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How to Make More Attractive HubPages

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By WordPlay


If you're a "Hubber," you know that HubPages allows you to add formatted text, images, videos, news and ads with relative ease. But are you sure you're using those tools to their best advantage? If not, you might be missing some opportunities to make your hubs more attractive and reader-friendly.

Check out the following tips for improving the look of your hubs:

  • Use images Using images in your hubs serves you and your readers in two ways. First, if you use an image at the top of the page, it will appear as an icon next to your story wherever it's displayed throughout HubPages. If you combine a good image with a powerful headline, you have a greater chance of someone clicking through to your hub. Second, when someone clicks on your hub, having an image at the top of the page (or "above the fold" as it's often called) conveys that thought went into the content. If the image reflects the subject of your content well, you have another opportunity to draw readers in. (See below for links to free clip art, photo and video resources.)


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How to use PowerPoint 2007 to create Web graphics

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  • Use the Amazon, eBay, video and news capsules Even if you don't care about making money with your hubs, it's a good idea to use the revenue capsules anyway. Displaying products that fit your topic can be a service to readers, even if they don't buy from you. The same applies to video and news capsules, because they present neutral information, at least in terms of selling.

  • Use initial capitals for your page titles Although it's acceptable to capitalize just the first letter of a page title and not the rest, it looks more tidy if you capitalize all the major words. (Some of the words that usually wouldn't be capitalized are to, and, from and by.) To prove how capitalization changes a headline, ask yourself which looks better:

    • "How to Make More Attractive HubPages"
    • "How to make more attractive HubPages"

  • Use bold and italic text where appropriate The use of bold and italic text provides another way to break up copy and make it easier for readers to "digest." But don't overdo it. Unless there's a good reason, don't use whole paragraphs of bold or italic text. This can make the copy hard to read and would defeat your attempt to call attention to key points.

  • Don't use all capitals in your copy It's considered rude to use all capitals to convey your message, BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING. It's fine to use all capitals for an occasional subhead; just don't use them for blocks of text.

  • Use bullet points No matter how compelling your message, readers can sometimes drift away if your copy goes on and on without a break. Bullets provide short bursts of information that make it easier for readers to scan. If you initially don't feel comfortable writing bullets, just write your copy as usual and then look to see if at least one paragraph can be converted into bullet point copy. But don't worry if you don't see an opportunity to use bullets in a particular hub. Not all copy lends itself to that format. If you use images, video, and Amazon and eBay capsules, you'll achieve the same effect.


  • Check your Google analytics Google analytics are available through HubPages and provide in-depth insight into the pages your readers find interesting. After you sign up for an analytics account (see this article for instructions), study which pages hold readers longer. This will give you a good indication of how various content types work. Try modifying a page that's getting a lot of traffic but not holding readers for long. Then, follow some of the content tips in this article and watch the stats for that page. If you find your readers are sticking around longer, you'll know why.

If all this seems overwhelming, don't worry; you don't have to implement every tip for each hub. But if you get in the groove of thinking about the look of your hubs -- not just the content -- you'd probably find there will be big benefits.

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NOTE: When I create this hub, text in a full column used to wrap around anything inserted to the right of it (such as an Amazon or video capsule). For some reason, the text isn't wrapping like it used to. So, when you look at this page, try to imagine the text looking elegant and well-wrapped!

Comments

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wehzo  says:
2 years ago

Thank you WordPlay. This is a very good, and attractive hub. I need all the help I can get. The information is very helpful.

Rudra profile image

Rudra  says:
2 years ago

I must say these are exceptional tips to make your hub look and taste better, Thanks. Thumbs up I will give.

MrMarmalade profile image

MrMarmalade  says:
2 years ago

Excellent information Keep it up thank you

Mark Knowles profile image

Mark Knowles  says:
2 years ago

Good advice and a nice looking hub.

kcauthen  says:
2 years ago

I love to read your hubs! they always contain useful information. Good advice. I will definitely apply some of your tips. Thanks!

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks to all for the nice comments! :-)

Whitney05 profile image

Whitney05  says:
2 years ago

Great info!

Peter M. Lopez profile image

Peter M. Lopez  says:
2 years ago

Excellent Hub. Thank you for the great advice.

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks, Whitney and Peter. :-)

Betty Jo Petty profile image

Betty Jo Petty  says:
2 years ago

Very nice! I will come back to this, probably over and over!

I'm Betty Jo Petty, new and need the help.

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Hi, Betty Jo. Welcome to HubPages. :-)

Light Path profile image

Light Path  says:
2 years ago

Some very good information especially for new hubbers. I will concider using many of the suggestins

christiner profile image

christiner  says:
2 years ago

Thank you - very informative especially for the newbie like me!

