Very short but informative articles??

1. 80

   KitchenBuyersAidposted 11 years ago

   Sometimes a certain topic only takes a single image and a couple paragraphs
   to satisfy an online search inquiry . Any text beyond that would be redundant filler.
   
   This is a major conflict with the search friendly Hub guidelines.
   
   Do brief articles ever get beyond the Hub community??
   
   ...One thought on that was a few paragraphs of real solutions followed by seo content to prop it up.
   what do ya'll do ???

   replyreport
   1. 75

      livewithrichardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Not any more... HP does not want short "thin" content anymore.  It was the norm a couple years back but now they want long format, media rich content.  I take that to mean they want word lengths between 700 and 1250 words, 3 or more full width pictures, and a couple capsules that keep your visitor engaged such as videos, polls, quizzes, etc.  But beyond that, they must be on topics that people are searching for... how many searches per month is a total mystery, but it is safe to say that if your main keywords are exactly searched for globally more than 500 times per month and then you do an exact keyword search on Google to see if there are less than 1/2 million competing pages (the fewer the better) then it could be a safe topic to write on.

      replyreport
   2. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's a blog post, not a Hub.   I like the analogy of HubPages as a magazine - if you submitted such a short article to a magazine editor, he wouldn't publish it, unless you were willing to pay for him to use it as an advertorial.
      
      HubPages wants longer, information-rich articles.  If there isn't much to say about a topic, then it's not worthy of an article.  You need to either combine it with more information on a related issue, or use it on a blog instead (where the minimum recommended length is only 250 words).

      replyreport
   3. 83

      IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      If the answer is going to be really short, ask a question in the appropriate section here on HP.
      
      Wait for answers.
      
      If no-one writes what you had in mind, make up a new account and answer it yourself.
      
      HP pay you for the views, apparently. I haven't used the question section much myself.
      
      But basically it should work like wiki answers or ask.com.
      
      You could still be at the top of the serps and getting paid for it.

      replyreport
      1. 70

         Matthew Meyerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Questions can be a good place for this sort of content on the site, but using a different account to answer your own question violates the site policies and could lead to the moderation or suspension of both accounts.

         replyreport
2. 82

   earnerposted 11 years ago

   I follow the guidelines given in the new templates..... and research further outside of the short item. 
   
   Usually though, if what I've got in mind isn't big enough to get to 500, 800, or 1000 words.... I don't write it at all.
   
   I wrote a hub comparing Bubblews -v- Hubpages and it would seem that short content might do better on Bubblews, although most likely for a shorter period of time.

   replyreport
3. 60

   Mark Ewbieposted 11 years ago

   If I can't write a thousand words I don't bother with HP.
   
   That means that less now I can post on here.  My stuff is largely visual with some equally (I hope) visual text.  It doesn't always need a thousand words.
   
   I see stuff across the internet from searches that have fifty words, sometimes less.  Top of the rankings too.
   
   A fifty word joke and a picture for a search visitor - or a thousand words of solid information.  It has the same quality tick for the right searcher - depending on what they are looking for.
   
   What was the question?  I wandered into a dream / rant and when I woke up I had lost my way somewhat.  Ah yes.  I was going to illustrate how easy it was just to write and write and write... but is it really what they want?
   
   I Googled something this last week and the result was a picture and one fairly short sentence. Top result.  My stuff - nowhere to be seen.

   replyreport
   1. 82

      earnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Sausages.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         Mark Ewbieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         You just failed QAP. Add a thosuand words and a picture.

         replyreport
         1. 80

            KitchenBuyersAidposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            HP pros...Earner...Mark...do you use SubmitYourArticle and/or SocialAdr  for HP distribution??

            replyreport
            1. 82

               earnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               ... er ... no.
               
               I'm kind of [a] inherently lazy .... [b] easily distracted by shiny things on the Internet and [c] never really sure where to go/what to do.
               
               Over the years there've been a gazillion of "sites to submit to", so many, so little traffic, so many disappear/rules change.  It was over-whelming for choice.
               
