Are shorter Hubs better?

1. 78

   YoungWolfposted 8 years ago

   I personally enjoy short articles that is around 600 - 1200 words.Sometimes i don't like reading a article on the web that is 2000 words long unless its really interesting. All of my hubs so far have been short and specific to the topic. I feel like it is respecting people's time in a sense that we are busy creatures and reading a article should not be so time consuming. Plus i don't think its healthy to be starring at a screen for too long( i rather read 2000 words in a book or a newspaper).I understand if the article is about a research or something scientific that will require more than 2000 words but i feel that general ordinary topics should not exceed 1200 words. Im not sure if it is just me or my specific eyes but what do you guys think about short hubs(600 to 1200 words)?

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   1. 84

      tsmogposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      HubPages 'Stellar Hub' description shares a hub with a minimum of 1,150 words is ideal. More on a 'Stellar Hub' may be found here http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/Elem … tellar-Hub
      
      I have read somewhere (maybe the HP blog or in the forums) the average length on a Hub is 6 minutes. Avg reading speed is 225 - 300 wpm. That means about 1350 - 1800 words. At Google Analytics the average reading time for my Hubs is about 6:29.
      
      One thing to note is the hub word length at the Hub Dashboard counts more than the text capsules. For instance one hub I know is 1,847 words / text with sub-headings and the dashboard says 2,188. So, my assumption is the dashboard counts words in poll capsules and the description for image capsules, and others (???). That is 16% difference.

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   2. 82

      peachpurpleposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I prefer 700 ~ 1000 words article, easier to read at least i don't dozz off while reading

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      1. 78

         YoungWolfposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I also prefer shorter hubs for the same reasons.

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2. 91

   Chriswillman90posted 8 years ago

   I'm not a fan of excess and I'd prefer articles under 1300-1400 words. Unless it's a research topic that needs to be extensive, then I want a quick read that I could enjoy. I don't enjoy reading blocks of text either, and I've read several hubs that were far too compact without necessary separation.

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3. 60

   integraterposted 8 years ago

   It is a difficult ask -to use as fewer words as possible and yet convey something satisfactorily . IMO rants and opinion writings tend to be longer . Also editing is as important as, if not more than, original write up . I think most of us prefer shorter, meaningful content but I might be wrong; afterall it is just an opinion .

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   1. 78

      YoungWolfposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you that most people prefer shorter meaningful content, and yes it is not an easy task to compress information down and still show the reader the main idea of the article.

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4. 81

   quicksandposted 8 years ago

   Sometimes to get a point across, you need to cite several examples. Doing so will require the usage of more long tail key words. A writer who is aware of the basics of SEO will tend to use a larger variety of phrases connected to the topic. The end product will be a long hub which will be by default SEO friendly. However, if you want to "know more" of a certain topic long articles would be of greater use. Otherwise, like I do at times, simply skip certain paragraphs.

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5. 96

   EricDockettposted 8 years ago

   Whenever this question is asked on this forum it is met with responses based on how many words people *think* other people want to read. These conclusions seem to arise based on how many words Hubbers themselves like to read, or even how many words they feel like writing.
   
   The thing is, you don't have to guess. Many bloggers, online writers and general SEO smart-guys have done research on this topic. Based on the results I have seen, if you want to create a web page that ranks well and gets traffic you need to be writing at least 2000-2500 words.
   
   But instead of taking my word for it, do your own digging. I haven't looked into it in a few months. If there is a newer study, or more compelling research, that suggests that short pages under 1000 words perform best nobody will be happier than me.
   
   Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we *think* is best based on our own personal preferences. If we expect to publish pages that succeed we are wise to follow the research.

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      promisemposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Well said!

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6. 87

   Virginia Allainposted 8 years ago

   I find that when my hubs get unfeatured for quality, that it is usually the shorter ones. Although Internet readers like quick in-and-out for information, apparently HubPages doesn't think you can provide enough quality in a short hub.
   
   Longer hubs of 1,200 words seems preferred but break it up with some pictures and polls to make it easy for readers.

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7. 78

   colorfuloneposted 8 years ago

   My longest hub is 2,255 words and is the hub with the highest score. It is an informational hub and it does not get the most views. 
   
   If I add more text to hubs with say 500-1000 words, the hubscores go up. 
   
   Poetry and recipe hubs do not have word count goals in the upper right corner. But, from what I have seen if the word count is low the hubscore it also, so I add content to them as time goes by and the scores go up.

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8. 84

   SouradipSinhaposted 8 years ago

   Depends..unless the Hub is enriched with lots of necessary information, it's better to keep it short.. say, 1200-1300 words or so..

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