Split Article In Two?

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  1. Anne Ryefield profile image89
    Anne Ryefieldposted 6 years ago

    Hopefully this is the correct board. I am in the middle of writing an article that has a lot of information but isn't technical. I'm just beginning to get into the meat of the article but am all ready pushing 1150 words. I may be able to trim it down a few words later but over all, I'm thinking it will be around 3000 words, if not more. Do you think this is too long of an article and should be split into two articles? Or do you think it is okay because it's sort of an instruction guide on how to do something?

    The article isn't published yet so I'm not sure if posting the link will lead you to the article. But I'll post it anyway just in case. Please just note that I am actively editing the article and it's a first draft. Details, layout, and paragraphs are bound to change around as I finish writing and edit for clarity.

    https://hubpages.com/living/How-Dryer-L … e-Me-Money

    1. Marisa Wright profile image87
      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      We can't see the Hub as it's not published.

      I just wanted to add one more thing to my earlier reply.   You say you're at 1150 words and "just beginning to get into the meat" of the article.  That worries me. 

      When you're writing online, you need to grab your reader in the first paragraph, and convince them your article has something to offer them.  If you don't, they'll click back to Google and look for a better result.   Then you need to keep their interest - if you wander off on a long introduction, that "Back" button will tempt them again!   So, I'd be taking a hard look at those first 1150 words and asking yourself whether they're necessary.

      My favourite example is a Hub entitled How to Make a ..... Quilt (I forget what kind of quilt it was!).  The opening photo is gorgeous, and anyone wanting to make that quilt would be instantly hooked. But then, the Hubber spends the next FOUR paragraphs talking about the history of that type of quilt, how her mother taught her the skills, how long it took her to make it, yadda yadda.  All interesting in its way - HOWEVER, the reader has clicked on that article expecting to be told how to make it, and isn't getting what they want. 

      The Hub ended up ranking poorly on Google, because readers were constantly bouncing back.  The sad thing was that if you scroll down far enough, the Hub contains excellent instructions on how to make the quilt - but very few online readers have the patience to read that far. 

      The fix is easy - if the Hub started with the instructions, then all the background information was added at the end, the Hub would likely be very successful.  I don't know what your frist 1150 words are, but it's worth bearing in mind.

  2. LoisRyan13903 profile image61
    LoisRyan13903posted 6 years ago

    I have been writing on Home Remedies not on this account but a different one and some of them are even longer, I have a couple that are at least 4000 words.  I didn't see the article because it isn't published first.  One way I whittled down one of the articles was using bullets and that seemed to go fine.

    1. Marisa Wright profile image87
      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      The advice from HubPages used to be that the "sweet spot" for articles was 1,500 words.  That is long enough to please Google, but not so long that readers' eyes glaze over.   However, more recently, Paul Edmondson posted that articles up to 2,500 words seem to do well, so a longer article isn't necessarily a bad thing.   

      Personally, if I have a Hub that's getting over 2,000 words, I would make a major effort to split it.  In my experience, an article of that length inevitably covers more than one aspect of the topic.  So if you look at it carefully, you can usually separate the various aspects of the topic and create a separate Hub for each. Obviously if one Hub needs an explanation that's contained in one of the other Hubs, you interlink them.

      If you can make several 1,500-word Hubs you've got a win-win:  each Hub is still long enough, but each is also more focussed, meaning they are each likely to rank higher on Google for that aspect of the subject.  It also makes it easier for the reader - they don't have to scroll down a massively long article to find the particular aspect they're looking for.

  3. newbizmau profile image87
    newbizmauposted 6 years ago

    I have experienced that the articles I have over 2000 words have done much better in the long term as far as constant traffic no matter the season versus some of my others that I felt were better written and would appeal to a broader audience. For the past few years, it seems like google or search engines in general reward articles with better page rank for longer articles and also those on very specific topics. That's just my opinion from my personal experience. I have since gotten rid of articles that weren't performing as well and focused on a tighter niche.

  4. Anne Ryefield profile image89
    Anne Ryefieldposted 6 years ago

    I did finish the article and publish it. It's my fifth article published so it may need to go through the Quality Assessment before it can be seen. I did get it down to about 2800 words. I trimmed it down as much as I could while still keeping the flow.

    1. Marisa Wright profile image87
      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, I can see it now. 

      Did you read my example of the lady with the quilt?  You've done something similar here, with your lint Hub.   The Hub isn't about making money from dryer lint, it's about the dangers of dryer lint.  If you keep the current title, you'll attract the wrong audience from Google and cause your Hub to fail.

      If someone finds your Hub on Google, it's because they're looking for a way to make money from dryer lint (your title says you did it, and that's what will attract them to your Hub). But what do they get when they arrive at your Hub?  They get an explanation of how dryer lint causes fires. Right there, more than half your readers will decide your title was misleading, and they'll click back to Google to find a more relevant article.

      A few hardier souls will read on, but they'll find themselves reading the long, detailed story of your dryer disaster. You're a complete stranger and they couldn't give a rats about your adventures.  It's unlikely more than one or two of them will keep going - it's so much easier to click back to Google and find something better.

      But then, the one or two who persevered, expecting that you'll finally tell them how you made money from your dryer lint, will be disappointed.  Because you don't have any tips to share.  They're going to be pretty p***ed off! 

      We were all taught in school to write catchy titles. If you want to be successful writing online, you need to forget that lesson pronto!  Online, your title needs to describe what your Hub is about, even if that means it's a bit boring.  Try Googling "is dryer lint dangerous" and see what search suggestions come up.  Choose one of those for your title. 

      Then take a look at recasting your Hub so you give people useful information up front about the dangers of lint, the benefits of cleaning, an explanation of how to do it, and then finish off with the example of what happened to you - because by that time they'll be grateful for your advice and relaxed in your company, and be interested in your story.

 
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