What is the secret to finding high-traffic topics for Hubs?

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   Simone Smithposted 12 years ago

   Hey y'all!
   Jason Menayan just published a GREAT blog post about his secret to finding high-traffic Hub topics: http://blog.hubpages.com/2011/02/high-traffic-topics/
   
   The gist is that he shies away from news, newsy titles, viral topics, review of low-cost products, and anything personal, and looks for topics on which he cannot find a comprehensive answer in one single online page or article.
   
   I want to create a Learning Center entry based on Jason's tips, but thought I'd open up the topic to everyone here - perhaps together we can make the ultimate guide for picking high-traffic topics for Hubs, no?
   
   So if you've got any fun ideas to share, please do so! I'd love to hear them and include them in our Learning Center guide

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      Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I read that too, and found it pretty inspiring.  I should be obvious to all of us that news type things aren't going to be. . . .very profitable, as it's old news in no time.  I do feel like people shouldn't just spend so much time trying to figure out high traffic topics though.  None of us can predict the future, and so tomorrow, who knows what topic or item might take off, right?  Research is always good, of course, but I feel like I can only produce a really good hub for subjects that I know a lot about; but that's me.

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      Baileybearposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      do food recipes tend to do well, or do they get poached?

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         wendy87posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I think topics or hubs which contain useful information which people forget soon like ingredients in food recipes hubs,people visit again and again to read ingredients etc..hubbers may try "Do it yourself or do at home" related topics..

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         tpr2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         nice pun baileybear.
         
         I guess when it comes to recipes, the proof is in the pudding.

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      Mrs. J. B.posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It is hard to find basic yet informative answers to medical terminology. You can get half answers or go to this link that link etc. When I was in college, I would have loved to find a topic like this so easily. Just a thought.

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      ChuckHuckabyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I understand what they were saying about short lived topics. But I have one hub that is a review of a product being "pushed" in a certain marketplace. It got 1236 visitors in one month and made me affiliate commissions of $122 converting at a rate of .8% which in that niche is pretty good since most of my readers had to have seen the original hyped up sales piece already.
      
      It also produced 41 comments and I think some other sales from other related hubs.
      
      What will it do long term? I have no idea. I'm still learning about hubs. But when I start seeing emails flying promoting some product in this particular niche, I'll probably write another review if I can.

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      speedbirdposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The best way to find better performing keywords (or topics for this matter) is to do keyword research and analysis. You can use Traffictravis, Google Keyword Suggestion Tool, Market Samurai, Keyword Elite, Market Niche Finder and Wordtracker tools. This tools give you very useful metrics such as monthly searches, daily searches and even local traffic.

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      safiq ali patelposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I actually find that news items with original content do still recieve a high amount of traffic. But that is news topic hubs with high orginal content. Simply reposting something that has been in the news will not get much traffic. I recently posted a hub about Benazir Bhutto with detail of her life that is not well known. This hub has had some great traffic. I think orginal detail is the vital key even if you pick a newsy item for your hub.

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      SMOMarketingWizposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have read that topic too but I think we should share each experience how to gain more traffic for our own exposure. Definitely I would share mine ideas also. Thanks.

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   paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

   I have read the blog; copied the relevant sentence; and taped it to my monitor.

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   frogdroppingposted 12 years ago

   Sometimes when I'm using google the search assist throws up some cool topics. I've written a few based on what google was trying to tell me I wanted the results for.
   
   I figured that if google had a better idea than me - then fine
   
   Edit because I wasn't done replying and something funky happened
   
   Anyway I was saying that another good idea is to focus on everyday things - stuff you can see in everyday life. Some of my better hubs have come about simply by using my eyes.
   
   Like fashion topics - it's not the best idea to write about the latest, greatest 'whatever' but if you narrow it down to a fashion staple you're halfway home.
   
   Oddly one of my most trafficked had already been done to death but as I was hunting around I noticed that there was nothing comprehensive written - so I went and did exactly that.
   
   Old favorites, remedies (there's always something you know about that's useful), advice and tips, useful products, even menial ones - there's tons of things to be written about that no one's yet done a good job of.
   
