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How the Category of Your Hub Affects Your Page Views at HubPages
Organize Your Hubs
The Categories
HubPages is filled with categories of hubs. From Entertainment and Media, to Health, to Technology, there are many areas for hubbers to both write about and to read.
When you start a new hub, the Category section is one of the first steps you take to creating your next published work.
Take extra time with this section as the correct hub category placement can get you additional page views.
Choosing Categories
After you press the "Start a new hub" button, you are taken to a HubPages screen with five steps.
After you choose a title and create a unique web address, you then choose a topic. Within the topic are categories.
At this point in the creation process, you select the categories within which you publish your hub. Your choices affect where you hub is placed on the website and within your own profile.
There are three methods to choose between for selecting a topic:
Search - The default option. HubPages selects Top Level Categories and Sub-Categories (more specific) that appear to fit the title you typed. These are generated suggestions and do not necessarily fit with what you plan to discuss in your hub. An unusually worded title may not fit the Category suggestions. If this happens, take time to Browse for a more suitable topic.
Browse - Manually scroll through the drop-down menu to select at least a Top Level Category before you are able to continue with creating the hub. You can select Sub-Categories that match in more detail what your hub will be about and relate back to the title.
Most Used - Lists the most used Categories of hubbers (contain the largest number of hubs).
By taking time to choose the correct categories, you increase the chances your hub is read by the HubPages community and is found by search engines.
Get Your Work Read
Website Exploration and Traffic
As a hubber, you can press the Explore button at the top of the page. It is one of only four key options that display at the top of each and every page after you are signed into your HubPages profile.
You can "explore" by Topic. With this search tool, you can easily find a hub on a specific topic or browse within a category of interest, such as Autos or Education and Science.
If your hub is not in the correct Top Level Category and Sub-Categories, you miss meeting the needs of the "explorer". Equally important is that you miss the opportunity to get the page views from that reader! You need to make your categories as accurate and specific as possible.
While HubPages only requires that a Top Level Category be created (Sub-Categories are optional), your work are more likely to appear within smaller groups that have less competition between them when when you are more specific. If the reader wants to look within the Auto Topic at "Auto Industry", your hub will show up within that group if you added in the specific category.
If the reader delves further into "Mercedes" and that is another Sub-Category you chose, you also appear within this smaller group. Your hub appears on more screens within the website and you are more likely to have a page view, if not more than one.
Get Noticed By Search Engines
Hubbers Follow Topics
As well, if your hub is specific category-wise, hubbers who follow a specific category will be notified that you have published a new hub. For example, the Auto Industry Topic at HubPages currently has 1.3K Followers. Within that Topic, "General Car Industry" has 127 Followers. These followers receive notification of your new hub when you publish a hub under the "General Car Industry" Sub-Category. Your hub also appears on the "Latest" page for the section. Your hub could move to the "Hot" and "Best" pages soon. You have more opportunity for page views when you add the Sub-Categories.
Do You...
Do You Follow Any HP Topics?
Get Your Hub Picked Up By Search Engines
Be specific! Get Your Hub Ranked Higher By Search Engines:
What Is the Biggest HubPages Category: Using Google to Obtain HubPages Statistics
Select Appropriate Hub Categories
Ensure that you select appropriate categories for your hubs.
Do not slot your hub into a page within the website where it does not make sense. Your hub will stand out for all of the wrong reasons. It will not likely be clicked as the reader is interested in the particular subject matter for the page they are on.
As well, when you select appropriate categories, your work is more likely to be found by search engines. You will get organic search traffic. People who search Google could find you on the first page of the search soon! The hub linked in the side box gives great statistics that indicate the more specific the HubPages category chosen, the more likely the hub is to be picked up by search engines.
How to Easily Revise Published Hubs
See the Categories of your hubs at a glance! To get to the page:
Select My Account > Categories > Edit
Revision of Hubs
You are able to revise the category for your hub after it is published.
Click to edit the piece and adjust the section or make it more specific if you need to. Go back to older hubs and make sure they are correct for Topics.
By taking time to ensure the correct Sub-Categories are chosen, you are increasing your opportunities for more page views! Now, excuse me while I start another hub!
Related Hubs
- The Benefits of Sharing Hubs on HubPages
HubPages is more than writing hubs and pressing the Publish button. Sharing the works of other hubbers helps you with your own success at HP. - Easy Ways to Generate Ideas for Your Next Hub
Not sure what to write about today? Here are easy ways to generate ideas for your next hub.
