Is it better to specialise?

1. 67

   riotgrrrlposted 12 years ago

   Do you think it is better to try and specialise in a particuar area and write hubs related only to that particular topic, or be a 'jack of all trades' and try to write lots of different articals on a variety of things?

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      Rochelle Frankposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think one is better than another.
      I write  about various subjects and in different styles, but many people find success in focusing on a niche. It is a personal choice and depends on your reasons for writing.
      If you have extensive knowledge and background in a particular subject, it might be best to focus on that.
      Of course, you can always create a separate account with another screen name for more general purposes.

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   2. 87

      NateB11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It's my understanding that it's better to specialize. Google looks at whether someone stays on your page and uses it as a resource, and is able to find answers to their questions; user experience, it is said, is important in terms of how google indexes content and whether you get traffic or end up in search engine page results. thephoenixrises is a hubber who writes extensively on this subject. It is said that you can write on multiple subjects, but you want to have a good amount of content, meaning many hubs, in each subject that link to each other; in other words, it's best to link hubs that are on a particular topic; that way, a visitor will stay on your hubpage, and it is seen by Google as a user finding what they need and that they consider your page a decent resource.
      
      Edit: I meant, thephoenixlives

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      1. 81

         agilitymachposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Aside from the reader duration issue for Google, I think it's first important to ask yourself whether you are a true "expert" in any one area.  I find a lot of people try to develop a "niche" in areas where they are not true experts.  Attempting to develop a niche market on software development, for instance, when you've only had a few programming classes won't work very well. 
         
         The idea of niche writing is to develop a following of people interested in your topic.  However no one involved in software development will be interested in articles that lack in-depth information.  Those readers will be looking for articles filled with new and relevant information.  Only a true expert can provide that.
         
         If you are not a true expert at something, I would recommend writing more general interest articles and doing lots of research for those articles.  From what I've seen, the hubs that seem to fare the best truly are "rich in content."  In other words, they're filled with information garnered from good research.

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         1. 87

            NateB11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Not sure if you were replying to me, but your comment is under mine; at any rate, all that you said is true. I've seen quite a few "experts" that don't show too much expertise, unfortunately. It's a bit of a waste, especially since people are looking for genuine info. And, of course, much of their content, then, is deceptive. Beats the whole purpose of content on the Net.

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   Paul Maplesdenposted 12 years ago

   I tend to write on a couple of areas (at the moment Small Business is one and Google Plus is the other.) I'll probably continue to focus on those until I run out of material or don't think I have anything else useful to add (which could be a while) and then I'll probably move onto another subject.
   
   I think that when you focus content around specific topics, one of the most useful things is to link your articles together. Not only does it provide a great resource, it also generates more views and revenue and improves authority in the eyes of Google.

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3. 84

   Simone Smithposted 12 years ago

   The nice thing on HubPages is you can choose to specialize OR choose to go all over the place and both tactics work. Most tend to do both- they'll carve out one or more niches while also taking occasional off-topic explorations.

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      NateB11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's a comfort, because I sometimes have gone off topic and I have a feeling I might do so in the future.

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4. 67

   riotgrrrlposted 12 years ago

   wow i am overwhelmed by the responces to my question, i want to say first and foremost thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and opinions with me, it is much appreciated :-)
   
   I'll explain a little more my reasons for asking the question, I would consider myself to have a very strong working knoledge of forensic and investigative psychology, but my concern is that this may be too specific an area to get much interest / traffic. I wondered whether I should branch out further to discuss more general psychology related topics.

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   1. 81

      agilitymachposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      When I first started at Hubpages only six months ago, I told someone that my niche was dog agility training.  They said I probably wouldn't make money as the market on Hubpages for such a specific topic isn't there.
      
      Well, they were wrong.   While I'm not making oodles of money, I am getting a payout for last month, and this month is looking good too. 
      
      If you have access through social media, forums, Yahoo groups and more to your target audience (ie. forensic enthusiasts), then you have an available audience.  In my niche, Facebook is how everyone stays in touch.  It's easy to tap into that resource, although it has taken several months to develop it, and that resource is now growing for me daily.
      
      As an average person not interested in detailed specifics of your potential niche, I would say I would love to read an article that looks at the CSI type shows and points out what is real and what is TV.  I'm not sure how well that topic is covered on the web, but an article like that might grab views outside of your niche market.
      
      And I do dabble outside of my niche as well.  I just published my second heirloom recipe hub.  I also have a health hub and a couple book review hubs.  The book review hubs do not do well, unfortunately, and I may eventually have to drop them.  But playing around with different areas to see what does well and what doesn't is fun too.
      
      I say go for your niche, find out how to tap into your niche market and let your expertize shine!!

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5. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 12 years ago

   This is a topic that has been heavily debated on HubPages for the last couple of years.
   
   When HubPages first started, there was absolutely no benefit in specializing in a niche because the site was just one big site and Google couldn't differentiate between one author and another. 
   
   Once the site was split into sub-domains, logic seemed to dictate that each sub-domain would do better if it was focussed on a single subject.  That's because it's well known that for a blog to be successful, it must focus on one subject area. 
   
   However, experience has shown differently.  There are Hubbers doing well with a mixed bag of Hubs.  At one time, I had a large number of Hubs in one niche (dance), yet it was my non-dance Hubs which got the most traffic!
   
   In general, if someone has a particular niche that they're passionate and knowledgeable about, I recommend starting a blog on that topic, because you will ultimately make more money that way.  Keep HubPages for smaller niches and for those other subjects you need to write about occasionally.

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