Are my hubs that aweful?

1. 78

   brimancandyposted 14 years ago

   I am kind of tired of this whole traffic thing. Everyone else claims great success, and I can't get a view. I have only 2 views today, and 23 views for the whole week.
   
   I have tried everything to get traffic, and nothing is working for me. I even joined several social sites, and my traffic has only gone down. I have 7 hubs, and on some days, I don't have any views at all.
   
   It seems that nothing I am doing works.

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   1. 88

      IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Don't use the hubpages suggested tags, these are useless. Go to google keyword tool and put your url in there and pick out better ones.

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   2. 76

      IntimatEvolutionposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I'd like to give you some solid advice.  But I'm not going to, if you cannot handle constructive criticism.  I'm not looking to p*ss you off, be reported or banned.  But I do see some areas you need work in.  For instance, your titles. 
      
      Understanding the importance of Google Adwords, is vital.  Apparently you don't understand it.
      
      By the way, 75% of my traffic is from search engines and NOT hubbers.  Which is a good thing from what I'm told.

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   3. 57

      yenajeonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It looks like I've been here for 9 months but I'm actually a newbie too. I only started writing 1 month ago and I've been fairly lucky with HP.
      
      Here are just some suggestions:
      1. Change your titles to more enticing ones you think people will search for.
      
      2. Your meta tags are all wrong. Yes walking is about health but if someone on google searches for health your hub will never come up because its too broad. Be super specific with your tags.
      
      3. For me, enticing graphics always do well. For the cover pic at least.
      
      4. Make sure when you put your hubs on social bookmarking sites that you have lots of friends/followers. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose.
      
      Don't get discouraged! Some of my hubs have SO much traffic and there are others with almost none! Its all about trying your best and knowing that not every hub is going to be a success.

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   4. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sorry to say, I'm not surprised, brimancandy.
      
      The only way you make money on HubPages is if people outside HubPages are searching for the subjects you write about.  Then if they come to your Hub, you need them to see ads about that subject.
      
      That doesn't mean you have to write product reviews.  I rarely do - I write about stuff that interests me, but I do try to write about clearly identifiable subjects, then make sure I provide some useful information and don't ramble. 
      
      Also, as others have said, forget cute titles.  The most important thing is to have your subject in your title, and preferably in your URL too. 
      
      I notice you also have a blog, although I didn't check it out.  Unless it's about one specific subject, don't expect it to go anywhere.  You need to focus.

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2. 69

   Arthur Fontesposted 14 years ago

   I can relate to your frustration and can only offer advice I was given.
   
   Have patience, it takes time for your hubs to get noticed.  Almost like a plant growing the longer it is out there the more fruit it will bear.

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3. 77

   sunforgedposted 14 years ago

   Keep in mind for the most part the titles of your hubs are pretty much the terms people are typing to find you.
   
   As has been pointed out to you before, who is going to search for "briman" "honest bri" "monster hub" ?
   
   But dont get discouraged and mistake lack of traffic to be any reflection on your writing quality.

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   1. 59

      John Cainposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Something that I do may help. Im pretty new on Hubpages but this seems to help. Once I put a new hub and after the initial traffic dies off, I make small deviations in the title. An Example would be like so. The original title " Shipwrecked" then I changed it to " Seagoing Wreck". It had no reads for 30 days, but after the title change, I picked up 7 reads the day I changed it. Doing changes like this on numerous hubs, mount up some views.

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      1. 62

         Daniel Carterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Just be aware that whatever your *original* title was to your hub, is still going to remain as the link name to your hub. So even though you change the title, the original will remain.

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      2. 71

         Maddie Ruudposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         
         
         Those 7 views might have been due to you yourself visiting and changing the hub title, then going back to check on it.
         
         Better to pick a good title with strong keywords and stick with it, if you ask me.  (Except in cases where you want to capitalize on seasonal traffic.  For example, I recently changed my Game Day Recipes hub to be titled Super Bowl Recipes for the few weeks up to the Super Bowl, then changed it back.)

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4. 0

   JeanMeriamposted 14 years ago

   I agree. It’s the titles. I glanced at one hub and it was about Kiss Sonic Boom, but that was nowhere in the title.If someone googles Kiss Sonic Boom your page will not show up in search.
   
   Just go back and edit the title. I think there might be too many keywords (tags) added there too. Music is a very vague tag. There will be millions of other sites with the same tag which will make yours nearly invisible.

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5. 72

   livewithrichardposted 14 years ago

   "It seems that nothing I am doing works."
   
   You just need to pick it up a notch and start applying the advice that many of us have given you. 
   
   Sunforged has told you on several occasions that people do not search for the terms you are posting.
   
