Looking for SEO Input here

1. 85

   DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years ago

   It has been suggested that I submit one of my hubs here for an SEO check.
   
   This one has become unfeatured for lack of engagement, but it is a popular topic these days.
   
   I wonder, would it be better split into two separate hubs, so that I have a three-part article instead?  I feel it might be a tad too long, and it  would really be far, far too long if I attached it back to the 'part one' hub.
   
   On the other hand, I'm given to understand that "The Big G" doesn't really like articles in "parts."  What to do?  Is the title the problem, as well as any other SEO issues within the hub?  Or does it boil down to being one of a multiple-part article?
   
   http://dzymslizzy.hubpages.com/hub/Spoo … -Part-Two#
   
   EDIT:  Since posting my original question, I have made a couple of changes based on Marcy's advice.

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   1. 92

      Sherry Hewinsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think you need to come up with a unique title for each hub, instead of having them be part one and part two. Maybe something like, "How to Find Out if Your House is Haunted," and "How to Hunt for Ghosts." I don't know that much about keywords, maybe somebody else can come up with better title suggestions.
      
      Of course, you would still have them grouped, and put a link in each one to the other.

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      1. 85

         DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, Sherry--
           That's a good idea.  I guess I still get hung up on the 'old way' of doing things, where, in order to keep information in proper sequential order, it was labeled as 'parts of a whole.'
         This was my original thought when I wrote these hubs:  Part One, how to debunk ordinary noises and decide if you really might have a ghost, and Part Two, how to hunt for that ghost, if you've followed the steps in Part One.
         Apparently, this no longer flies.
         I appreciate your input.

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         1. 92

            Sherry Hewinsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I am just thinking about what somebody might type into search.

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   2. 76

      Paul Maplesdenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'd do as previously suggested and have articles that each explore the topic from a slightly different angle, rather than part 1, part 2 etc. I think the content of the hubs is very good and it's well written. I think that you could probably use more titles and subtitles to break up the text and some other photos would be helpful too. They don't need to be of 'ghosts', they could be of ghost hunting equipment etc.
      
      You might also want to think about putting a summary at the beginning of the hub, explaining what you're going to tell people.
      
      Hope this helps.

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      1. 85

         DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Hi, Paul--
           Thanks for your ideas. I'll try them--tomorrow--after I sleep-on-it; a bit brain-fried at the moment.  LOL
         It may actually come down to unpublishing them temporarily, and working up a major revision.

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   3. 84

      Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      First of all, you have two Hubs with identical titles - bad SEO immediately.   Even if something is a series, never use the same title with Part 1, 2 etc appended.   You can use the series name as a subtitle if you like, but each title must be unique.
      
      Where are your images?  The beginning is just a big block of fairly indigestible text. 
      
      Next, why would people read this Hub?  What would they be searching for?   The title is very general.  What are you offering help on?   How to hunt ghosts?  Then your title MUST say so. 
      
      Finally, don't take all day to get to the point.  If you want to help people hunt ghosts, then don't spend over half the Hub offering definitions and background information.   Get to the nitty gritty.   People don't have patience to scroll down and look for what they want - they'll click back to Google and try another result.   That will make your bounce rate look very bad.

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      1. 93

         Susana Sposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Oh yes. That's all really good advice.
         
         The title is the most important aspect of SEO. If your title doesn't accurately describe your page content then your page is doomed.
         
         The last paragraph is especially helpful, not just for Dzy but for so many writers here.
         
         Get to the point! And stay on point!
         
         You will bore people with background info - and that leads to immediate back clicks - not good.

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      2. 85

         DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, Marisa!
           As usual, you have offered many helpful suggestions.
         I'd like to clarify, though:  by "...using the series name as a subtitle...," do you mean following the title, in the title box, after a 'pipe' or colon?  Or do you mean in the summary, or as the header for the first capsule?
         Thanks, and it looks like a major revision is in order for this hub.

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         1. 84

            Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            No, I would certainly not put it in the title in any way shape or form!   I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking because there is no way to do a subtitle on HubPages - I have that option on some of my blogs. 
            
            What I would do is put a callout capsule somewhere saying "this is Part II of my Series "......", Read Part 1 here (hyperlink)"

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            1. 85

               DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Ah--okay.  Thanks for that clarification.
               
               I'm not sure about the callout capsule option.  I always thought that was a quote from elsewhere in the text, chosen for emphasis by repetition in the callout box.  (At least, that's how it worked back in the dark ages when I took journalism...LOL) 
               I did not know you could type in something different.

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               1. 84

                  Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  I don't know what the callout capsule was used for on Squidoo, but I haven't seen it used for repetition of something already in the Hub - and I would never advise repeating the same text twice in an online article anyway. 
                  
                  I use it to highlight an important fact.  In this case, the fact that this Hub is a continuation of another one seems like an important fact!

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                  1. 85

                     DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Oh--okay.  Because that's exactly how it is used in magazine articles, in print media.  The callout does highlight some phrase or quote used in the body text of the article.
                     Thanks for letting me know it's a no-no online.

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2. 82

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 9 years ago

   I'm not an SEO expert, but when I looked at the hub, my first reaction was how huge the block of text was, and that I'd like some visuals (not that you can photograph ghosts, mind you!).
   
   The topic is interesting - it's something many people would want to read. There might be times when it's a bit seasonal (Halloween, etc.), but it's really an evergreen topic.
   
   Perhaps you could change the layout, add some images and/or related YouTube videos, and break it up visually a bit?  Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing the SEO tips others might have - I always learn from our experts!

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   1. 85

      DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi, Marcy--
      Thanks for that.  I do have a couple of photos.  I guess I should go with the new concept of making them full-width, eh?  ;-)
      I'll try and find some ghostly videos. 

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