Christiner

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks, Light Path and christiner. I hope you find the info helpful.

caspar profile image

caspar  says:
2 years ago

Very useful information (and thanks for the link!)

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

You're welcome, caspar. Thanks for writing your great hub so I could link it! :-)

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
2 years ago

Great information for any hubber. We all need help from time to time

Rik Ravado profile image

Rik Ravado  says:
2 years ago

Excellent advice - I see you practice what you preach too.

Well Done!

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks, Eileen and Rik, for your nice comments. :-)

dataminer profile image

dataminer  says:
2 years ago

Great stuff an informative and helpful hub!!

thooghun profile image

thooghun  says:
2 years ago

I was desperately in need of this article, thanks!

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks, dataminer and thooghun!

thooghun profile image

thooghun  says:
2 years ago

I still havent figured out how to attach images to my post. I think my IQ is slipping into double digits.

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Don't worry; you'll catch on!

To add images, when you're in edit mode look at the bar on the right and find the "Photos" capsule. Double-click it, then scroll down to the bottom of the page once the capsule has loaded. Open the capsule and it will give you instructions for loading photos.

Also, check out this URL from the help menu:

http://hubpages.com/faq/#capsule

If you have any problems with loading images, search the forums by using the search box at the top of the page. Someone will probably have had the same issues.

Here's the forum URL: http://hubpages.com/forum/

Good luck! :-)

thooghun profile image

thooghun  says:
2 years ago

Thanks again, I tried the forums but there don't seem to be any stickies on the subject and nobody is quite a classically noob as I am around here ;)

sunkentreasure profile image

sunkentreasure  says:
2 years ago

Dear WordPlay

Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

Warm Regards

Bernard

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

You're welcome, Bernard. I hope you find the info helpful.

CM Johnson profile image

CM Johnson  says:
2 years ago

Great tips. I'd love to see a hub that chronicles a Hubbers success with Hub pages.

raintree profile image

raintree  says:
2 years ago

Hi Wordplay,

Thank you for taking the time to put together these great tips and information :)

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

You're welcome, raintree. Thanks for stopping by. :-)

corvettez89  says:
2 years ago

Good tips and ideas. Adding images is always something we need to be reminded to do. Adding video is good too. That's something I overlooked.

Elaine C profile image

Elaine C  says:
2 years ago

Simple and very informative... Thank you!!!!!

plaw profile image

plaw  says:
2 years ago

Hi WordPlay

Great hub. Thanks for the information. Keep up the good work

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks, corvettz89, Elaine C and plaw. I hope you find the info helpful. :-)

MoralsEthics1960 profile image

MoralsEthics1960  says:
2 years ago

You are a neverending breath of knowledge.

Please don't stop. You leave me breathless wanting to know more

thegecko profile image

thegecko  says:
2 years ago

I concur WordPlay! Thanks for spelling out for everyone :)

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

You're too kind, MoralEthics1960 and thegecko! I'm so glad this hub is of use to you.

musicguru profile image

musicguru  says:
2 years ago

Thank you for the great hub. I have only published two hubs so far my first one was blah i didn't really understand the hub thing. I felt that my second hub was 2 steps forward; now after reading this hub i feel as though have climb one more run in the ladder of hub success. Thank you again for the knowledge.

poseidon profile image

poseidon  says:
2 years ago

Very useful information...thanx

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks, musicguru and poseidon. I had the same learning curve when I started hubbing, musicguru. It definitely gets easier as you go along. :-)

tommen profile image

tommen  says:
2 years ago

Thanks for the tips.I will see how I can improve my hubs.

Abhinaya  says:
2 years ago

Thanks wordplay.For people like me with little knowledge ,this was wonderful information.I never knew about the revenue capsule.Thanks again.

stephanewws profile image

stephanewws  says:
2 years ago

Great info page thanks!

Cordially Stephane inventor.

http://www.windowwashingsystem.com

ripplemaker profile image

ripplemaker  says:
2 years ago

Wordplay, I like the way you wrote this hub...it's easy to read and understand with lots of info and helpful tips. Way to go! :-)

leena_m  says:
2 years ago

good info.

matt230772 profile image

matt230772  says:
2 years ago

I just joined this "social scene" and found your info easy to understand and made me feel like I could do it!

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks to tommen, Abhinaya, Stephanewws, ripplemaker, leena_m and matt30772 for your lovely comments! Once you get the hang of using capsules, they can be a lot of fun.

stirls profile image

stirls  says:
2 years ago

Great advice and very helpfull to a HubPages newbie like myself

Barbara Morris profile image

Barbara Morris  says:
2 years ago

This is the stuff success is made of. Is there a way we can print it out in "printable" form?