   Let's examine just one of your hubs:
   
   Title = The Monster Hub2: Bit's And Pieces
   
   URL = hubpages.com/hub/my-thriller-bits
   
   First off you're writing this hub as if it were a blog.  That is your first mistake. Hubs are not blogs. Each Hubpage must stand on it's own merrits, meaning it must be optimized to generate traffic from the search engines.
   
   You get only a little bit of SEO real estate to work with on HP so you have to make sure to utilize it properly. 
   
   1. The URL should contain your researched keyword term or phrase. Use Google's keyword tool to find a term or phrase that is in your niche, and has a reasonable amount of monthly search traffic. Anything less than 1000 monthly searches is not worth the time to devote to it.
   
   2. Your Hub title should have your Keyword term or phrase in it and it should be short and to the point.
   
   3. The headings of all of your capsules should relate to the terms you are trying to rank for.
   
   4. The caption for photos should contain your keywords.
   
   5. Create a unique summary - the summary is what will show up in the SERP's when you term is searched for.
   
   As you can see from the title and url above, nothing about them or the capsule headings are remotely related to anything that has any relevant search volume. 
   
   I'm not saying what you have written is bad, it's not bad, it's just not searched for.
   
   Just from looking, it seems that you write first then try to fit it in somewhere.  You're not going to have much luck doing that.  Research first, then write content that is optimized to your research.  Sure it takes away some of the creativity but for online content it's the difference between being read and not being read.

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   1. 72

      blondepoetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That is great advice. With my hubs before I even write it, I go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and put a couple of words in that I am thinking of writing about.
      For example if I am writing on boots I will enter boots.
      I see how many people are searching for boots to know if my subject will be profitable. I also get an arm full of great keywords to add in my hub.

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      1. 0

         lyricsingrayposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Brim, keep at it buddy, it takes a bit but Blonde really has critical information she has layed out for you and I know for a fact she really knows her shit, I'd bookmark her page print it and tape it to the wall near your computer.  You'll do great
         
         btw-did you see your feature in the mens hub I did - I hope so your in the video too
         
         and Blonde - you actually helped me out too
         
         thanks

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         1. 72

            blondepoetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Oh I am so glad. I am sitting here with a raging toothache been up all night with it, waiting for my dentist appointment (scared stiff) and despite my agony you made me smile

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            1. 73

               earnestshubposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Aww, love and (gentle) kisses BP. Sorry to hear you have toothache! I can feel it from here! Chin up dear. That was corny I know! Love ya, you will be fine with the dentist. Just tell him if he hurts you even a little bit I will have to send the boys around!

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      2. 72

         livewithrichardposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         That's exactly right, and with that tool you can narrow down to a specific niche. You may find that "boots" is too broad and heavily competitive but "pink leather boots" has little competition with a lot of search volume.  I use that tool before I write any article or hub even if what I'm going to write isn't a product hub.

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6. 86

   I am DB Cooperposted 14 years ago

   Indeed, your problem is with your titles. Your titles should be more like headlines and with the keywords that best describe your hub. You should also focus your hub topics to make them more targeted. For instance, I'm looking at The Monster Hub2" right now, and at first I thought it was about Spore, the video game, but then the first few paragraphs are about writing and how to best grab the readers attention. Ironically, this mix and match of ideas is exactly what will drive away readers with a short attention span. If I can't figure out what your hub is about or I'm confused after 5 seconds of viewing, I'm gone. If I leave, I'm not going to be giving it an up rating, I'm not going to be commenting on it, I'm not going to be linking back to it, etc. These are all thing that will keep your hubs active and make them appear more valuable to the search engines.

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7. 81

   Internetwriter62posted 14 years ago

   Actually you are doing fantastic. You have a ranking of 89 that makes you an expert. When I started it seemed like it was just me and my hubs. It was slow. now things are picking up. You are not awful, you're just new to the game thats all. Give it time you will see progress. If you want some encouragement, check out the profiles of top hubbers and you will see that they have been around a while.

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8. 66

   Flightkeeperposted 14 years ago

   Hi Briman, don't be discouraged.  Traffic really dropped for me in the month of January and only started picking up now.  I started writing new hubs to pick up traffic and it's back again. 
   
   Also, regarding your titles, listen to what everyone is saying.  Ask yourself, what would readers ask themselves in order to find your work.  So for example your lady gaga hub, you might retitle it to Album Review: Lady Gaga's Fame Monster. Music Review according to Adwords is very competitive so you might look for alternates that are not as competitive so that readers will have a chance to find your hub.

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9. 76

   IntimatEvolutionposted 14 years ago

   Totally agree with everyone.  You need to get rid of the "my story", or "my point."  It is all about your keywords, and importantly about your titles.  I learned that the hard way too.

