Getting to a Niche Site - Check out this Hub People. Finally my turn

1. 78

   lobobrandonposted 8 years ago

   This is the hub in question: http://hubpages.com/education/Do-Termites-Bite-People
   
   I don't see how the hub fits any of the conditions mentioned. It's a real problem people search for, I just checked in to see the number of searches per month, and there are quite a few.
   
   This is what I received from the team:
   
   Hi lobobrandon,
   
   Thank you for submitting your article, Do Termites Bite People?, for consideration on Dengarden. Unfortunately, your article was not selected. Since you already confirmed that your article is free from content and structural issues, it is possible that it was not selected due to the nature of its topic. Perhaps your article:
   
   is about a current event and written in a way that won't be relevant to readers in the future. Perhaps you can expand on your topic and offer historical analysis or additional insight beyond covering the facts of the story.
   
   is about a very general topic that is already extensively covered on Dengarden or elsewhere online. Perhaps you can add a new spin on the topic to make it your own. If your article is a popular (e.g., chocolate chip cookies) recipe, adding gorgeous, original, step-by-step photos is a great way to make it stand out from the rest.
   
   is unlikely to satisfy readers for some other reason. Your article might be deeply valuable to you, your friends, or your family, but not be written in a way that is useful or accessible to a wider audience. Or perhaps your article could be useful to readers, but it doesn't convey your experience or involvement with the topic.
   
   is about a YMYL (your money, your life) topic. Articles on these topics need About the Author biographies to showcase expertise. If your article already had a bio, then it probably doesn't sufficiently demonstrate the level of expertise we are looking for.
   
   You are welcome to rework this article and submit it for re-review, but please keep in mind that the topical issues above can be difficult to fix. Your effort may be better spent publishing a new article, or submitting a different one for Dengarden.
   
   If you need more help, or would just like to get some additional opinions and perspectives, we invite you to post in the Improving Your Hub Forum.
   
   Happy Hubbing!
   Team HubPages

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   1. 0

      TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      GDPR Deleted
      1. 78

         lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Hey Tess, thanks for going through it. Yes I prefer writing in colloquial English as I feel it connects with a reader.
         
         You're right when you say they do not accept more than one of a kind on the niche sites. However, if you take a look at the pest control section on Dengarden, there's just two hubs on termites among all of the articles there: https://dengarden.com/pest-control/
         
         They have a sub-section for: Bedbugs, Cockroaches, Mice & Rats and also Ants. This clearly says they could use more hubs on Termites.
         
         It cannot be the fact that the hub is on "termites biting" since there are hubs on Flea Bites and Bed bug bites right there under pest control.
         
         Still confused

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   2. 75

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      OK...I took a quick look.  Seems to me that you are writing about two topics:  Termite bites and info about termites in general.  I think if you remove the paragraphs about termites in general, your article would be more focused.  Also, I would suggest you re title the hub to be something like "How to Deal with Termite Bites and Infestations" or even focus in on what to do about termite infestations and how to protect yourself and your home from them.  If you used the second topic, you could then include products that can help you in these matters, too.

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      1. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         The problem with that is that he's already written a Hub about how to get rid of termites and it's already on Dengarden!   This is a companion piece about whether they bite.

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            I didn't know that.  Perhaps this should then be limited to that topic and placed in the Health category.

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            1. 86

               Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               I suppose Lobobrandon felt as you did, that if he's going to write several Hubs around the same topic, then they should stay together, not be split on two different niche sites.
               
               However I take your point, perhaps there isn't enough about termite bites on the Hub and too much about general termite info.

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               1. 75

                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  The truth is that it doesn't matter which niche sites articles hubs appear on because they will be grouped with other hubs about the same topic.  Many of my RV hubs appear on travel or auto, and while I'd prefer that they show up together, the bottom line is that I'm making money from them either way!

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2. 60

   paradigmsearchposted 8 years ago

   "Do Termites Bite People?"
   
   Now that is a first.

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   1. 78

      lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Haha PD, well personal experience haha. I was inspecting a termite and it tried to bite me. I felt nothing, so that's when I googled something on the lines of "Can termites bite people" then saw the predictive text of "do termites bite people" and a week later I wrote the hub.

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3. 0

   calculus-geometryposted 8 years ago

   There's a link to buy cortizone cream that isn't vital to the article.   It's a good article, I don't see anything wrong with the topic or writing.

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   1. 78

      lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Hey Calculus, this article gets really few views per month and I still make a sale or so a month. Much better conversion than my other hubs. And the ad is basically for an anti-itch cream which is directly related to the hub. Even though termite bites are not really toxic (unless someone is allergic), they do itch.
      
      I don't see why people buy the product though. Amazon doesn't ship instantly haha. Much easier to go to a local pharmacy.
      
      Anyway, the commissions from that are near 0, I wouldn't mind getting rid of it, but the message from the team doesn't even come close to hinting that it's the ad that's causing the problem. So I'm sure it's not that?

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4. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   That's the standard email.   Often, they put an extra paragraph on the bottom which gives you a clue to the specific problem - in your case, they haven't. 
   
   My bet would definitely be on the Amazon capsule.  It is something a reader might need, but your Hub isn't about how to treat a termite bite, it's about whether they bite.  Not sufficiently related?
   
   Just because the email doesn't mention the Amazon capsule doesn't mean you can be "sure" it's not that!  In fact they haven't mentioned anything, they've just sent you the standard email.
   
   I can't see another single thing it could be.

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   1. 78

      lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Oh! I'll get rid of it then.
      