               If I were writing about one subject I could have joined forums, with signatures, and posted .... and I could have created a facebook page and twitter page .... but everything I write is random/unrelated to what I wrote last and sporadic. 
               
               So ... in short ... no.
               
               Edit: I think I'll start a new Twitter account .... and start posting a couple of hubs on that/day that's relevant to something topical.  That's my grand master plan.
               
               Follow me people.... I've no idea where I'm going either, but I don't want to be alone in the dark

               replyreport
            2. 60

               Mark Ewbieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Pro? Lol.  Sharing - no.  I have done that and got nowhere.  The secret I think for me is content.  Make it better, someone might like it.

               replyreport
               1. 0

                  Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  You should never be content with your content.
                  (I'm sorry, my need to use a homonym was too strong to ignore.)

                  replyreport
                  1. 82

                     earnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     I'd be content if I could be half as good as Mark though .....
                     
                     
                     
                     I just did that thing I said - and set up a new Twitter account ..... what a faff.   Gotta squeak out some tweets every s0ddin' day now

                     replyreport
                     1. 0

                        Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Oh my word... you're speaking pretend English... come on now. You know I only got half of that.

                        replyreport
                        1. 82

                           earnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           It's secret code for "I am pretending to do something meaningful, so people might be impressed enough to read my very interesting hubs about important things like making pies, or getting traffic".
                           
                           

                           replyreport
                     2. 0

                        Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Are you secretly Mark E. cause you're funny.

                        replyreport
                        1. 82

                           earnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           No, but I am British .... funny/British ... kind of the same thing really
                           
                           Mark's a boy..... I'm not.

                           replyreport
                           1. 0

                              Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                              Either you just insulted Mark greatly cause you're implying that "You are a man." Or you're female.

                              replyreport
                              1. 60

                                 Mark Ewbieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                 She is a she.  We know each other from a different place - must be a few years now.  Similar humor and exasperation with the world I think, although I am more foul-mouthed on occasions.

                                 replyreport
                                 1. 0

                                    Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                    Well you're both very witty... I love witty.
                                    Maybe my next hub will be a tribute to Earner.

                                    replyreport
                                    1. 60

                                       Mark Ewbieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                       She is funny but not in a "Hey this is funny" way.  One of my favourite net people.

                                       report
                                       1. 0

                                          Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                          Yeah... can't stand those "Hey this is funny" kind of ppl. Glad to know she's not one of them.

                                          report
                                 2. 80

                                    KitchenBuyersAidposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                    ..Earner...Beth...Mark... The input from Sherry on short articles is precisely where I was coming from.
                                    ...and your answer is a terrific example of the topic. You addressed an issue perfectly in a 30 second format...after that, theres just not more to say, and I would move on...
                                    BBBUUUTTTT..I can keep writing here about baloney, right after I eat my baloney sandwich, even though you're now long gone. I can fill a few paragraphs with baloney content assuming no webbots can catch me as long as I sprinkle the  baloney properly.
                                    I'll add another cell with a recipe on how to make your own baloney (on a budget, of course}. So I have structured the article to be featured, and should grab the #1 Google spot for baloney.
                                    If not I'll add a recipe for DIY baloney making on a budget. Yep,That'll work.

                                    replyreport
                                    1. 80

                                       KitchenBuyersAidposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                       I forgot..I gotta get the right LSI's in there too...mustard...may....puke...etc

                                       report
   2. 75

      Barbara Kayposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Mark, Besides writing on Hubpages, you should be writing for some of the humor sites. I ran across a post somewhere for a place to write. The pay was good, but then I read that they wanted humorous articles. I can't write humor. I wish I had saved the links. These would have been short articles too.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         Mark Ewbieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Barbara.  When I am tasked with being funny - I can't.  I am going to play with my own site for a few months now and see what happens.

         replyreport
4. 88

   Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years ago

   I understand that HP wants longer hubs because that's what it thinks Google wants. Google may say that's what it wants, but yet it returns plenty of short pieces high in the SERPs. Besides, if that is what Google really thinks, I think they're wrong. People on the internet have short attention spans. They don't want to wade through 1500 words. If you want them to finish an article that long it better be very engaging.
   