   That's my take on it anyway. Think, look - write

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      paradigmsearchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      Along these same lines..., the Google Wonder Wheel has some merit.

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      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, great tips! Yeah- I have found those suggested search completions to be helpful, but I had never even heard of the Wonder Wheel before. So cool!

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         BenjaminBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I did a Hub on how I use Wonder Wheel and Adwords keyword tool together as well as another hub with a little more on how I choose keywords which has led me to make Google payout rather quickly with only an average of 20 or so hubs with the majority of my money having been made here on Hubpages.
         
         Granted I'm no expert and not all of my hubs are very spectacular. One thing I can say though for my main niche I write about is that it's shown decent success due mainly to going more basic and in depth than the competition.

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         Susana Sposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I often use the same method as frogdropping. I'll type random words in the search box and see what google comes up with (and also look at the related searches at the bottom of the page). Then I'll go check them out in google keyword tool and market samurai to see what the traffic levels are like and look at competing pages.
         
         Also as Jason talks about in his post, if I'm searching for some info and can't find what I want or the info on the first page of the search results is not very good I'll write a page that is much more informative.
         
         BTW - I wrote a hub about using the wonderwheel to find good phrases if you want to check it out

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            Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Great tips! And I'll definitely check out that Hub!

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   kerrygposted 12 years ago

   Dude, I totally missed that Jason and LL were the same person. Fail.
   
   His tips definitely hold true from my own personal experience!
   However, there is a bit of a distinction between high traffic and high profit. Of my top five most visited hubs, three are entertainment hubs that get tons of traffic but make hardly any money. Most of the rest of my top 20 or 25 most visited hubs were inspired to one degree or another by the same frustration with Google's top results that Jason mentions, and with a few exceptions they are much more profitable.

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   rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

   I so agree. It's so frustrating searching for something and either the page is covered with ads or the info is scattered all over the web. I've used this method for a few of my hubs. Everyone is online now and are much wiser to the ads.
   
   I think occasionally those trending topics can work if it's a topic that can remain evergreen with updates.
   
   I have found some of my ideas by listening to people talk about their lives, problems they face, things they like, places to visit, etc.
   
   I do think it should be made more clear that people shouldn't be writing how-to articles on subjects they don't understand.. I keep going back to Paul Edmondson's advice to write on topics and interests that we know well.

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   Shayla Ebsenposted 12 years ago

   I can't determine whether or not my technique is working yet since I'm new here but I've been following the advice of some top online bloggers. Their advice is to think of problems, fears or passions that you have, then use the google keyword search tool to determine how many people are searching for that keyword. If the search numbers are high and there is little competition  for search engine rankings on that topic, an article on the topic should generate more traffic. Seems like a logical process...

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      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That sounds pretty solid to me

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      snakebabyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sounds good and that is what I have been trying to do, at least more of the times, unfortunately the reality just doesn't work that way, I've learned my lesson in a hard way, since I spent so much time already on topics I picked using this method, it simply almost didn't work at all!

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   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   I don't have any tips
   
   Even with keyword research, I need to write about 100 hubs before I hit lucky and get one that gets traffic.
   
   Just as well I like writing

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      BRIAN SLATERposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      

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      Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well, at least you have fun while you're at it!

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      shai77posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are so right :-)
      Thumb up my friend :-)

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   Rosie2010posted 12 years ago

   I read the blog and it was awesome and full of useful tips.  As I've only been here three months, I'm still learning and boy there are so much to learn.  You guys are amazing.. so helpful to new hubbers like me and I'm very thankful.

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   skyfireposted 12 years ago

   If anyone can't afford MS then this tutorial is perfect to find the profitable long tail keywords.

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      Miss Behaveposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Do Long tails still work nowdays, seeing as google has the instant thing on?

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         BenjaminBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         They seem to be working quite well for me and the majority of my Hubs that's exactly what I target. A long tail when done with proper on page SEO gives you the opportunity in the future to supply backlinks with anchor text for every single variant short tail keyword contained within that long tail. That makes a long tail literally the same as targeting several keywords with proper SEO already built into the HUB.

