What are the top three factors to increase traffic?

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   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   I'm increasingly coming to learn the importance of titles to make hubs searchable. But some of my hubs are still not doing well. Out of the following factors, what do you are the top three most important for hubs to get traffic and be successful?
   
   1. Titles
   2. Keywords
   3. Original content
   4. Topic
   5. Interactives (polls and videos)
   6. Promotion
   7. Grammar
   8. Interesting presentation
   9.Other

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   1. 83

      Faith Reaperposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Well, most likely good titles, as I just changed and have been fine-tuning the titles a bit and well making edits, and it worked, they started jumping up in views, so hopefully the score will get back on track soon, I hope.  Still will tweak here and there, and I was surprised it did help.  I will follow this forum, for I do need to know what works best to increase traffic, as all of my hubs are featured, and score high initially, then slowly start to drop over time.  However, I believe it is most likely a combination of all of what you have listed.

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         Will Apseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Most of your pages have a very personal or 'hubpages only' flavor, so you cannot really expect much traffic from search engines, Faith Reaper.
         
         I reckon janshares has made a pretty good list of stuff that is important for search engine traffic.
         
         If you can find a topic that has not been covered well before, nail down the keyword phrase and get it into the title then write a high quality page, readers and bots will love you.

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         1. 83

            Faith Reaperposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, that is true, as I already have a full-time job as a paralegal in the city, and I am away from home each day during the week over 10 hours being I have an hour commute to and from each day.  I love to write, and wanted to write here for just a message of hope and love, and about my true life experiences with cancer and such to help people.  Everyone here who reads and follows loves what I write about, and I have thrown in a couple of the other every now and then.  I could very easily write "How to do" hubs of course; however, being I write constantly in the legal field in a government office that attempts to keep public officials and employees ethical, an arduous task to say the least, but what I write here is what I want to write about here.  So, I have been writing the evergreen here of late and the ones I have just published are high scoring and a lot of views.  Just redid an older one and it said "well-written evergreen" congrats.  Before they changed the scoring the other week, my score was 97, then it dropped, and one would think that publishing with hubs that have a score in the 90s and a lot of views, one's score would go up some.  I guess I can throw in the kind that Google likes most with no problem, but my heart is just not in that after working all day and long commute.  So, guess I will just keep plugging along.  Well, you have hit on something, as I was under the impression it should be a popular topic, but you are saying a topic that has not been covered... okay, well, I think I can come up with a topic not covered well before.  However, one would think that all has been covered well with the worldwide web already.  Appreciate your input and thoughts here.

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      2. 87

         Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         There's one other thing to consider - the nature of your subject.
         
         Sometimes, no matter how much you tweak, and how perfect you make it, it won't get traffic.  There are two possible reasons for that:  either no one is interested in the topic you've chosen, or there is way too much competition in the form of other websites and articles.  If either of those is true, it won't matter how much work you do on a Hub, it will never ever succeed.
         
         Some of your articles are on subjects which few people would be actively searching for, and therefore are unlikely to ever get much traffic outside HubPages or your friends.

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         1. 83

            Faith Reaperposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, as I stated, making money is not my objective, and creative writers and those such as myself, non-fiction writers, will not make money here, but it is just for the community of fellow creative writers, poets and those with a positive message to share, where even if just one person is helped or a difference is made in their life, then all the writing here is well worth the time and sharing of true life experience, which moves people deeply.  And I understand all of that, so I am fine with it, and just wanted to get a feel of things.  So, I shall continue on, at whatever score.  On another forum, they were discussing that with all that is going on right now with HP, even if one does write such as Google desires with SEO, and all the rest, would it still even matter at this point...  Thanks for all the input.

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   2. 89

      NateB11posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'd say topics, titles and keywords. Only certain topics are searched heavily, only certain titles will be found because they're searched (and indexed), and keywords are how people find articles on the Net and so it all depends on what words they use to search with. It's all about what people are typing into the search engine. Fortunately or unfortunately, it's what we have to work with.

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         jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         You're absolutely right, NateB11.

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   3. 89

      NateB11posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Some people seem to be implying keywords and SEO do not matter anymore: Is Google going to find a way in which all a person needs to do is write and create good content and people will see it and it will get traffic? Hope so. But it doesn't seem to happen as of yet, as far as I can tell.

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   4. 87

      Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Jan, when creating my hubs I take one thing quite seriously and then everything else is secondary.
      
      The thing I take most seriously which works for me every time is my passion for the subject I am writing about. The reason for this is that when readers read your article they can see how much you have put into it, your knowledge of the subject and so forth.
      
      If I find a subject I am passionate about I do two things, (1) find out if it is widely searched. If it's not widely searched I place it on my blog. If I find more than 1000 global monthly searches I place it on HP. (2) Is it extensively covered? If it's something I really want to write about I may go ahead even if I find 10,000,000 results. Usually my topics are not that extensively covered so I am good to go.
      
