How can I make this hub better

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   TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago

   Hi
   
   I honestly think this hub should be doing better than it is, but it never  has. I don't know whether thte title is wrong or whether there are too many articles about growing tomatoes. Or something else. Your opinion, please. Thanks.
   
   http://hubpages.com/living/How-to-grow- … g-tomatoes

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      erorantesposted 13 months ago in reply to this

      Hello miss TessSchlesinger. I like your article. It is great. I love the pictures. The content is excellent. You need to go back and check the subtitles above the pictures. You need to write each word with Capital letter.  Also, your puntiation needs to be correct.you need to be careful with hyphen, commas.Good luck with your hub. I am looking forward reading the finished article.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

         Thank you. Will go and check it again.

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   Will Apseposted 13 months ago

   You will need to get it moved to a niche to have any chance of traffic.
   
   For that you will need American style capitalization of the title and subtitles, probably. A shorter title would help, too.
   
   The table is a bit odd.  Not really a table, in fact, just a collection of words. Maybe you could label it Top Tips, if that is what those phrases represent.
   
   A picture at the beginning is more normal.
   
   The first sentence does not fully make sense and it has no full stop.
   
   This subtitle does not make sense:  Protecting your tomatoes from frost! And ensure it gets sun.
   
   Lots of valuable detail on the page but I think you need a copy editor.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

      Thank you very much. I will di that today. Much appreciated.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

         I have a question about the table. Apparently Google is more likely to send traffic to hubs with tables at the top. Is that not correct?

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            Marisa Wrightposted 13 months ago in reply to this

            No that's not correct.
            
            The important thing is that the opening should engage the reader and convince them that you have the answer they were looking for.    So whatever will convince the reader, whether it's a table or an image or a paragraph, is what you should use.

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               TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

               Thank you.   I hope it's better than it was.

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                  Marisa Wrightposted 13 months ago in reply to this

                  I just had a look at the table and I think it's counter-productive.
                  
                  Some people will look at it and think, "is that all this article is going to offer me?", and click back.  They don't want to be told they must live in a warm climate to grow tomatoes - they want to know how to grow them even if they live somewhere cooler (e.g. greenhouses, cloches); they don't want to be told to go and research a suitable variety, they want to know where to find a list or get some recommendations; and so on.

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                     TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

                     Okay, will delete.

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                     TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

                     Marisa, okay deleted table, and put in hydroponic system from Ikea so that you can grow your tomatoes inside an igloo if you want to!
                     
                     Anything else?
                     
                     Thanks for your time. )

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                  TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

                  Okay, duly done.

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   earnerposted 13 months ago

   I'd imagine it's a tough market to enter as "everybody and his dog" starts with tomatoes, so you're straight away going up against all the big companies.  The seed companies, the supermarkets, the TV chefs, and that's just for starters.  The gardening magazines, etc etc.
   
   You need to think, for your next one, in terms of a niche in growing tomatoes: specific location, specific type, specific container .... to try to break down the competition.  Or an alluring headline that gives what looks like a "secret to" type of approach, to try to capture the "lazy tomato growers".  Then link that one into this first one ... because two is stronger than one.
   
   Big companies and their big marketing departments and marketing budgets have been the death of independent writers as they have the time/money to really engage their audience and keep them trapped so they don't need to look elsewhere.
   
   Remember: Not all hubs will make big bucks, no matter how much time/effort you put in.  Write a small fistful of similar articles and see what takes off, then concentrate on what works.
   
   It's not about being good/bad writing, it's about competing for those eyeballs too...and bigger boys have deeper pockets to be able to ensure their article gets noticed.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

      Thank, you, yes. It was a lot easier earning a living as a writer 30 years ago. I was first published in 1962 or 63, and the market has changed tremendously since then! I find topics a hit and miss affair, and it doesn't help that I'm a generalist and get bored very quickly if I only have to write about one thing.
      
      You are absolutely right in that it was a bad choice of topic, but I wrote it about 5 years ago for another site and then removed it. So, short of deleting it, I'm stuck with it. So I thought I would spend a few minutes fixing it up.
      
      I've rewritten it now, I understand that I'm up against the big boys, and I have no idea what niche to focus on. I hope it's better. Can you take a look?
      
      Many thanks.

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   TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago

   THANKS EVERYBODY!
   
   I don't suppose the article will ever do brilliantly but, for me, it now has a better feel. I practically rewrote it, put in new photos, new links, put in a new title, removed table, and more. )

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 months ago in reply to this

      I like it, except I'm not sure if the title is very searchable now?

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         TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

         Marisa, what would you suggest. I'll go look for keywords and see what comes up. Also someone on Hubpages already has the title "How to grow tomatoes."   'easiest vegetable to grow' is a long tale keyword. Just can't find anything related to tomato that isn't over subscribed.

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            JS MysManposted 13 months ago in reply to this

            Call it "how to grow love apples" and then keyword tomatoes?

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               TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

               Aha! How to grow tomatoes from seeds!

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                  Jean Bakulaposted 13 months ago in reply to this

                  Hi Tess,
                  I thought it was quite good. They seem to like subtitles in callout capsules, something new I tried lately and it has been serving me well. Otherwise I think you gave a lot of good information.

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   Rupert Taylorposted 13 months ago

   I still notice that "the sees in a sunny patch of soil!" Seeds, I assume.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 13 months ago in reply to this

      Ugh! Never ask a writer to proof their own work. I must have read it ten times and never saw it!

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   andrewdavidlowenposted 13 months ago

   Hi Tessa,
   
   I agree the post is great as far as quality and content. But if you look at popular posts surrounding the same subject, their title's answer a question that is more common. Your title answers the question, "why should I grow tomatoes" or "what is the easiest vegetable to grow." Most people who search for this kind of content want to know, "how to grow tomatoes," or "when do I plant tomatoes, etc."
   
   So, I should think, the popularity is not based the quality, but rather on the subject in general. Maybe try researching popular hubs surrounding this topic if you want to get more traffic to it.
   
   I hope this is helpful.

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