Critique Please

1. 73

   Nolapeteposted 13 years ago

   http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Refurbis … s-Aquarium
   
   Most of my hubs start at 50 then go up from there, but this one instantly started at 49 and has gone down to 44.  I'm still new to Hubpages, though I've learned a lot so far, but this stumps me altogether.

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   1. 43

      Mikeydoesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I would not worry about the score at all. I've had some at 40, now in the 80's. The thing you want to focus on is it easily picked up on search engines. Also are those keywords that you chose searched for a lot. Also I am no expert in tags, but like Urbane Chaos said, some of your tags are useless.
      
      Honestly I would say that is a very good hub. What I would do however is maybe add an amazon add or two(always worth it to try and sell a couple products).
      
      The score is affected by pictures.. So if you add more pictures with your text, you will get a higher score.
      
      Once again very good hub, it will easily make it to the 80s.

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      1. 89

         IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Are you sure about that Mikey? Pictures make a hub easier to read, but they are not mandatory and I've never heard of them affecting hub scores.

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         1. 43

            Mikeydoesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            The more pictures I have, the better my hubscores have been. Yeah, it seems that way to me. It is not fact at all, but I like pictures more than text anyway, and so do many other people. I've always been that way, so I'm trying to target people like me.
            
            My little cousin, so he doesn't have to read goes to youtube. I think they keep people on sites longer, because it is something to look at.
            
            I however am testing my theory still. I do use the pictures to make my hubs look better, I don't just throw them anywhere.
            
            If I didn't have pictures in this hub..
            http://hubpages.com/hub/Call-of-Duty-Bl … -Perk-List
            I am sure it would be somewhere near a 60.
            
            I think it is because of more capsules. Another theory of mine.

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            1. 89

               IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Now you have changed what you said - you started off saying "The Hubscore is affected by pictures" which you have now modified to say that is in your opinion, which is quite different.
               
               It is really important that what we post in the forums is accurate. Newbies learn from our experiences.
               
               In your experience pictures raise your hubberscore, but they do not in general. They make a hub easier to read which in turn can gain us more viewers, which in turn may raise our hubscore.
               
               A well-written hub without pictures can easily achieve a high hub score.
               
               You did not need to post a link here - that is called self-promotion and is frowned upon.

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               1. 60

                  Mark Ewbieposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks for the clarification Izzy.  I feel like the only one that dislikes pictures.  I appreciate they make a hub attractive, and can add to pieces particularly life style stuff, DIY and so on - but I am writing mainly for people who can read.

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                  1. 85

                     Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I am 98% in agreement. 
                     
                     People like pictures, but like you, I often don't bother with them.  It has never hurt my traffic or earnings.

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               2. 94

                  Urbane Chaosposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  In my opinion, I don't care if the pictures raise hubscores or not - what is important is if they add something or not to the article. 
                  
                  If you write an article about framing trusses and then try to verbally illustrate what the different trusses look like without using pictures, more than likely the reader will clickoff faster than you can say, "lost my adsense". Mikes example is a good one to share in that regards, as it helps illustrate his article in a way that his target audience desires.  It simply depends on the article.
                  
                  On the other hand, many purely informational articles do better without pictures, as the reader is looking mainly for the information.  Mark does a good job at getting to the point without a lot of fluff.  When I'm looking for specific information, that's what I like to see.  I like to get in and get out - and if I see something else that catches my eye I might follow that link.
                  
                  Hubscore is irrelevant.  Gaining readers and producing a quality product is.

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                  1. 85

                     Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I agree.
                     
                     However, I am surprised to return here and still find such a low score on that hub.  On the face of it, it does not make sense.

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                     1. 94

                        Urbane Chaosposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Same here.. really, I don't see anything out of the ordinary that would give it a low score..

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                  2. 60

                     Mark Ewbieposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks Urbane.  About the no fluff thing I mean.

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   2. 66

      Brupieposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think you might be getting punished for content that is a little shop worn.  I did a quick check under "aquariums" and found over 1000 hubs.  It is going to be hard to stand out in that kind of a crowd unless you have a really unusual angle.

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2. 94

   Urbane Chaosposted 13 years ago

   Man, it doesn't look bad at all..  Sometimes hubs will just do that, no matter how good they are.  I've had some of mine drop down, and then a month later they're back at the top of the list.
   
   My only suggestion is to move your first picture down a little so that adsense shows up first thing.  It's always best to keep as many ads "above the fold" as you can.  In other words, you want your best ads to appear as soon as the page is opened. Maybe do some research on SEO, but that's about it.
   
   It's a great looking hub, and you've laid out the information extremely well.  I wouldn't worry too much..

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3. 89

   IzzyMposted 13 years ago

   I had a quick look and your hub certainly looks to be well-written, informative and well-laid out.
   Perhaps the problem lies with your tags? Tags like broken, how, old  and glass is pretty much useless.
   Try changing to tags to words that are relevant to your hub, like 'refurbish an aquarium' or 'glass aquarium' - words that are more defined.

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4. 73

   Nolapeteposted 13 years ago

   Thanks everyone.  I modified some of the tags.  Still learning on what types of tags I should have.  Some of the tags the suggester makes don't make any sense to me.  I also moved the picture down to the next section.

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   1. 43

      Mikeydoesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      What you also want to work on is.. If you search for
      
      How to refurbish an aquarium, CONGRATS! You're in first place! Now you need to get yourself in front on other search terms other than that!
      
      Go to search and try to search for "how to fix up an aquarium". You could be there too.
      
      The more you are at the top, the more traffic.
      
      Good luck dude!

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   2. 89

      IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The HP tag suggester is rubbish and best ignored  - they occasionally throw up good ones but its best to choose your own.

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5. 89

   IzzyMposted 13 years ago

   I still think it could be the tags. I'm still learning about tags myself, but I think if the tags lead to other hubs that is a good thing.
   So while he has now got 'remove silicone', when you click on it, it leads only to his hub and so is best removed. 'Silicone' on the other hand, (which he's got too) leads to 467 hubs, which strengthens the hub.
   I'm not sure about this but I think we really want all our tags to lead to others, unless we have a group of tags written round the same tag in which case they will all be strengthened.

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