Kecko via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Google's Update on Doorway Pages

And What is Means for Product Hubs

Earlier this week, Google announced an update that will penalize doorway pages in search. A "doorway page" is a page targeted at specific keywords with the sole purpose of encouraging the reader to click through to another page.

What does this mean for Hubbers? While not all Hubbers will be affected, this update may have potentially serious consequences for some product Hubs. According to the new guidelines, some Amazon and eBay product Hubs may be considered doorway pages.

Is my product Hub at risk? Here are a few quick guidelines for determining whether or not your Hubs may be at risk of being considered doorway pages:

• Does the Hub contain substantial original content? If your content is simply a rehash of information and reviews available on the Amazon or eBay website, it may be at risk.
• Does the Hub add value? Personal experience is key here. If you don't offer unique, useful insights on the products you list based on your own personal experience, your Hub may be at risk.
• Is the purpose of the Hub to offer information or to get readers to click through to Amazon? Hubs that are created solely for a sale, rather than to educate the reader may be at risk.
• Does your Hub have a low ratio of text to products? Hubs that contain mostly products with very little text may be at risk.
• Is your Hub keyword stuffed? Be sure you are not overusing keywords (or using them misleadingly) in your product Hubs.

Christy Kirwan
Marketing & Social Media Manager

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Be sure your Hub contains lots of unique, helpful information.

Tips for Writing a Great Product Hub

One way to help protect your product Hub traffic is to review all your product Hubs (especially the old ones) and make sure they follow the new guidelines for writing a great product Hub:

• All products should be directly mentioned and discussed in the text of the Hub.
• All products should include custom descriptions.
• Show first-hand knowledge of every product you list (simply researching the product is not enough). Your original photos of you using the product are also great to have and can make a big difference.

For more information on good vs. bad product Hubs, check out our Blog post:
http://blog.hubpages.com/2015/01/07/an-update-on-spam-and-product-capsules/

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