      Other than that I don't care about polls, promotion or anything other than creating a good title. I only use interactives if my instincts tell me to rather than placing them there just to get readers to participate. I have also learned that most of the people who take polls or vote on your articles are HP readers and not visitors from outside.
      
      I also found that hubs which were written by my own inspiration are doing much better than those which were given to me from the AP program. My instincts for hubs always work in my own favor.

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      1. 92

         jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, Cardisa. Excellent advice, makes sense that you must care first. If you care enough, you're driven to make sure all else falls in place. I see you really do your research about potential success of the hub. That's smart hubbin'

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         1. 87

            Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            You are right. I don't know if this works for everybody but this method works fro me. As a writer with a reputation to consider I keep checking for mistakes frequently. Hubs which were published two years ago I find small errors in them and fix them.
            
            So other than the things I mentioned above, the third thing is to keep updating and editing the hub to make sure it has no errors and it stays current.

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            1. 92

               jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Yes, I've been doing that as well. Finally got a chance to fix my oxtails hub which was my second hub. I got a  chance to cook some and take pictures which took all day during the past holiday. I uploaded the new  pics and added a little more word count. I have been finding more and more to improve upon in several hubs as I learn the ropes.

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2. 31

   Writer Foxposted 10 years ago

   Other

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      Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Writer Fox, What is the other? Links?

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         Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         1. SEO
         2. SEO
         3. SEO
         
         And, SEO includes Google-Quality content. I have a Hub that topped 1,500 views today – all sent from search engines.  That would not have happened without SEO.

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            jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you, Writer Fox. SEO was supposed to be on the list but I was rushing and forgot. Please tell us which factors are directly related to SEO. I would imagine savvy use of keywords, titles, subtitles, and strategically placed keywords throughout the content? I'm not sure I've completely mastered this yet.

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               Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               On my Hub 'SEO Tutorial", I outline the 5 components of on-page optimization and show you how to use them. These are the methods which work and they work on HubPages. 
               
               In the past 24 hours I have had 2,600 unique visitors sent from search engines to my 31 Hubs. 
               
               Six of my Hubs are creative writing (short stories and poetry) and two are photo galleries.  The same methods of SEO that I use and recommend apply to any Hub in any category.

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                  jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks, will check it out.

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            prettydarkhorseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Sir, I think Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is obscure and even seomoz dropped that one already. They became moz.
            
            Natural links and authority.
            
            I agree with wrylilt.

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            1. 31

               Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Rank Fishkin gave up the SEO consulting business four years ago and began to develop SEO software.  Now the corporation is moving to include analytics and marketing software.
               
               Rand Fishkin made this statement when his company's name and website URL were changed in May:
               
               "What we are not doing, and I am most certainly not doing, is giving up on the fight for the legitimacy, value, and importance of SEO. Organic search remains my personal passion, and one of the most powerful marketing channels in history. For as long as I'm active in the field, I will be shouting the value of SEO from the stages on which I present, the publications where I write, and the social channels where I share."

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                  Will Apseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  'What we are not doing, and I am most certainly not doing, is giving up on the fight for the legitimacy, value, and importance of SEO'
                  
                  Sounds like a desperate man fighting a desperate battle, lol.

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               2. 62

                  prettydarkhorseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  SEO has been getting a flak because of its bad reputation as black hat and content farming. I think that the new Moz are programming software which are concentrated more on building ones professional reputation through social media and marketing.
                  
                  The questions are : How do you get natural links, those that are reputable? How can you build your own reputation as a publisher in competing against big and well established  sites?

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                     rebekahELLEposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                       If you check the Moz blog, there are recent blogs/whiteboard friday lessons about these topics.  If I had more time, I'd supply the direct links, but you can check here. Look through the first few pages.
                     Of course, if a site is being penalized or downgraded, these tips may not 'immediately' give desired results.

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                        prettydarkhorseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        Yup, I subscribe there. Thanks a lot Ms. Rebekahelle.

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            ologsinquitoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Wow.

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               ologsinquitoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I meant that comment in response to Writer Fox's views on one hub.

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3. 91

   Rochelle Frankposted 10 years ago

   So, maybe the question should be "What are the top  three ways to increase SEO?".

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      jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      EXACTLY! See my reply above.

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4. 89

   Will Apseposted 10 years ago

   Has anyone ever thought of heading over to a reputable site like searchengineland and doing some background reading?
   
   It won't cost anything and you will be able to put the stuff that 'SEO experts' come out with on this site into perspective.
   
   The thing that makes a real difference is the ability to find topics that are popular but not saturated. This is not easy and you need to find your own ways. Nobody who knows what they are doing is likely to share their exact methods.
   