Comments
- Author
Thanks everyone! I'm so glad that the hub will help you with the organization of your hubs - let's make quality content that gets read! Wishing you all a wonderful day :)
Great tips here Christy. I need to go back and change some of the catagories of my older hubs. Most would fit into more than one and it's difficult to choose what would be best. Voted up.
Christy, thats really an informative hub. I initially struggled a lot in choosing the right category. I mostly publish technical articles related to electrical engineering. It took a long time for me to find my sub category "Electrical" with in the category "Technology".
This is really a great info. Voted useful...
Excellent advice Christy!! :)
I always consider the categories as I'm publishing a new hub. Sometimes a hub could fit into multiple places. So picking the most relevant, or most likely to be found, category and subcategory can be a bit challenging. But you offer a lot of great tips! Voted up and sharing!
Selecting the correct category is always a challenge for me. I've never really understood the subcategory either.
I should go back and take a look at how I have my hubs done.
Thanks for this good info.
Voted Up and shared.
- Author
@Kelley, great to hear this; it sounds like my hub fits into your reno plan with your hubs! Hope all is going well.
@Laura, I hope that your hub rises up the Google ranks soon. It does take time to reach the first few pages. Editing helps, as does patience :) Best of luck to you here.
Hey Christy - glad to see this hub and good to know. I have been trying to better categorize my hub articles lately - grouping them and I really did not know the impact it had in some areas. Thanks a bunch - Sharyn was JUST helping me sort through some of this - I appreciate it from both of you!
ChristyWrites, I just read your article and the many comments. Thank you for helping us. I have an article, Tuna Sandwiches: Eat what the rest of us eat or do without. I tried many ways to Google and find my own HubPage unsuccessfully. For this reason, I changed my title many times. Since my article is not in the typical recipe format using the special recipe categories provided by HubPages doesn't appear to be of help. I also tried Respect and Disrespect to find it with Google, and under Parenting but that didn't work either. I plan to review my categories and sub categories. I did not realize how important the sub cat was until reading your article. Thank you.
- Author
Glad to help you @mismazda
great advice to know..thanks voted up and useful..
- Author
Thank-you to everyone for your stellar comments! I continue to be impressed by the support and the platform here to help other writers! I am pleased that many of you will be looking more at your hubs' categories, as I want us all to do well here.
@bankscottage, good eye looking at the sub-category for this hub. I think that fewer categories is good as it means you have a niche with less competition. Good question!
Great hub Christy and , OH, by the way, --- HAPPY BIRTHDAY :)))
Excellent, sound advice. As you say placing your hub in the wrong category can have dire effects on how your hub is viewed. So it is wise to take your time and choose carefully.
Voted up!
Great information Christy; I had no idea it was that important which category I chose. Thank you for this valuable suggestion.
Excellent notes on why subcategories are so important to select. Thanks.
It's always nice when someone within the community can step forward and explain how things work. Not only is it helpful to newbies but people who've been around awhile and still need to tweak things to make them work better. Thank you!
Great Hub and tips Christy. I have tried to pay attention to the category and sub-categories I use for my Hubs. I have changed a few categories after publishing to improve my views. Right now I am writing Hubs about Maine, but in different categories to try to broaden the viewers I reach and create a web of articles. Your thoughts on this?
I noticed your Hub is in a sub-subcategory, "Tags and Categories on HubPages" and it only has 18 Hubs in it. Is a sub-category with so few Hubs good or bad? (I would think it is good, but could be wrong).
Voted up, useful, and shared.
Thanks for a great Hub. While I always try to find the appropriate category I have never used or even considered the Explore feature to find the most popular categories. The categories and sub-categories are rather general and I can see why it would make sense to check the options and select the category that both fits and is the most popular in that area. I will also keep this in mind as I review and update my existing Hubs.
I'll have to check my hubs and see if I have it right.
Have been meaning to research this topic! This small issue is something I have struggled with and that's frustrating because it seems that it should be simple. Thanks for some good tips in another helpful hub.
