Hub Challenge - transforming Old Hubs to Stellar Hubs

1. 82

   SimeyCposted 11 years ago

   Take one of your old hubs, update it with new content, better photos, improved titles and add some additional modules (make it a stellar hub effectively) and then post it here for critique!

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   1. 82

      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am a HUGE FAN of this endeavor!

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   2. 83

      Robinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Great thread, Simon!  I love your Beatles Hub.    Just as a note, I noticed you have your conclusion twice in the Hub. 

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      1. 82

         SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Robin - I had a problem with IE9 and somehow managed to add the text twice! Thanks for spotting!

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   3. 65

      Bob Ewingposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      OK, here it is http://bob-ewing.hubpages.com/hub/How-T … rst-Garden

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      1. 90

         lobobrandonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Just read your hub, it would be nice if you could add a couple of pictures to separate the text it would be more pleasing to the eyes that way.

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         summerberrieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Lots of great and useful information! I'd add a photo or two. Maybe a personal one. At some point somewhere someone suggested placing amazon capsules near text. I've since done that and have made some amazon sales where I did not before when I had them at the end of the text.

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      3. 82

         SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I'd consider making your sub-titles searchable. Something like:
         
         Step 1 - What do you want to grow?
         Step 2 - Planning your vegetable garden.
         The Basics of starting a vegetable garden.
         
         etc.
         
         I also agree that you can add more pictures and even have a poll....

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      4. 83

         Robinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Great start, Bob!  If you are looking for a bit of advice, I agree, a few full-width photos would be fantastic.  I also wouldn't include Amazon products that are duplicates, e.g., vertical pots.  I usually recommend to the Apprentices that they include one product per Amazon Capsule and intersperse the products throughout the Hub.  Also, I would only include products if you think they will be incredibly useful to your reader.  I always enjoy your gardening Hubs!  I just got a worm bin for mother's day - my request! 

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   4. 76

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Simey:  I think what you have come up with here is something that will really improve this entire website.  I've been redoing every single hub and am about halfway there.  What a difference it has made in their look and feel!  You are doing  a very good thing here.

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   5. 76

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      http://timetraveler2.hubpages.com/hub/W … -in-an-RV.  I updated this one just yesterday.

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      1. 82

         SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         A couple of things I'd think about:
         -Picture - I think you really need to have a bigger picture and perhaps one of an RV - the one you have used doesn't really portray an RV.
         -eBay - I'd probably just have one item per section listed - the second one per listing seems a little repetitive. You might also consider 'coloring' them to make them stand out.'

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         1. 76

            TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks.  Since I only have one Ebay capsule with two items in it, I'm not quite sure what you mean with regards to that.  I don't choose which items Ebay lists, and sometimes there are two of the same, but that changes with time.  I agree, the photo should be bigger, but the reason i didn't do one of an RV is that I have over 40 articles about the RV Lifestyle and I try not to repeat the same photos if I can...and there are only so many photos ... they are not easy to find in public domain.  I used "people relaxing" instead because the article deals with easier living more than the RV itself.  However, I'll take a second look once I'm finished with the rest of my updates.  I appreciate your help.  By the way, this particular article is my second biggest producer of all that I have written!

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   6. 98

      Bedbugabscondposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I started this challenge a month ago. All of the hubs I have edited for grammar, structure and so on have gained traffic. 4 of them are ranking better in search engines.
      
      If you have not taken this challenge, you might want to consider doing it. It is really helping me. I am about 5 hubs away from finishing (for now at least) and then I am on to creating more content.

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2. 82

   SimeyCposted 11 years ago

   OK I'll start whole ball rolling. This was a good hub but lacked pictures, a video and had some odd sentences. Hopefully the whole hub is close to stellar now:
   
   http://simeyc.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Beatles-Albums

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   1. 0

      summerberrieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Mine does not seem so stellar after reading your hub! Great details.

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   2. 84

      rebekahELLEposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Great hub, simey.  The only thing I would add is one or two more videos, since you're talking about music. 
      Maybe an obscure song from Revolver and the 16 minute medley from Abbey Road.  Some people, gasp, have never heard it.  
      
      Overall, a great job!  I enjoyed reading it.