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Hi, Barbara. The only way I can think of would be to copy and paste the text portions into a MS Word, Wordpad or Notepad document.

shyamchat profile image

shyamchat  says:
2 years ago

I shall add three comments on the matter which have already been written here :

1. The most important aspect is to write properly and interestingly.No matter how you attactive look you give to your hub by 'decoration', the 'content' must have substance and the prersentation methodical and coherent.

2. Hubpages has one major snag compared to ,say, igoogle or blogspot.you cannot write your article side-by-side your photos.i take a lot of photos and feel uncomfortable with the layout.

3. I am not sure if the photos published are un-copy-able !

Best wishes.

PCaholicDotCom profile image

PCaholicDotCom  says:
2 years ago

Wow excellent tips! I hope I can apply them to my Hubpage! ~ Peter

http://hubpages.com/hub/Speed-Up-Slow-PC

Betty Jo Petty profile image

Betty Jo Petty  says:
2 years ago

Here I go to try something. I have tried putting in pictures with no success.

Try, try again. Betty Jo

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Keep trying BettyJo, you'll get it! If you have a specific issue, try using the search box in the forums to see if anyone has had the same issue.

yojpotter profile image

yojpotter  says:
2 years ago

I haven't started my first hub yet and I'm planning to do it soon..Your tips are indeed useful..I will keep them in mind..anyways thanks for sharing these wonderful tips!

Francis Moran profile image

Francis Moran  says:
2 years ago

thank you that was simply very imformative!

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

yojpotter: Good luck with your first hub! It gets easier with each one.

Francis: Thanks for your kind words. I hope you found this info helpful.

Mystic Biscuit profile image

Mystic Biscuit  says:
2 years ago

Very helpful for a rookie like me! Thank You!!

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Thanks, Mystic Biscuit.

I like your user name. :-)

maggierose profile image

maggierose  says:
2 years ago

Great information. Why is it when I click on the photo and cartoon resource links that WordPress says this site has been shut down? Can you give the links to these resources in a way that we can access them? how else can we obtain free images? Thanks.

nyfamily5 profile image

nyfamily5  says:
2 years ago

Thanks for the tips!! Great advice.

NightSquid profile image

NightSquid  says:
2 years ago

Great Hub WordPlay I'm going to put a link on my hub to this page http://hubpages.com/hub/Free-clipart-for-hubpages NightSquid

Anamika S profile image

Anamika S  says:
2 years ago

Nice Article! A Thumbs up for you.

Chris Crow profile image

Chris Crow  says:
2 years ago

Great post. Thanks for the beautification tips.

healwell51 profile image

healwell51  says:
2 years ago

I can differ in few things, but your effort is really apreciated!

I prefer to choose few poetic / artistic freedom too!

Knowledge Sponge  says:
2 years ago

Thank you for this valuable information.  I most definately appreciate it.

TheAntiHype profile image

TheAntiHype  says:
2 years ago

That's really useful information. Can you tell me how to add space between modules? I've tried inserting a text module but it doesn't help.

I've several videos on a hub but can't format the page to look good.

See http://hubpages.com/hub/Easy-Hyper-Links

Any help much appreciated.

danieltetreault profile image

danieltetreault  says:
2 years ago

That was awesome!Daniel Tetreault.

jonixk profile image

jonixk  says:
2 years ago

This is really hot and powerful information wordplay. Thanks for sharing it with us.

danieltetreault profile image

danieltetreault  says:
2 years ago

I keep coming back to this Hub as a reference!

Daniel

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
2 years ago

Hi Daniel. Thanks for saying that! I'm happy you've found this hub so useful. :-)

linkbid script  says:
2 years ago

These are all great ideas for making money online I just posted a new hub explaining how to make a ton of easy cash on the internet using linkbid script.

survivordean profile image

survivordean  says:
17 months ago

good suggestions here, WordPlay!

I keep these points in mind and create an attractive Hub for my boss and for myself also...

Purple Perl profile image

Purple Perl  says:
16 months ago

Extremely useful hub,Wordplay!I just created my first hub with your suggestions.

chillingbreeze profile image

chillingbreeze  says:
15 months ago

That's a WOW read. Bookmarked :)

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait...wait... C: wait... SD: wait...

Debby Bruck profile image

Debby Bruck  says:
14 months ago

Super hugpage. Just like a graphic designer! Happy New Year. Debby

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
14 months ago

Thanks, Debby, and happy new year to you too!

Dolores Monet profile image

Dolores Monet  says:
8 months ago

Wordplay, I'm always looking for fresh ideas from fellow hubbers on how to improve my hubpages so really appreciate this fine article. We should all listen to your advise, your hubpages are great and lovely to look at. I often stop in on ones I've already read just to look at your beautiful vinatage pix.

WordPlay profile image

WordPlay  says:
8 months ago

Thanks so much for your kind words, Dolores. :-)

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