This is a great hub very helpful... I have been writing about different topics as I find hub pages allows us to exploit our interest... However, you are absolutely correct... I agree with Victoria Lynn about going back to old hubs and checking the categories... Voted up thank you
First of all....Happy Birthday. Second of all....thanks for posting such an interesting hub. You are 100% correct in talking about the importance of selecting the hub category and sub-category. It is a great place to find fellow hubbers with the same interests....and in my case....led me to some of my "hub buddies"...voted up and very useful.
I am still learning as I go about categories and I think I could do with a bit of a reshuffle on some of mine. Great advice Christy.
- Author
@CyberShelley, Glad to help. I recently looked over my hubs for the categories and made changes; I thought it would be helpful to share the information. Glad you find it useful and thanks for the votes!
@cclitgirl, Exactly - edit the category and also check for spelling errors and other details. You're doing so great here at HP and I appreciate the visit!
@Natashalh, Glad to share what I have learned! I am pleased the information helps you.
@Kelley, How nice that you read through the hub again! Take care my friend :)
@Millionaire, you are right about being fast to create the hubs. The foundation really is important. Thanks for the comment and vote!
@moonlake, I like that we are able to change details here at HP. Some of the other writing sites don't let us, so it's great to make modifications that strengthen our hubs even further.
@vespawoolf, Great that you took the info and put it into action! I love hearing that! Thanks for returning for the update!
@ripplemaker, Great that you've started on the process. Thanks for the comment and new connection :)
@Lisa, Thanks for the great feedback!
Thank you Christy for this information. I will be checking my hubs for correct placement in categories. Up, useful and interesting.
Useful hub! I think from now on I'll be a lot more mindful into which categories I place my hubs. Not only that, you've reminded me that it's always good to go back and while editing hubs, you can edit the category, too. :)
I have to admit, I've just sort of randomly picked a topic that seemed to fit for some of my hubs. Later I discovered (for some of them) that I could choose a better, more specific, sub category, but I'm sure I could do a better job. Thanks for the info and advice!
Thanks for this Christy. I just read through this hub again to make sure I get everything you said here. Fantastic hub. Shared again! Kelley
It is so easy in the rush to create a new hub to overlook some of the early decisions, and great that we can go back and correct our mistakes during our impatience. I have always tried to stop myself and make sure I have a good category, but at times, I may have picked something just so I could move on. I'll definitely have to audit my categories. Voted up.
You've creaded a hub everyone is interested in. Sometimes it is hard to figure out what categories works the best and I have changed mine later. Voted up shared
I looked at my hubs and you were right! I really needed to improve the categories. Some of them weren't specific at all. Thanks again so much!
I have categorized and re-categorized my hubs lately. When I have more time I will definitely go back and check out some more! Thanks for this! :) Love and light...
Yet another nicely written and useful Hub you've written. Voted up.
I've recently learned the importance of being more specific with URL's and categories, but I had no idea I could go back and revise categories of older hubs. I'm looking into that right now. Thanks so much for the great information! Voted up and shared.
- Author
@Teaches, excellent! Glad that this hub fits in with your plan and I am excited to read your new hubs too!
I am so glad I stopped in to read your hub today, Christy. I am getting ready to post new ones this week and this will help me to get them out there for the best view. Voted way up!
- Author
@seotechnology, yes I am hearing from a few writers about the category issue where there is more than one to choose between. Does your hub focus on the business side - perhaps it belongs under a related section there? Thank-you for connecting and for the comments as well.
Yes, this is a good tip for newbies. I agree with you on taking time for selecting the right category. At times, it becomes difficult to choose the right category as certain hubs fall into multiple categories. I had this issue with my latest hub. I wrote about OoVoo, a video conferencing tool. While there are several other features of OoVoo, my hub was about how useful this tool is for making corporate presentations.
However, when I tried to choose a category, I did not find a right one and the best I could choose was Video conferencing.
- Author
@Vinaya, Yes some hubs appear on pages they don't belong due to the wrong classifications. I hope this one will help lower the amount that happens. Thanks for your comment.
@beingwell & Angelme566, Thank-you both, keep learning and writing!
@tralochimiliano, I appreciate that!
@hawaiiodysseus, What kind words, thank-you and nice to see you as well.
@donnah75, As long as you pick a category that makes sense you will be avoiding the mistake of having your hub in the wrong category. Best of luck with your writing!
@Rajan Jolly, Quite right my friend that categories are important for both finding our work and getting it read. Thank-you for taking time to read, vote, and share too.
@Chuck, Financial health is an interesting title. I think the stress from finances can be bad for our health! Keep up your great work here at HP!
