How long would you say a hub from start to finish should take?

1. 62

   tlcsposted 9 years ago

   Hi Hubbers,
   I am curious as to how long you would spend from start to finish on any particular hub, do you set yourself an amount of time to spend on it? Would you spend longer than one day on one hub?
   tlcs is curious!

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   1. 88

      NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My earlier Hubs, I could take many hours on; I'd estimate, 6-8 hours on some of them; that includes outlining them, taking pictures, etc. Strangely, those Hubs get little traffic. I started working more on keyword phrases, seems to be more fruitful.
      
      I'd say a Hub that requires extensive research could take as long as 4 hours to complete.

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      1. 85

         Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Very helpful, Nate

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      2. 85

         Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Could you explain how you work on keyword phrases a little more -  perhaps a hub on it ?

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         1. 88

            NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Hi, Billie, no problem. Sorry, I didn't notice this reply until just now. I do have a Hub on keyword phrases in my slider on my profile. It explains essentially what I've been doing with keywords phrases, what's worked and what I'm trying out. The gist is this: I used Wordtracker's keyword tool when it was being offered for free for awhile; it's the best source I've used for keyword phrases, but you have to pay for it. Also have used keyword planner. I put in a keyword or keyword phrase and see what has pretty good search volume--at least several hundred searches a month, but better in the thousands. Also, look at other phrases offered by the tool. Then check competition by Googling the keyword phrase--if big guys are on top of the results page, probably a no-go. Wordtracker, by the way, gives you the competition right in their tool, called the KEI.
            
            Other than that, I use Google auto search, the drop down that appears when you type into the search engine, and also the suggestions at the bottom of results pages on Google.
            
            In addition I test things out on blogging platforms like Blogger and used to use Bubblews. Lately I've found Milk the Blog is good for this. I'll write a short piece and see how it does. If it does well, I'll write a longer and better piece and publish it where it will do better in terms of earnings.
            
            Finally, I use stats from Google Analytics and stats my webhost provides for my blogs. In GA--Acquisition--keywords--organic. gives you what keywords people used to get to your article; you can use those variations to write a new article with a different angle. Also Webmaster Tools can help with this if you go to Search Traffic and it will show you keyword phrases people use that got them to your articles.
            
            I found with Wordtracker, if you use a vague keyword phrase you can find some other actually good keyword phrases.

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      3. 62

         tlcsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I agree with this.

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   2. 85

      oceansnsunsetsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      For me, it depends on what I am writing about.  I kind of let the hub drive that endeavor really.  For instance, I set out to write a hub two days ago, and I have not finished it.  It is taking longer than normal for me, and I have been working inbetween also, but I would have liked it to be done. 
      
      Really, with editing over time, if you need to go back and tweak or do anything, I have decided it saves more time to take more time up front, and get it how it should be, over hurrying.  The hurrying can often mean you will have to revisit anyway, which sometimes could have been prevented.

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   3. 95

      Pollyanna Jonesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I guess it entirely depends on the subject, and the field that you are covering. I write about things that take a bit of researching, and I also arrange to meet people to interview them for some articles, as well as take a lot of my own photos.
      
      I'll tend to take lots of photos wherever I go, with the thoughts of writing a Hub about them at some point in the future!
      
      When I'm ready to get stuck in with an article, I allow myself a week to write it up and get it published. This allows for on average 1 hour an evening, so besides the photos and field trips, a Hub for me takes about 6 or 7 hours to write. If I have a topic that is more easy for me to write about, I can chuck it out in about 4 hours.
      
      I don't want to put pressure on myself, and I write about articles I like to write about; I don't tend to write Hubs based on the latest hot potato, but I do try to keep them interesting. If I'm lucky I can get one that gets a lot of views!
      
      I'll only publish when I feel it is right, and even then, I may go back to it to tweak it from time to time.

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   4. 63

      lisavanvorstposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Sometimes it will come to me at night, when I awake in the morning or even at work. When this happens  I usually write it down first and then put the pictures in. I would say an hour. Other times I start a hub but then I am not happy with it and so I save it and go back the next day to finish it.

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2. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   It all depends on amount of research needs to be done, taking notes,putting hub together.  It could take 1 hour to several days or longer depending on your own schedule, and how many interruptions you get.  If you are including products, it takes time to select them.  If you are doing Keyword searching, you need time for that.
   
   If the HP site is acting up, it has taken me several hours to do what I should have been able to do in 15 minutes, which is to get hub posted on HP, products added, and published.

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3. 62

   tlcsposted 9 years ago

   I set myself a challenge of four hours per day. Sometimes I can do one hub and sometime two. I don't think I would spend any longer than one day on any particular hub. Mind you I touch type so that probably explains why I am able to achieve this. Thanks LindaSmith1, I think I'm doing ok.

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4. 80

   CuAllaidhposted 9 years ago

   It depends, my medieval games articles are short and based on two books I am in the process of writing thus the research is already done, I just need to change some wording to make it work better as a stand alone article, those only take half an hour or so, others take longer, my latest one on the medieval dancing plague took me a few hours to write because I had to do some additional research rather than just rely on my memory, others I have taken weeks to write.

