researched ones, can be a lot of work. You might try just editing the topic first and/or zesting the title(s). Then give them at least a month or so before checking for traffic or score changes. Of course, promoting your hubs on social sites helps too.
   
   When all else is said, only you can decide what you publish. So, if you're feeling excited and "gung-ho" about rewriting the older hubs, go for it. Just take Linda's and Phyllis' advice about giving the old hubs time to clear before publishing the new one to avoid the duplicate content issue.
   
   Blessings!

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5. 90

   Jodahposted 9 years ago

   I had two poetry hubs de-featured recently so decided to combine them into one so the word count etc was increased. I kept one and just added the content of the other to it but changed the title. Then deleted the one  that was no longer required before submitting the revamped one. It was featured within 24 hours.

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6. 65

   Arachneaposted 9 years ago

   Some good information here, thank you everyone. Jodah, increasing word count may also definitely help. Some of my old squidoo recipe lenses haven't been posted because of the small word count. The recipe workshop template provided a very limited opportunity for adding modules (capsules) and such. There's not a lot one can write in a recipe to increase the word count. Having stepped into the duplicate content filters on a few occasions before because I hadn't deleted the other hubs first, I know to do just that. Remove them from a presence on the internet before publishing the "duplicate" hub. I hadn't heard of the Google URL removal tool previously, thanks.
   
   It occurs to me that I can add to the hub over time as I acquire new material.
   
   Thanks for the great feedback everyone.

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