   I've also always thought that when you're through, you should stop. The word count shouldn't matter, if you've gotten your point across you've used enough words (I know that's hard to detect by a bot).
   
   That said, I'm not in charge, they are. I believe HP is doing what it thinks is best for the site, they probably know lots of stuff I don't know. If I don't want to go by their rules I don't have to stay here. Usually I can think of more things to say to get that word count up, and add a couple of polls, videos or maps, I just don't know that it always adds quality.

   replyreport
   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It's not the attention span that's the issue, it's the use of keywords.  A longer article can contain more variations on your search term, which gives it a better chance of being found.

      replyreport
   2. 80

      KitchenBuyersAidposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      SHERRY>..I put this reply to CREDIT YOU  in the wrong place! Here ya go...
      The input from Sherry on short articles is precisely where I was coming from.
      ...and your answer is a terrific example of the topic. You addressed an issue perfectly in a 30 second format...after that, theres just not more to say, and I would move on...
      BBBUUUTTTT..I can keep writing here about baloney, right after I eat my baloney sandwich, even though you're now long gone. I can fill a few paragraphs with baloney content assuming no webbots can catch me as long as I sprinkle the  baloney properly.
      I'll add another cell with a recipe on how to make your own baloney (on a budget, of course}. So I have structured the article to be featured, and should grab the #1 Google spot for baloney.
      If not I'll add a recipe for DIY baloney making on a budget. Yep,That'll work.
      and of course...the LSI's properly placed...mustard...mayo...puke..etc.

      replyreport
5. 0

   DigbyAdamsposted 11 years ago

   If people have such short attention spans why are such long books on the New York Times Bestseller lists. That is one of the many myths that Internet gurus continue to perpetuate. And please don't say that people who read books don't read online.

   replyreport
   1. 88

      Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think people are looking for something different online than what they are looking for in books. I read books and search the internet. I sometimes spend a lot of time on the internet, but not usually looking at one article or website.
      
      I'm not saying long articles are bad, sometimes you do need a lot of words to get your point across. It's just that short articles are not always bad either.

      replyreport
   2. 82

      earnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      People read books for pleasure, size isn't important.
      
      People search the internet to buy things, or answer problems.

      replyreport
      1. 88

         Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Yep, if you have a complex question it may need a complex answer, but for information, the more concise the answer is, the better .

         replyreport
6. 0

   DigbyAdamsposted 11 years ago

   The point I was making was about people's attention spans. They aren't any shorter than they were 20 years ago. There are many pasttimes that show this. Internet writers used to write short pieces because Google would only index a certain size. Then this length became the Holy Grail. There's no true basis for it anymore. Google will index large pieces of content. We just have to craft pages that are easy to read, not shorter.

   replyreport
   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Good point.

      replyreport
   2. 88

      Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think the same person's attention span can vary depending on what they are doing. On the internet the finger often hovers over the back button.

      replyreport
7. 53

   janderson99posted 11 years ago

   I think that shorter articles are good, and can survive on HP despite all the Star Wars Stuff.
   Fast people want quick concise answers.
   If they are well written and organised, and they answer the question posed, concisely, they can still do very well in terms of Google traffic for carefully selected niche keywords.
   The proof is on the pudding.
   Do a search for a keyword phrase using
   site:hubpages.com [insert keyword phrase here]
   Then look at the first 5 pages on the SERPS.
   It is surprising (to some) that many of the shorter pages feature higher up in the SERPS than the Stellars with 2000 words,  25 images and 5 videos etc.
   
   Try
   site:hubpages.com making poached eggs
   site:hubpages.com developing a business plan
   site:hubpages.com build a website
   etc.
   
   or
   making poached eggs hubpages
   developing a business plan hubpages
   etc.

   replyreport
8. 51

   Mobilejanitorialposted 11 years ago

   Really sometimes many of the problems get solved when we see the visual of that. Its being very specific to get all the times the visual but its the good practice.

   replyreport