When I publish hubs, I try to be specific with the categories. Nevertheless, sometimes it is difficult to determine the category.
At a times I also find frustrating to read the hub published on a wrong category.
Thanks for sharing this info! I learned something new about Hubs (again) today. :)
Shared!
A very helpful hub . Christy you are so expert in this field and you are so broad.. ! I will apply all these things . Voted up !
Thanks for this great advice, I'm always careful over choosing the categories but you've made me realise how important it is for reasons I hadn't even thought of! Voted up and all sorts.. Jen
Awesome. I would like share it....
Once again, you've created a helpful and practical gem of a Hub, Christy! Thank you so much!
This is a good topic, as I want to read what I am interested in. Sometimes I see titles under a category and wonder how it fits the category. I usually skip those, thinking they were not placed in the right category. I don't want that to happen to my hubs. I try to choose carefully, but sometimes I wish we could pick two. Voted up.
Christy a very useful hub. The importance of proper categorization is very well underlined by you here. However sometimes I feel limited by the options available. This however does not detract from the fact that one has to be as close to the category as possible.
Voted up, useful and interesting. Sharing this.
I always try my best to be in the right category but sometimes it is difficult. In fact there is no standard. Every site has their own list of categories and sub categories. I have even created a category on a blog called Financial Health.
- Author
@Kelly & @Pamela, Thank-you both as well!
@diplorging, I will look at the hub again and repost if it is broken. Thanks for letting me know and for the nice fan mail too.
@Claudia & @CrazedNovelist, If your hub fits into multiple categories, you could try slotting it into the group where you have more hubs. That way the 'next' and 'last' hubs that show at the bottom will be relevant for readers.
@wetnosedogs, Try doing a few hubs a day so the task isn't too overwhelming. The effort, in my opinion, is worth it.
@prasetio30, Thanks for your support and vote too!
@viryabo & @NellRose, I am pleased with the positive feedback and happy to share, thank-you!
@Rebecca, just another piece of the hubbing puzzle :)
@OldCashmere, let's get your poetry read as much as we can, my friend.
@Marc, So true. If you don't enjoy what you write about it often shows through without overtly being stated. Thanks for the read and support.
Useful info. Thanks.
Good advice. Good reminder to many of us to do some fine tuning. Voting up, useful and interesting.
I think you didn't add the link correctly for 'What Is the Biggest HubPages Category: Using Google to Obtain HubPages Statistics'... or it's just my internet connection. Anyway, very informative hub, I will certanly choose my categories wisely:)
Now that I read this, it does make sense that the more specific sub-categorized a hub is, the more likely it is found. I have had trouble selecting subcategories because sometimes it fits in more than one, or I don´t want to have just a single isolated hub in a given sub-category.... I´ll go through my hubs categories once again. Helpful Hub :)
Thanks for creating this useful hub. I am sure I haven't done well in the category section.
Sharing this.
Wow...I learn many things. I should more care about category before posting a new hub. Thanks for share with us. Voted up
Prasetio
Very useful. Sometimes it's hard though because a hub may or may no fit ANY of the categories or sub categories. For the most part, though it's an attainable goal. Thanks for the insight and I'll keep all that in mind!!. :)
-Aubrey
Now i realise the importance of using the right category. Thank you for sharing this.
Cheers
This is so useful for new hubbers and older ones too. I am sure I have placed my hubs in the wrong catagory sometimes probably when I started, its a great idea to go back and check them, thanks!
Very helpful, Christy. Somehow the most used selection has been flying right over my head. I will certainly look for that next time!
This is a super helpful hub Christy. I think I made the mistake of categorizing several of my hubs in the wrong way when I first started. Thank you for sharing these useful tips. Voted up, shared, awesome, and useful :)
Wow, you're getting to be one of the more popular writers on the blogosphere! For me, i find that if i am not personally interested in something, writing about it is never fun, and fun is why i write...
- Author
@Trinity, Great feedback! I was hoping this hub would be useful for newer hubbers and am pleased to read your comment. I hope your page views keep increasing!
@Posh, Thanks for stopping by to read and comment today.
@RealHousewife, Try to do a few hubs a day so it won't be such an overwhelming task. Glad you like the hub!
@Sunshine, You rebel you! Thanks for the comment, you ray of sunshine you :)
@suzettenaples & @MyMastiffPuppies, Thank-you and wish you both success at HubPages!