      EDIT: Wow... Just went back and tried to submit it and I was greeted by this:
      
      Sorry, but you can't submit this article right now.
      This article has already been submitted in the last 90 days. Please try again on January 19.
      
      Don't they let you make edits usually? I hate this process right now.

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      1. 0

         calculus-geometryposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Their policy is you can manually submit a hub of your choosing once every 60 days.  You got a message that said 90 days?  I just checked one of my hubs right now and I got the 60 day message (because I last submitted in early October).
         
         

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         1. 78

            lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            I got the 90 day message on the Termite hub in question. If I want to select another hub, I can now do it as usual after 60 days. But, I'm shocked at the way they worked on this situation here. For no obvious reason, this hub was rejected.
            
            If it's a small thing such as an amazon capsule, a heading correction, etc. they usually let you update it and it's automatically back in the queue. But this time I need to wait 90 days before I can submit it again. And it would also count to my 1 hub in 60 days limit.

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            1. 0

               calculus-geometryposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               I forgot they put a longer waiting period on resubmitting the same hub.  I don't see why they didn't just snip the link themselves.  That's pretty cruddy.

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               1. 78

                  lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  Yeah. It's like they are indirectly saying, we're going to pick what we want and we will find reasons to reject any that you submit that doesn't meet our daily/weekly traffic requirements.
                  
                  Anyway, they're doing a good job on the whole, so I'm not mad. Just baffled.

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            2. 86

               Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               Actually I owe you an apology, I didn't read the HubPages email properly.  It's NOT the normal email you get when you submit a Hub. It's an outright rejection.   
               
               That means it's not the Amazon capsule, they just don't think the Hub is suitable for DenGarden. 
               
               When you submit a Hub to the niche sites and it's suitable but needs improvement, there's a sentence in the email that says "We have identified a few issues that should be addressed before your article can officially be moved. We suggest that you address the issues below and then submit your article for reconsideration."    So you can edit the Hub and then go and submit it again using the Submit process, but it doesn't count towards your 1 in 60 days.

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               1. 78

                  lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  Not a problem lol. Yes, that's the message I am familiar with from the other threads.
                  
                  As I wrote in my message in reply to Tess, I don't see why the hub was not included since it does fit the requirements of DenGarden and there are similarly titled hubs there.

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                  1. 86

                     Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                     It beats me, too.  I guess if the Hub has been published for some time and has never got much traffic, that may be enough to make them feel it's not worth moving.  You know how touchy they are about Hubs that Google "doesn't like".   In this case, I'm positive Google does like this Hub, it's just that the topic isn't searched for that much.

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                     1. 78

                        lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                        I'll have to say it's the traffic. On average it's got 2.5 views a day. And that's the very reason I chose this one to be the one I submit to see if it can move up the SERP's. Since it does have potential.
                        
                        On page 2 for the following searches:
                        
                        Do termites bite people - 100 to 1k average monthly searches (worldwide - Adwords Tool)
                        Do termites bite - 1k to 10k average monthly searches (worldwide - Adwords Tool)
                        
                        Didn't check if I rank for any other combinations.

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      2. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         The 60 day rule applies to Hubs you haven't tried submitting before. 
         
         You already submitted that one.  If it gets rejected outright, then you can't submit it again for 90 days - HOWEVER they usually give you one chance to resubmit before that restriction takes effect.
         
         I would remove the Amazon capsule, then write the team @ HubPages and say you've been trying to resubmit and can't. It may be a bug.

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         1. 78

            lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Okay will do. Thanks Marisa. Couldn't really keep up in the last month with the others having problems, so wasn't sure what's happening. I'll write to them.

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      3. 75

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Only if they have contacted you first and asked you to do so and then submit.  If you submit on your own, it doesn't appear edits are permitted.

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5. 99

   DrMark1961posted 8 years ago

   Do you think HP looked at your article as more educational, suitable for Owlcation and not Dengarden? The Dengarden articles on pests seem more aimed at getting rid of them, not information about whether they bite, etc. (I think if you submit it to a different category than they want it is declined with that form letter.)
   I do not think it has to do with traffic, since that question is not searched for often. When I pulled up the question on my PC your hub came up on the bottom of page 1 of the Google search.
   I cannot see that it has anything to do with the cortisone cream either.

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6. 82

   Solarasposted 8 years ago

   I am sorry, but I don't have time to read all the responses, so this response may be redundant:
   
   I suggest switch the title to:" what happens if a termite bites you" ( that already answers the question, do they bite?  They do, so what should you do about it.)in your intro, don't tell them the short answer is no. Then they can click away knowing termites don't bite.  Tell them: Usually they don't bite, but in certain circumstances that have been know to do the dastardly deed.  Symptoms of termite bites appear as....
   
   Apply to healdove instead of Dengarden ( that is for houses and gardens, you are selling people cream - I think)
   
   Then your itch cream makes sense to the editors that exist for healdove.  I do know that termites eat connectors on computer motherboards, so that could be added to a list of evils they commit. Ants and termites have wars, you might find that interesting for the reader. I did - I like ants better than termites. they have constant wars on my house and in my yard. go ants go.
   
   Add an Adam Ant Video and you are golden!

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7. 0

   Will Apseposted 8 years ago

   Seems they have treated the issue as health-related and do not think you have demonstrated enough authority.
   
   Also, the eds obviously think the subject is overdone and they might be right. I remember writing a termite page long ago which had rather thin and generic info. I selected the topic for SEO reasons and couldn't bring it to life.
   
   Anyway, thanks for posting what happened. It is illuminating.
   
   Also my sympathies. 60 days is a bummer.

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