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    TopUniverseposted 12 years ago

    Great tips for getting some regular traffic. One thing to note that if not enough resources on the first page of google doesn't mean that the keyword is less competitive. So some sort of homework needed on analyzing the competition.

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       Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You make a great point!

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    Peggy Wposted 12 years ago

    Aha!  Perhaps I put too much personal information in mine judging from his WORST category.  Still trying to learn!

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    gracenotesposted 12 years ago

    Simone,
    I read the Jason blog, and I do agree with his assessment of "hyperlocal" or "local" subjects.  They are decent, in terms of traffic.
    
    It really helps if a person lives in or near a huge metropolitan area to write this kind of hub.
    
    For instance, my hub that is a review of DFW Airport shuttle services is a decent hub.  But I'm convinced it does pretty well because it is about a local service, yet one that is provided at an airport that sees 59 million people pass through it each year (3rd busiest airport in North America).
    
    I have nothing but good things to say about my Super Bowl hub, but it was written as very short-term, and I will take it down eventually.  If you have inside information about an upcoming high-interest sports event, knock yourself out!  You'll be glad that you did.

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    IzzyMposted 12 years ago

    One very good tip for finding high traffic subjects is to look at your existing hubs in stats. Click on the blue '30 days' under views to bring your traffic stats up in order of highest number of views.
    Open that hub and click on page stats to find the search terms that brought people to that hub.
    Write more hubs around those search terms.

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       snakebabyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       But won't your hubs end up competing with each other?

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          IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Not really. You're just turning yourself into an authority on a subject. Each will target slightly different but related topics. Ideally, (if we hadn't been google slapped) your hubs would be at number 1 for each search term so you'd catch all the traffic for the initial keyword and related keywords.

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             snakebabyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             If I understand it correctly, my jade and topaz related hubs should fall under this, but too bad they have not performed anywhere near what I had hoped. Some of them are like no traffic at all, other may get 1 to 6 daily, all my writing wasted It's been very discouraging, and with my new finding today (my copied blogspot blog about bakugan now performs better than my original bakugan hubs), I don't feel like writing hubs anymore since my sole purpose of writing is for the money.

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                IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                I know the feeling
                I haven't written anything for 2 days now which is not like me at all.
                I'm just waiting to see what happens..

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                   humagaiaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                   Izzy - I know you stated that your Amazon income had taken a nosedive but has your adsense done so as well? I am seeing the returns on the hubs that do well for adsense holding up well both in terms of money and views.
                   Since Google may deem that it does not get much from an Amazon affiliate site the algo change may be more subtle than we think.
                   But back to the subject - Izzy is right - create a collection of hubs that are based around a subject. When you gain readership they will return for the next instalment that you publish on the subject.

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                      IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                      My adsense is down 60%. My ctr is almost in negative figures

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    sid_candidposted 12 years ago

    Great Tip that Izzy. Thanks for sharing.

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    NorDacposted 12 years ago

    This is one of my favorite tools
    https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
    
    You don't need to sign up to adwords to use it. Start with adding some words of phrases you think might be good. It will give you a hole list of other possibilities. Add some of the better words up in the box again and keep refining.
    
    When your done you now have a list of related keywords that are all high traffic. Use these while writing your hub.
    
    For a little more kick. halfway down the page your will see a button called columns, click on that and then click and drag "Estimated Avg. CPC" over to the list on the right. I usually like to put it on top. So I can see it better.
    
    If you were using adwords that Ave CPC is approximatively what you would have to pay per click. This gives you very rough idea of what you might get if you have a page with those keywords on it and adsence on the page and someone clicks. Bear in mind that you only get a percentage of that number. What this does do is help you figure out better paying keywords.

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       BenjaminBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Average CPC has been changed now to Suggested Bid,but I'm assuming it's still the same number.

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          NorDacposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          If nothing else it is the same idea. I only use it as a very rough idea of what might be a higher paying keyword.
          
          Words that have a suggestion of $20.00 is bound to pay better that words that have a suggestion of $.05

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             BenjaminBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             Google can't make up their dam mind lmao. No sooner than I changed everywhere that I had CPC in a Hub to Suggested Bid now they changed it back to CPC,lmao. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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                sunforgedposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                i saw that too .. "suggested bid" , then the next time, it was gone, thought i might have imagined it - good to know im still all here, mostly..