   SEO for beginners from people who know what they are talking about:
   http://searchengineland.com/now-updated … ors-162513

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   1. 92

      jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Will Aspe. When I get time to add that to my to do list, I will consider. I know it's important and will have to make it a priority if I want to reach the full potential of online success.

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         Will Apseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         If you just want straight forward SEO advice that is tailored entirely to HP, this learning center page from HP staff is pretty solid: http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/How- … ndly-Title

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5. 92

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   Thank you.

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6. 87

   WryLiltposted 10 years ago

   1, 4, 2.

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      jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Many thanks, WryLilt.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         And yet I keep hearing that Google is anti SEO and anti keyword.  Which is it folks?

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            WryLiltposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            There is a difference between natural SEO and staged SEO.
            
            Content is still king but using naturally SEO friendly writing helps.

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            Will Apseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Blackhat SEO, in other words, ways of cheating search engines, is almost dead. It used to be all about manufacturing backlinks to give false authority to a page or site and various kinds of keyword stuffing.
            
            Pretty much the only legit SEO is site architecture, ad placement and the use of clean, up to date code.
            
            Google really wants to move to a situation where 'authorship' and good writing matter more than anything else. And it has a habit of getting its way.

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            Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Google is not against SEO.  Far from it.  Google has created over 500 videos to teach webmasters how to use SEO effectively and it has posted these on YouTube. Those videos have had over 10 million views and have provided valuable information for how to rank webpages on Google search results.
            
            http://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleWebmasterHelp/videos
            
            At Google's expense, it sends its employees to top SEO conventions throughout the world where they are featured speakers. Google constantly holds international meet-ups answering questions from webmasters about SEO.
            
            Google advises every website owner to seek expert SEO advice at the outset when planning a website and posted this on its Webmaster Central blog:
            
            "If you're thinking about hiring an SEO [search engine optimizer], the earlier the better. A great time to hire is when you're considering a site redesign, or planning to launch a new site. That way, you and your SEO [search engine optimizer] can ensure that your site is designed to be search engine-friendly from the bottom up."

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      2. 92

         jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         All I know, TIMETRAVELLER2, is that every time I change a hub title to include the words (keywords) I think people are using in searches, the hub scores increase by several points. I'm waiting to see if traffic will do the same. It's a game of trial and error.

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   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   1) write topics people search for
   2) volume

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      jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Volume? Do you mean the number of searchers who will be searching for that topic?

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         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I mean this is a content site, most people will have to write in bulk to earn decent money.

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            jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Got it. Good point.

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   SAM ELDERposted 10 years ago

   2.
   3.
   7.

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9. 53

   smithgeeposted 10 years ago

   i think population and lot of vechicleee

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10. 62

    prettydarkhorseposted 10 years ago

    Google Keyword Tool to Keyword Planner
    Adwords.
    https://support.google.com/adwords/answ … ic=3175091

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    brakel2posted 10 years ago

    I read that keyword planner will have updates and right now does not meet needs,prettydarkhorse. Any other options in the meantime?

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       prettydarkhorseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Hi brakel, I can't recommend any paid SEO tool at the moment.

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    brakel2posted 10 years ago

    http://moz.com/blog/visual-guide-to-key … timization

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       Will Apseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I had forgotten this existed. It's a complex way of expressing the same old points.

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    Weldon Jewellersposted 10 years ago

    Maria makes a very good point much higher up (excuse me if I missed more discussion later, it's a long page and I'm on my phone), but the subject matter is very relevant to the traffic levels. Most of my hubs are about one topic, and it's a very particular niche. No matter how much i write, there is only a certain number of people who will ever hunt for information on Irish silver hallmarks! Traffic lights itself doesn't matter to me, I enjoy it and with a bit of luck the people who do come across my hubs enjoy them too.

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       jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Good points about niche writing and good attitude you have about the love of it versus getting tons of traffic.

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    Astra Nomikposted 10 years ago

    I write mostly poetry on hubs, so my niches is very clear and obvious. One small thing I did was to make my Hub pages Profile look very similar to my Twitter profile page ... and I am seeing jumps in my poetry hubs traffic from there. I also get people in LinkedIn, where a lot of writers hang out, visiting my poetry hubs to check out my content.
    
    I do have a blog and the word poetry is in the blog domain, which I own. I have a few links pointing to some of my hubs. I include good pictures and "Pinnable" Pinterest-friendly artwork with meta information. Some of my hubs are more likely to be bookmarked or tweeted or liked on Facebook.
    
    Hint for poets: add a line or two of text explaining the meaning of the occasional poem now and then... it actually helps. Rejig the description of the poem as it would appear in a search engine page result. It can make a difference. And spend a few minutes every day socially engaging with other writers and poets... be with the herd.

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