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      1. 88

         Jean Bakulaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         It does seem to matter when we revamp our old hubs. When I was new at HP, there was so much to learn. I later went back and added pictures and videos to some hubs. But sometimes I fall into complacency, and if you go to a hub you haven't looked at in a long time, it's pretty easy to make some new subtitles, add a few pictures, or play around with the layout. I usually do it as I read comments on that hub, so it's not so time consuming. I remember how long it took to take all the RSS feeds off, and don't want a repeat of that. So it's fix a few at a time now!

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      2. 82

         SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Just gonna add this - I found it hard to find decent youtube videos!!!

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            Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            It's also more and more difficult to find YouTube videos that don't have urls or logos.  And not every hub lends itself to a map or table, but I'm trying to be creative about it!

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         2. 75

            Kangaroo_Jaseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Don't forget these other alternative video options;
            
            BlipTV , Metacafe , Revver , Vimeo , Yahoo! Videos. I notice Vevo from Sony isn't available yet.

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3. 69

   Michael Willisposted 11 years ago

   I like this suggestion SimeyC. It helps when we tweak our older hubs to make them even better and fresher.
   I took one of my early food/recipe hubs and did a complete overhaul with new pictures and added the recipe capsules. Made my first video for a hub. (Note: there is no audio, just a powerpoint presentation in YouTube.)
   
   Here is my Old hub transformation for the Challenge.
   
   Mexican Italian Casserole Recipe-How to Cook a Delicious Spicy Family Meal
   
   
   
   
   I also revamped a second food hub.
   
   Macaroni-Cheese-Taco-Bake-Casserole Macaroni and Cheese Taco Bake Casserole Meal Recipe
   
   
   
   
   
   

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      summerberrieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Enjoyed your hub. Nicely organized and visually pleasing.  I feel wimpy now with my hubs. Many are far from stellar.

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      1. 69

         Michael Willisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for the compliment. I finally got a new camera and was able to take better, high quality pictures! While I was at exchanging the pictures, I decided to rearrange the hub as well as add the recipe capsules.

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   2. 82

      SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Really good hubs! Might try that Mexi-Italian casserole this weekend - very well explained - great info and very easy to follow! Great job!

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      1. 69

         Michael Willisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you. I have written very detailed step-by-step instructions for work in the past. I tried this technique for the recipe hubs as well.

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4. 71

   WriteAngledposted 11 years ago

   Since I'm running at less than 20 cents per day earning most days, I really cannot be bothered to spend time on tweaks that might possibly increase my earnings by 1 cent a day.

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5. 95

   jansharesposted 11 years ago

   I've been working on this with several hubs for weeks and it has paid off. WryLilt's forum really did the trick for me. I was so anti-video but I'm over it now.

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   1. 82

      earnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am not anti video, I just can't make a video and have limited bandwidth on my Internet connection, so I can't even cruise through youtube to find a suitable one
      
      I will admit to reading everything WryLilt writes since I stumbled across her in the forums a couple of weeks back and thought "she knows her stuff.... oh yes she does" and started trying to make her MFP images.

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      1. 95

         jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Now that's what I don't have a clue about. I have a Pinterest account but I don't know what I'm doing. As I tell myself about everything I'm slowly grasping with online writing, "soon come."
         
         By the way, do you have a Google account? You should be able to get videos easily.

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         1. 98

            Bedbugabscondposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I need "Pinterest for Dummies"

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            1. 75

               Kangaroo_Jaseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Very quick suggestion.
               
               Pick a photo (or photograph your own), make sure you have rights to display the photo on your hub and attribute it accordingly. Edit the photo and add some pleasing to the eye text and post at the top of your hub, full width.
               
               When someone who uses Pinterest likes the photo, they will post it on Pinterest. A link traces back from Pinterest, to your hub.
               
               So, in short you can have incredible photos, posted on Pinterest, without you being a member of, or using Pinterest yourself.
               
               Have a look at Wry's hub for more details http://wrylilt.hubpages.com/hub/A-Simpl … To-Work-It

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6. 98

   Bedbugabscondposted 11 years ago

   I have edited, adjusted the layout, removed repetitive info, added videos, added polls and changed some of the link structures in the following four hubs. I hope they would qualify as stellar hubs now!!!
   
   http://bedbugabscond.hubpages.com/hub/M … -Bug-Bites
   http://bedbugabscond.hubpages.com/hub/B … Bite-Photo
   http://bedbugabscond.hubpages.com/hub/O … e-Pictures
   http://bedbugabscond.hubpages.com/hub/C … eous-Earth
   
   Now on to a fifth.