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                   BenjaminBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                   Lmao

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                NorDacposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                After you corrected me I remembered seeing the change and likewise the next time I checked it was back again. Guess the big guys at Google get confused at times too.

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             BenjaminBposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             Oh and I think you are absolutely correct about that Nordac,that's exactly what I've always assumed and has influenced almost all of my keyword choices. That's also why my Hub on Google Wonder Wheel is unique unto itself because I talk about how to use it in conjunction with the Adwords Keyword Tool which is an important factor.

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                NorDacposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                Hadn't seen that before (wonder wheel) Good tip thanks!

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       snakebabyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       As I stated earlier, the numbers you get from google analysis tool only paint a beautiful picture, that simply doesn't apply to the reality

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          BMGposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          how do you know about that?if this true people won't trust to google analysis tool anymore....and google stuff might be angry with your statement....

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    KJS411posted 12 years ago

    This is an extremely beneficial hub for me as a new hubber. I hadn't heard of Wonder Wheel prior to this string or been introduced to the strategies and sites for choosing and refining keywords. I guess I've been a bit lucky up to this point but plan on doing some prep work going forward before writing new hubs. The one constant I've found thus far is that writing hubs is fun and hopefully beneficial and/or entertaining to the readers. Thanks.

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    NateSeanposted 12 years ago

    I've found that my most successful articles are the ones that say the exact opposite of what the rest say.
    
    A controversial opinion will always get attention.

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       NorDacposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Works on the "Any Publicity is Good Publicity" idea.
       
       Nothing gets more traffic to your site than someone chewing you out on their blog telling people how much of an idiot you are. People just can't resist going to your site to see what the guy is making such a fuss about.
       
       Not a tactic for the weak of heart though.

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          NateSeanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          And some people just get tired of hearing the same recycled opinions and facts over and over again, so a difference in opinion can be quite refreshing.
          
          Or as you suggested, entertaining. Works for me though.

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    Bronson_Hubposted 12 years ago

    W..onde..er Whhe..el?  (Pronouncing it for my first time)  You bring wonderful gifts from the new world.  You may continue living.  God save the queen.

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    accofrancoposted 12 years ago

    One of the best wysiwyg to figure out the most profitable topics or keywords to write as hub, is to assume yourself to be an Adword advertiser. place yourself in this position and then reason out what you would stand to gain if you place an ad on a particular keyword. if you place an ad worth say $50 per click on a keyword like: 'how to migrate mars' for example, please tell me how many online users are ready to buy your mars products to make you realize you ad cost? but we all know that certain businesses are really profitable and hence competitive, so people in this biz would pay anything to advertise their product so as to appear on Google's search first page or so...we all want to save cost, credit rates, we want to live healthy and some illnesses are becoming more popular than air, insurance guys want more people to insure, banks need more people to suck, everyone wants to attract a love by any means: psychic or through a spell...etc.
    
    check out some of my hubs on this topic, it might be helpful though. nice thread.

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    livewithrichardposted 12 years ago

    Here is a good tip to find high traffic topics to write about:
    
    Open the Google keyword tool and type in what is called a trigger word.  A trigger word is a  word that calls to action and they attract targeted traffic.  Some trigger words you can try are:
    
    buy
    buy online
    sell
    sell online
    learn
    remedy
    cheap
    low
    make
    discount
    find
    stop
    quit
    fast
    care
    tips
    get rid
    how to
    
    Pick one of those words and do a search then choose global monthly searches and go down the list until you find something to write about.

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       viryaboposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       WoW! Livewithrichard, Thanks

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       Mandrake_1975posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       This sounds like a really great idea, Livewithrichard.  Thanks!

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       Jennifer Mullettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Great tip!!! Thank you!!!

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       BMGposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       thanks for sharing...great tips...

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    Dame Scribeposted 12 years ago

    I also like using that Dog.pile? search. I will sit for a bit n watch whats scrolling by - live searches. I can usually find a different perspective to tackle a topic then do a keyword search. Just a thought.

