Writing a Summary

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   ruthwalkerposted 10 years ago

   Just wondering how many of you always write summaries for your hubs, or do you not bother with writing one?  How important is it do you think? I think I would prefer to write my own summary  but for some reason my mind has drawn a bit of a blank as to what to write, sounds like it should be easy enough, but meh, think my brain's gone awol lol maybe leave it for now and try again later.

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   1. 91

      Millionaire Tipsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      A summary is important.  It is what people on the search engines read to determine whether your article will give them what they are looking for.  If you can't think of what to write, you can go back to it, but make sure you don't forget it.

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   2. 84

      tsmogposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Definitely. I write probably half of my hubs or more as 'real' essays with a thesis statement and end it with a summary paragraph. I have pondered whether to have the summary at the beginning with internet work. That is kinda' the pattern at Wikipedia it seems. A broad summary paragraph at the beginning. Even though some thought offers Wiki as not reliable there model is definitely a heads up approach to search engine friendly in a humble view.

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   Author Cherylposted 10 years ago

   I don't feel that my hubs warrant a summary.  It would give away what you are trying to get people to read.  If they read the summary they wouldn't have to read the whole page that you spent writing.  I say no to summaries.

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      galleryofgraceposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The summary should only be a few short sentences. It is an Introduction to the hub. It explains what the reader will find in the hub.

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3. 95

   Sue Adamsposted 10 years ago

   The summary is very important. It is the catch phrase that appears in search engines after your title and is meant to attract readers' attention to your hub. A bit like a sales pitch. Keep it short, descriptive, and promising results to their search query.
   
   
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4. 77

   Greekgeekposted 10 years ago

   The summary is the only way for online searchers to know what your page is about, whether it matches what they're looking for, and whether it's worth visiting. Skipping it is tantamount to putting a book in a library without listing it in the card catalog, or offering something for sale on Amazon or eBay with no description.
   
   To get an idea what to put in a summary, think about what you'd tell a friend if they asked what you'd written today. What's the page about? What question or problem does it answer? Think about the audience most likely to want to read that article. What are they expecting to find?
   
   You also might try some Google searches to get an idea what sorts of summaries do or don't work very well. Which ones are effective in giving you an idea of the page contents they're pointing to? Which ones would you be most likely to click on?
   
   Tip: Want to see how your hub is liable to look like in Google search results? Try a snippet optimizer (in that tool, paste your summary into the Description box).

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5. 93

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   Yes, summaries are very important. I write one for every hub, even poem hubs. It's the teaser after the eye-catcher (title) that makes readers want to click on the link, open the article, and read on. If Google lists five articles on "How to Make the Best Apple Pie," I'm more likely to click on the one with a summary that says it was "grandma's down-home recipe."

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      ruthwalkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thankyou for replies
      
      @Greekgeek I like your idea about thinking what you would tell a friend if they asked what the hub was about. Thankyou for the link.

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