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   1. 0

      summerberrieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm itching after your bug hubs. Great information!

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7. 0

   summerberrieposted 11 years ago

   Here is one I revamped.
   http://summerberrie.hubpages.com/hub/Be … Vocabulary
   
   added the apps video
   broke up large paragraphs into smaller ones

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8. 74

   Barbara Kayposted 11 years ago

   I've been improving my hubs, but it is a big job with 185 of them. Most can't be stellar, because they just can't be 2000 words.

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9. 80

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years ago

   I've been Stellarizing hubs for a while, as time permits, but I like the idea of making this a group quest.  And I certainly have others that can use the Star Quslity.

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   1. 83

      Robinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I haven't heard the term Stellarizing!  I like it! 

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      1. 75

         Kangaroo_Jaseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Stel.lar.iz.ing:
         verb
         To perform a task to improve one's work, hobby, or function, above and beyond normal parameters. To perform more than admirably.
         
         Not an official dictionary word. I just made that up

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10. 91

    LCDWriterposted 11 years ago

    Didn't they say we could use logos now for videos?  I thought that was the answer.

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       Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Good question - guess we need to read the fine print.

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    2. 69

       Michael Willisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Someone asked about logo's by certain sites, such as medical recently, and I think it was Simone who said she would bring it up in a HP meeting. If it has now been approved, I missed it.
       Videos with Ads are OK I was told a while back though.

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       1. 91

          LCDWriterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, I"m not sure where to find it (I'll look), but Simone was surprised with  the answer.
          
          I had trouble with some videos getting marked for BBC logo but they have now said they are okay.

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11. 92

    Susana Sposted 11 years ago

    Good idea Simey!
    
    A couple of things that I've found really help on top of stellarising hubs, is to work hard on making the following parts of ours hub as irresistible to searchers as possible:
    
    Title and Summary - make them really tempting and you'll get increased click through from search. Then Google will display your hub more often and higher in the SERP's (but only if you can stop them clicking the back button immediately - see below).
    
    First Subtitle and First Few Sentences - now that you've managed to get your reader to click through, you want to keep them on your page. You've got a second or two to hook them in before they click the dreaded back button (and we really don't want them doing that!), so it's worth making the effort to keep them reading.
    
    Here are a couple of posts from 2 of my most favourite blogs to give you some ideas:
    
    http://www.copyblogger.com/9-persuasion-lessons/
    
    http://unbounce.com/online-marketing/wr … -headline/

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    1. 83

       Robinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Great advice, Susana!  Crafting a title is so important; it has to be what searchers are typing into Google but also organic.  Your first few sentences are also incredibly important.  I always recommend answering the question of your title right off the bat, or at least alluding to it, so your readers stay on your Hub.  Thanks for the advice! 

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12. 82

    earnerposted 11 years ago

    I have gone through, adding new images, adding in a few extra pieces of information and trying to improve the skimability of it (for lazy readers just scrolling) .... and I've added some new links between existing hubs and newer ones I've written.  Below is the list of 24 I've been tweaking in the last 3 days - some hadn't been undated or touched since 2010!
    
    I've also published about 6 new hubs and tweaked a lot of my hubs on another account that's niche.
    
    These aren't Stellarised yet ..... just early stages of getting to that goal
    The quick wins were covered.
    
    
    Silver Clay Courses 
    Murder Mystery Experience - Jury Service 
    Learn Jewelry Design 
    Best Selling Products for Market Stalls  (tweaked even though it was only a week old as I had original photos to add)
    Seaglass 
    Beachside Restaurants in Newquay, Cornwall
    Silicone Cookware/Baking Trays 
    Selling Hair / Who Buys Human Hair for Wigs 
    Small Business Loans Like Boefly and Biz2Credit 
    Best Revenue Share Website is Hubpages  (tweaked even though only 2 weeks old)
    Sites Like Etsy 
    Budget Holidays - Book Holiday Caravans Direct With Owners 
    Easy Microwave Chocolate Fudge Recipe  (added new/original photos even though it was only 2 weeks old)
    Super Affilaites Handbook Review 
    20 Favourite Pizza Toppings 
    Haunted Pubs and Inns in Cornwall 
    Easy Noodles Recipe (tweaked when 1 day old to add original photos)
    Make a Million Writing Apps
    Nordic Walking for Fun and Fitness
    Become a Virtual Assistant: Tools
    Gift Wrapping Your Presents
    Best Legit Online Income Producing Programs
    Best Rates for Selling Hand Made Craft Items
    How to Make Money Blogging