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    tritrainposted 12 years ago

    I have a Hub on how to do niche research and how you can find profitable niches via HubPages.
    
    

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    Simone Smithposted 12 years ago

    Hey everyone!  Just FYI- I took a lot of the advice you've shared and put it here (http://learningcenter.hubpages.com/topics/) in a Learning Center guide.  If you think something more should be added, send me a message on HubPages!

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    sunforgedposted 12 years ago

    ooh - thats a nice feature ^------

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    prettydarkhorseposted 12 years ago

    nice.. thanks Simone!

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    supplies expertposted 12 years ago

    You can always look at Google Trends / Google Insight and find popular topics that people are currently searching for.

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    Greek Oneposted 12 years ago

    Just as a warning, publishing a 7 part series on the life and times of a cartoon character is NOT a way to make money

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    Andrew0208posted 12 years ago

    What people around you talk about most times and their driving common needs also make high traffic topics, great when researched with Google keyword tool or any other.

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    anuragweb18posted 12 years ago

    hey friends i will soon cross that 100$ mark.. that's my promise to all of you. It's just have been 2 weeks that i have joined hubpages.

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    montecristoposted 12 years ago

    Get an account at Facebook. Contact friends and family and build up a list. That has worked for me.

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       montecristoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       ...Also, you might get a feel for what they like. Conduct a poll in facebook and get an idea.

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    IzzyMposted 12 years ago

    Can't stand facebook.

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    Len Cannonposted 12 years ago

    I'm fine with facebook, but I will probably never use it to advertise my writing. Its to share photos of friends getting drunk and falling down.

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    Will Apseposted 12 years ago

    Stop using the Google Adwords tool to find topics to write about. Follow trends. Work out what people will be searching for tomorrow, next week and next month.

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    scubadoggyposted 12 years ago

    This is a topic I stand to learn much from, and after reading some of the replies I have some new ideas now!  Thanks!

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    Cheeky Girlposted 12 years ago

    Simone I have a bold tip but is is very cheeky indeed! How about giving all Hub Pages writers a link to a downloadable tool that will help them make killer Hubs, the best on the Web, which will knock Hub Pages into the Page rank of 10 or higher, Give the Hubbers a registration code to unlock the software tool. Then Christmas comes early for everyone - whaddya say?...
    
    We can all think of what tool it could be. Would it be worth doing? I think so. Would it be a cheat? No, as Market Samurai and other like it openly perform miracles for Professional all the time, why not turn us into an "Army of Hubs" (okay kinda ripped that off Bjork's Army of Me song, but whatever...) Yes, there is software that will find the topics for you. (And it can be arranged for some software companies to personalise software - so it could be a "Hub Pages" version, maybe a slightly watered down version of the same application.) There are some Hubbers here who would no doubt agree with me.
    
    It might seem extreme but it would be a great way to get the Quality of Hubs sky high. And it would pay for itself a thousand times over. I could give you more amazing suggestions, but you might have to pay me for them. Hehehehe! Kidding! (Not!)

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    BMGposted 12 years ago

    I think the best way to get a suitable topic is to use a combination of Google Adwords and Market Samurai .  By using both these tools will give you an accurate result than using only one tool.

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    ParadiseForeverposted 12 years ago

    It's always a great task before you start making a new hub. I personally use Google trends. Also depend on world news. 'Finding high-traffic topics for Hubs?' is a big question indeed. It fluctuates always. Product reviews works sometimes. Technology news at times; Or anything which happens in your daily routine--which is very touchy--will impress readers and create high traffic. High-traffic does not come only with your topic. It also depends on the content. Always content should be original and interesting to read till the end and impress the reader.
    
    Even though there are several keyword search materials available, as everybody mentioned here, it is always only trial and error method for finding a niche topic, since every topic is special on its own way--and how every reader takes it. Here, in HubPage, you are free to write whatever you think, feel and experience everyday. Why don't you try this idea once and test it?

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       Simone Smithposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Oh, Google Trends is an excellent way to go!

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    vgnairposted 12 years ago

    Just read what you wanted to say and fully agree with you. appreciate the cool gentle presentation you made.
    let me try, as you said, and find the true result.
    thanks a lot.

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