@nothuk & @Janine, I'm pleased to help others with understanding how to make their writing the most effective on the website. Thanks for the positive comments.
@Paul, yes those extra few minutes can get you regular page views so it is worth your time and effort.
@Docmo, You are right that one hub can fit under multiple categories. In this case, go for the more popular one or the one where you have more hubs. That way the 'next' and 'last' hubs that show at the bottom are related. Thanks for the compliments and support my friend.
- Author
@dwachira, Good to hear! It does take time but you will find the time well spent as your page views increase over time.
@CarNoobz, Yes I've seen the hubs in the wrong category too. You are right that the intention may be extra reads, and that the opposite effect happens! Thanks Chris for stopping by - now drive safe!
@robhampton, Thank-you for the compliment and read.
@Curiad, Thanks, it is a detail that can make a difference in the page views.
@Josh, I am glad you have already learned about categories. Thank-you for the support and reads!
@Lucky Cats, Perhaps you could suggest to HubPages certain categories to add. I hope they are expanded for you soon! You might be best to leave at the Top Level Category or just one Sub-Category for those ones. Thanks for sharing your experiences to add to the information here.
@Victoria, thanks for stopping by to read. Yes, the time taken to revise categories is well-spent in my opinion.
Christy this is SO useful. There is information in this hub that I had no idea about. I always have a hard time deciding which categories to put my hubs in and sometimes just wing it. This hub is great! Thanks for the helpful information. Up, useful, shared.
Christy,
Very informative hub with great tips.Thanks.
I'm so bad about this...I really need to regroup and fix some older stuff...great hub!!
Excellent tips Christy! Selecting the correct catergory is important. I'm not following any catergories now. I was. I'm just winging it lately. Being a rebel! :)
Thanks for the tips! It is great to have different perspectives on writing hubs, so thanks for sharing. I need to go back and take a look at my own to maybe give them a boost!
Great information and directions. This is very easy to understand and follow. You have done a great job on this article. Voted up!
A very useful and nicely written hub, Christy ! Thank you for another great hub on effectively using the hubpages options and opportunities. Voted up and gladly shared !
I always try to put my hubs into categories, but never really knew all the benefits of why you should do this. This so informative and helpful. I am voting up and sharing for others.
Christy,
This is certainly a very well written hub on a useful topic. Many times when I write hubs on Education and teaching matters I am unsure about the exact ssubcategories to use. Next time I will pay a lot more attention to the exact subcategory I select. Voted up and sharing.
Succinct, sensible and super-useful. This should be the tag line for every hub you write Christy. I learnt the categorising lesson some time ago and still find it difficult to pick the right one. Sometimes we may write things that straddle several- thanks for this, voted up/ useful and more.
Great tips, i will revisit each of my hubs to see if i have categorized properly. Voted up, thanks.
Mm-hm. Another good hub, Christy.
I've experienced that: exploring some topic I'm interested in and come across hubs that are so off-topic...like weight-loss supplement reviews in the automotive section. Sniff...sniff...smells like Spam to me. =) And I live in Hawaii, so I know Spam when I smell it!
Of course, there are times when an honest mistake is made (as you've pointed out above), and the author is the one who loses out...on traffic...on followers...and on earnings.
Aloha, Chris
I am always learning, that's why I read hubs like yours. Great article
Great job Christy, this is good stuff especially for new writers at HubPages!
Christy,
I always categorize my hubs for this exact reason, but I know without a doubt that I could not present it as clearly as you have just done! Hopefully you will be able to help many hubber with this information! It is well-written and concise, to the point! Awesome work Christy! You are a pleasure to follow, as you never disappoint me! Keep up the great work!
Hi there ChristyWrites....very good information and suggestions. One thing I HAVE noted - at least, as far as concerns my writing style; is that the catagories and subcatagories are very limited....leaning more towards a more defined subject/topic rather than the more oblique writing, such as most of mine. I'd like to see so many more selections. I often find myself perusing all the choices and, still, not able to find one that addresses my subject matter. You've given us many good and useful tips and ideas....thank you ! UP Useful Awesome and Interesting
Christy, I've always wondered how important choosing the category is. Thanks for this hub. I'm going to have to go back to some older ones and look at the categories I put them in. Great info here! voted up and others. Thank you!
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