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       summerberrieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I've read through a few of yours. The ones I looked through all seem like the type of hubs that were required during the AP program. The Haunted Pubs was one of my favorites of yours.
       
       My hubs are not near "stellarized" as of yet~
       
       My issue is with word count. I'm working hard to accomplish 1000 words.  I don't think I'll ever master 2000.
       
       My problem is staying on topic and focused with so many words. I've been working on adding photos,videos and poll/quiz capsules.
       
       Nice set of hubs~

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       1. 82

          earnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          I love haunted pubs
          
          I usually achieve over 1000 words, but only have a few that are 2,000-4,000 words and, in my opinion, that's a bit long as there are no ads for people to click on when they're that long.... except (perpetually on the right) the Related Ads which stay still while the page scrolls and for which, I believe, we get nothing.

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             summerberrieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

             Interesting point!

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13. 95

    jansharesposted 11 years ago

    Hi Simey,
    
    This one one of my first hubs when I joined 8 months ago. I just did an overhaul by tweaking the title, shortening the summary, adding a video, adding more capsules, changing/adding subtitles, rearranging photos/changing captions, and adding/changing amazon and ebay links. What do you think? I'm still stumped by category: should it be under poetry or stay under gender and relationships?
    
    http://janshares.hubpages.com/hub/Getti … -For-Worse
    
    Thank you so much.

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    1. 82

       SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Well here's what I would do...
       
       I would write a lot more on the subject, make the whole hub about relationships - and then right align the poem so it doesn't dominate.
       
       I would also look or a better title to correspond with the main theme perhaps simply taking out the 'poem' to get:
       
       
       How To Know When My Relationship Is Bad - Red Flags in Unhealthy Relationships
       
       You can then add a sub-heading for the poem:
       
       Poem about Unhealthy Relationships.

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       1. 95

          jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Excellent advice. Thanks again. I'll be baaahk.

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          1. 95

             jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

             Hi Simey, I took your advice and made the revisions. Feedback, please? Before you leave?
             
             http://janshares.hubpages.com/hub/Getti … For-Worse#

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             1. 82

                SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                Wow - good job - much better! This is a great example of how to incorporate poetry into a very good hub! Nice job!

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                1. 95

                   jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                   Hey SimeyC! Nice to see you. Thank you so much for your help. You certainly know your hubstuff. I used this method on other hubs as well, also shared with others. Totally in debt to you.

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14. 75

    Kangaroo_Jaseposted 11 years ago

    Right, here is one of my hubs up for critique that I have struggled to add more than one photo, since it's first publication. http://kangaroojase.hubpages.com/hub/Ho … uggestions

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    1. 82

       SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Hmmm - couple of suggestions:
       
       -Sub-Headings - need to add question marks where appropriate - also are they decent searchable phrases? If I was researching how to write an article I'd probably search for something like: How do I choose a Niche, or how do I find a unique niche. So the heading "Planning - First Pick Your Niche" could be adjusted to be: "Planning - How do I choose a niche?" - this assumes that your headings aren't searched for - which I may be wrong!
       
       -text heavy - you have an awful lot of great text - but need something to break it up. For example - in the section "Planning - Choosing Your Article Style" you could add a poll with something like "What style do you normally write in" or something similar.
       
       You noted you found it hard to add pictures and media - however if you added a section explaining how pictures and media can improve the article then you could highlight media. There are also some pretty decent Youtube videos on Grammar and spelling.
       
       You can also create a 'meme' making fun of the use of to, two or too - or some other common mistakes.
       
       Your content is great - the lack of 'media' just makes it hard to keep the attention of the audience - by adding some interaction, a video or two, or a funny meme - you give the audience a breather and hopefully help them to continue....