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10. 0

    Deborah Sextonposted 14 years ago

    Reply to Recommend another hubbers hub thread as often as possible.
    http://hubpages.com/forum/post/819209
    
    and in case you're not, visit and reply to other people's hubs

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    1. 76

       IntimatEvolutionposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah, me too.  This is a good one to remember.  I have a few favorite authors, that I always post in my articles.  Backlink to your other hubs, but your big problem is your titles.  Not you Deborah, the hubber asking the questions.

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       1. 76

          IntimatEvolutionposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Misha wrote a brilliant hub on backlinks.  You really should check it out. Misha is a good writer, and really puts things into layman terms.
          http://hubpages.com/hub/Backlink-Tool-O … or-Writers

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11. 84

    CMHypnoposted 14 years ago

    Also brimancandy write more Hubs.  Keep writing, keep learning and keep going.
    
    Try expanding on some of the topics that you have already written on and then link the Hubs together.

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12. 61

    tony0724posted 14 years ago

    I will say this. I have made maybe 12 bucks from adsense in my year and a half here. And you know what ? I could give a s#@$T ! I feel for you as I know we all want validation for our effort. I can only speak from my perspective. I write here because it is what I truly love to do ! I do not write here to be popular and adored., I write because I feel it imperative to say what I have to say. Anything else like making a check from adsense or telling me how great I am would be srictly an exercise to stoke my ego.
    
    Keep writing ! And do it for the love of it. The fans or followers will come in time. Because nothing can hide sincerety and passion.

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13. 77

    sunforgedposted 14 years ago

    2. Your meta tags are all wrong. Yes walking is about health but if someone on google searches for health your hub will never come up because its too broad. Be super specific with your tags.
    
    
    hubpages tags and meta-tags are different things - use any and all relevant words and strings from broad to specific as each brings a backlink
    
    That doesnt mean go overboard but you should certainly use the broader tags as they are more likely to have ranked and actually offer some juice, these tags are also what trigger the related hubs, so if you are real motivated you might figure out how to get your hub showing up on a higher traffic hub by using the appropriate tag

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14. 60

    darksideposted 14 years ago

    Bri, you need to start from scratch.
    
    Keep those hubs, but from now on ignore them. Start fresh.
    
    There is some good advice in this thread. But I'd avoid trying to get traffic by getting over-active in threads and peoples hub comments. It will only last as long as you participate. As soon as you stop commenting, it will drop off.
    
    You need to write quality articles about things that other people are searching for.

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15. 67

    relacheposted 14 years ago

    Out of all the advise dispensed, IMO, the above is the one piece that really counts.

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16. 59

    ASHWINSPGAposted 14 years ago

    Misha is one of the success stories here in Hubpages. here is a link to his hub. There are some useful ideas here to generate traffic to your hubs and sites. Have some patience my friend
    http://hubpages.com/hub/Backlink-Tool-O … or-Writers

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17. 66

    RKHenryposted 14 years ago

    Darkside, you are the man.  I concur completely.

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18. 67

    Mishaposted 14 years ago

    Aww, thanks Ashwin and IE for your good word

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19. 78

    brimancandyposted 14 years ago

    Thanks for the advice. I did think that my titles were a bit off. But, I was trying to make them unique, so they would stand out over every other hub. But, I guess that was the wrong thing to do. I'll keep trying.
    
    I am hoping to eventually earn money doing this. But, since I have only earned a whopping 89 cents since I have been here. I'm not overly thrilled about it. Sometimes, i have so much going on, I forget my passwords!
    
    Oh well.
    
    Thanks again.

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20. 76

    Bard of Elyposted 14 years ago

    Loads of great advice and tips here and I have taken note of some of it myself! Good luck in future with your hubs!

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21. 73

    earnestshubposted 14 years ago

    Bard, it's good to see you. I heard some of your music the other day, great! I hope things are going well for you mate.

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22. 96

    Susana Sposted 14 years ago

    Briman - Here's a real world example of what others here are telling you. The other day I was doing some keyword research for a new idea for a hub. I'm not going to tell you the keyphrase , but the phrase with an "s" on the end was receiving 380 searches per month, the exact same phrase without the "s" is getting 74,000. You can guess which one I'll be using and it won't make any difference to what I actually write in the article - I'll just be using the phrase without an "s".
    
    This is the kind of difference that will determine your traffic levels and whether you make money on your hubs or not.

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23. 61

    saltposted 14 years ago

    thanks Izzys advise helped me too!!!

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24. 47

    DanPowersposted 14 years ago

    I think you need more hubs! Make lots of hubs on the same (or similar) topics, then link them together.
    
    Oh, and in my experience writing about music does not monetize well - if you're in this for the money then you might need to find some more topics.

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