Should I remove all call out capsules?

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   Chriswillman90posted 6 years ago

   I've heard they slow traffic down although I have a few hubs with call outs that are doing well, so I'm not sure what to do.
   
   I hear some say they're fine and others that they are traffic killers. Would appreciate some advice from the staff, thank you.

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      Jeremy Gillposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Hm, why would they slow traffic? They're effective ways to emphasize key points; I don't see why the would detriment traffic when used well.

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      1. 91

         Chriswillman90posted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I'm not sure honestly, the only thing I can think of is how Google reads them since they're separate from the subtitles.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      You only need to remove those that you are using in place of subcategory titles.  The others are fine.

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2. 98

   Glenn Stokposted 6 years ago

   Chris, I discussed the misuse of callout capsules for titles in detail in my hub "20-Step Checklist of Hub Writing Success Strategies" that you can find in my profile listing. Scroll down to step 17. That will answer your question. Callout capsules do not slow down traffic. The problem is that they are not related to the following text capsule.

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      Venkatachari Mposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Your 20-step article is a very good hub with useful guidelines on presenting some rich content for the readers.
      Using Call out capsule is also a very nice technique of presenting appealing short information about your thoughts and ideas wherever necessary in the article to make your approach more understandable for the viewers. I like those capsules, even though I don't use them for sub-titles.

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         Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Ven, you understood it well and you're using the callout capsules correctly.

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         CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I like to use the callout capsules for a relevant quote or for a fun fact. I did use therm once for titles because it was the best way to label a section that included several capsules. This hub got accepted to a niche site right after it was published, so it appears to be OK to use the callout box in this way. I still had titles on me capsules.

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            Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            I use callout capsules in the same way. They are great for quotes and general descriptions of major sections. Just keep in mind how Google misses the data. Staff made it clear that since the HTML programming is not tied in with the text capsule, Google will not be able to use the data for featured snippets. Your hub was accepted because, as you said, you also placed subtitles on the text capsules.
            
            It also depends on when you published. Before discovering the problem, editors had favored using callout capsules for subtitles. But as I said, callout capsules are great for the other purposes, including making important text stand out in a section.

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               CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks for this information about google. It is new to me. I might use the call out capsule in place of a photo when I need to break up text and I can't come up with a suitable picture. I use them rarely.

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            CatherineGiordanoposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Now that HP doesn't want half-width capsules anymore,  use a callout instead. I used to use half width text capsules for sidebars.

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               DzyMsLizzyposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               Exactly! 
               Now that they have eliminated the sidebar option for making or emphasizing a point, it makes sense to use callouts for that purpose, separating the text therein, as it does, from the body text.

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   2. 91

      Chriswillman90posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I did read your comment but I also found comments stating how they're no longer effective at traffic growth, so I'm a bit perplexed about them.
      
      I side with you on this issue, but I want to be 100 percent on it, which is why I'm asking the staff.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Being "no longer effective at traffic growth" means, "not doing anything to increase traffic".   That's completely different to actively slowing down traffic, don't you think?
         
         However, whoever said that was talking through his or her hat.   Callout capsules never did a thing to increase traffic.  Ever.  They are helpful to assist readers find their way around a Hub, and that's all they've ever done. 
         
         At one point, HubPages thought they looked more appealing (especially on mobile) than ordinary headings, and therefore enticed readers to stay longer on the Hub.  Now they realise that Google doesn't read them as headings, just as normal text - which is a problem, because headings are important. 
         
         You can still use callout capsules for emphasis, just don't use them instead of headings.

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            Venkatachari Mposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Good reply. I also agree with it.

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         Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Chris, I learned what I said from the staff and simply reiterated it in my hub. Once one do the editors removed all my callout capsules where I had subtitles in them and put the subtitles in the proper text capsule. I asked why and they explained what I said in my hub.
         
         To make it clear for those who didn't read it, the callout capsule is separate from the text capsule in the html programming. So Google can't relate the subtitle to the text, therefore losing some search traffic in case someone searches for the topic of that text capsule.

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3. 89

   Will Apseposted 6 years ago

   A have a lot of traffic to pages with callout capsules. They work well enough. You still need to exercise care with H2 headers, though. Stuffing them with keywords does more harm than good.

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   1. 91

      Chriswillman90posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Absolutely agree about keyword stuffing and several other factors that I'm sure are far worse indictments than call out capsules.
      
      I too have had success using them, which is why I don't want to get rid of them.

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         Venkatachari Mposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         The only thing to remember does not use them for headings and sub-headings and do not put too many callout capsules.

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