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       1. 75

          Kangaroo_Jaseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Thankyou,
          
          I see I had the one of many answers within my own hub..... almost too funny to mention.
          I will look into your suggestions as they are exceptional good starting points for me to update and breath new life into this article.

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15. 60

    Mark Ewbieposted 11 years ago

    I will not be tweaking anything.  I have done about as much as I can over the last year and seen traffic at best stay where it was.  Not good enough.

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16. 73

    livewithrichardposted 11 years ago

    Okay, I took a hub that was ranking in the 80's but getting low traffic and actually became unfeatured last week.  I added a new full width picture at the top, removed the 2 Amazon product listings, and added 4 videos.  Not sure if I would call it a 'Stellar' hub but I think it is offering more than it did.
    
    Most Haunted Places In America
    
    Any suggestions?  I was thinking of making the smaller images full width too but not sure if it would be more of a distraction.

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17. 84

    rebekahELLEposted 11 years ago

      livewithrichard, I think the hub looks great, and is well written.  The layout is easy to follow.  If you wanted to make the Sanitorium image full width, it looks scary and looming enough to make full width.  I watched the video, I couldn't watch that at night!!
    The only other suggestion I have is adding additional references or a couple of quality links.  It could help give it a boost with search engines as a good resourceful page.  (Patty Inglish, MS does this very well, and we know she is one of the top writers on the site.)

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    1. 82

       SimeyCposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Excellent hub - my only comment would be to work on your sub-headings to make them more searchable.

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    2. 73

       livewithrichardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you... some of the videos I had were a bit too creepy for a general audience. 
       I tried to make the Sanitorium picture full width but it didn't come out quite right.  I'll try to find another one that works.  Also, I added a link that has state by state listings of haunted places on Wikipedia and if I can find others I will add them. 
       
       @SimeyC  Thank you too for your suggestion.  I did a Google Keyword Tool search and so far the subheadings I have are the most searched for.  I did have to take the word "The" out of a couple so that might help a bit too.

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18. 61

    Kevin Peterposted 11 years ago

    I updated this one . Is it ok ?
    
    http://kevin-peter.hubpages.com/hub/Neg … Automobile

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19. 98

    Bedbugabscondposted 11 years ago

    I did it!! I made my first made for Pinterest image! While editing and tweaking my Extermination Plan hub I realized I needed more pictures. I had 1 illustration! I had read WryLilt's Made for Pinterest hub a couple weeks ago, but I am a big chicken.
    
    I had no new stock images, so I followed her advice and used my current stock photos to make new, made for pinterest images. It was my first try, but I am so excited with the prospects! Now that I know how, I have a whole new item for my todo list!
    
    WryLilt you are a genius! Thanks!

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20. 82

    jimmythejockposted 11 years ago

    I have just completely re written one of my older and my best ever performing Hub and added new Legal to use pictures because of a dramatic drop in views, this hub has also been copied on a few different sites so hopefully the re write will make it unique to google again.
    http://jimmythejock.hubpages.com/hub/Wo … ch_Warfare

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       Robinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I love this Hub, Jimmy!  It looks even better now!  Let us know how it does after the update. 

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          jimmythejockposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          I will Robin, Thanks for looking 80).....jimmy

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21. STAFF

    Paul Edmondsonposted 11 years ago

    Jimmy, that hub likely has a seasonal component. Did you check how it was ranking?

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22. 82

    jimmythejockposted 11 years ago

    Thanks Paul, The Hub tends to be seasonal lol, but about a minute after editing it was crawled by Google and moved up 3 places in search, to the top. must have done something right lol.....jimmy

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23. 73

    livewithrichardposted 11 years ago

    Okay, I'm seeing an uptick in traffic from the last hub I tried this with so I have just completed another hub that was recently 'unfeatured.'  I doubled the word count, added 3 vivid and legal to use pictures from Flickr, added a video, link capsule, and a poll.  It was first published in November of 2010 and has only averaged about 18 visits per month... We shall see...  http://livewithrichard.hubpages.com/hub/breyer-horses

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24. 82

    jimmythejockposted 11 years ago

    http://jimmythejock.hubpages.com/hub/Tongue_Twisters another old hub updated and now using "legal images" lets hope it helps with google.....jimmy

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