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5. 90

   Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years ago

   Mine can take anywhere from 1 to 12 hours.  I'd say the average is probably about three and a half hours per hub actual desk time.  I rarely write a hub in one sitting though, and there is time spent simply thinking about what I am going to do and planning the strategy, doing the research, taking the photos, etc.

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   1. 62

      tlcsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Your response is in line with how I work. I leave my desk when the hub is finished, from start to end including pictures, videos etc

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6. 97

   chef-de-jourposted 9 years ago

   Some of my longer hubs take approximately 3-4 hours spread over a number of days.By long I mean up to around 3000 words. Shorter ones on a pro rata basis. Subject matter tends to dictate the length and time!
   However long it takes I hope the end result is worth the blood, sweat and tears!

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7. 91

   Kylyssaposted 9 years ago

   I don't set a schedule for any of the writing I do beyond getting things done before their deadlines for clients and contests. That doesn't involve setting a specific amount of time aside for each piece, it involves working until the piece is done, no matter how long it takes and giving realistic and generous time frames in estimates.
   
   As far as hubs go, they each take exactly as long as they take.  How much time that may be varies wildly. 
   
   The quickest hub I wrote was my money rose hub.  It was written for a contest with a time limit back on Squidoo.  I executed the craft project while photographing each step, edited the photos in PhotoShop, and wrote the tutorial all within half an hour.  That is my top speed for a hub or hub-like piece.  That was the one and only one time I made a piece for a content farm that quickly.
   
   I couldn't say what my slowest writing speed is because many of the pieces I write for sites like HubPages come together a sentence or two at a time between writing other things.  Some pieces might take months to come together and the actual writing time for each has to be hours at least.
   
   On average, I'd say my hubs take anywhere from forty-five minutes to 24 hours to write, depending on the topic and the individual piece.  That is, if only the actual time spent working on them (including research, image creation or acquisition, writing, and assembly time) is counted.

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8. 93

   FatFreddysCatposted 9 years ago

   There's really no "ballpark" figure. I've done hubs that came together very quickly - I banged them out in just an hour or two. Others were in progress for a number of days before I was finally satisfied enough to press the "publish" button.
   
   I still have one never-published Hub that actually dates all the way back to 2012! Every once in a while I pull it up, work on a few bits and pieces, and then put it back again cuz it never feels quite "right" to me. After all this time I guess I really should get off the fence and either publish it or can it!

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9. 81

   Availiasvisionposted 9 years ago

   My average is about 3-5 hrs.  It depends on how many pictures I need to find and how much research I have to do. Sometime I go out and shoot my own photos, which can add hours to the process.  Two years ago, before Hubpages wanted tons of capsules and a minimum word target, I think people could get away with doing one in one or two hours.  Now, if you want it to rank well, you have to add in tons of pictures, call outs, videos, and amazon capsules.

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10. 85

    rebekahELLEposted 9 years ago

    I don't have the time I used to have to write, but I don't think there's a set time frame that works for everyone.  We all have different lifestyles, work schedules, etc.  I think it's reasonable to put together a quality hub in 4-6 hours, but depending on the topic it could require more time especially since we want our hubs to have some meat on them.  HP gives us such a great platform to publish.  Hopefully in the new year, I'll have more time to write, albeit, it's always in fragments of time.  I usually write it out longhand first and edit it, then go to the computer and write/publish.  It seems to work better for me to do it this way.

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11. 42

    RanaKmposted 9 years ago

    Whatt!! 4-6 hours?? It's a lot! Who does that? Mine at max take 1 hour if not 30 mins - the ones wiith 1000+ words take at max an hour n 15 mins in total n smth like that.. I dunno it also depends on how fast you're thinking and how many ideas are already prepared + ur typin speed

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12. 94

    My Bellposted 9 years ago

    I'm with you, Rebekah. Mine take about 4-6 hours too because I'm meticulous with my research and photos. It's a side effect of my journalism degree. Love to write though!

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13. 95

    Dolores Monetposted 9 years ago

    It's impossible for me to say as I don't do my research all at once. Most of my research is in books so I scan through several and that can take some time. Being interested in something ain't a quick slapdash kind of effort. It can take me down corridors that I don't include. There is so much background material to absorb, then I have to try to boil it down so it fits in an article without leaving important aspects out. I also look at similar articles on the topic that are online so that I don't create something that's already there. I try to offer people what I'd be looking for. Then finding images that are free to use and fit my mental image of the hub takes time. Then I go to youtube and get lost on all kinds of stuff including music...

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14. 85

    Billie Kelpinposted 9 years ago

    How long should it take?  a fraction of the time it takes me!  I can spend days trying to get something out - hence, I don't have much out there.  I admire the 3-4 hour responses (and under?) Wow! Impressive.  I wish I could do that

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15. 91

    mdgardnerposted 9 years ago

    I would say on average about 3 hours stretched out over several weeks. I don't have the time to do an entire article in one setting.

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16. 95

    vocalcoachposted 9 years ago

    I depend on a combination of inspiration plus motivation when I create a hub. Unless I am truly inspired, I do not write.  Having said this, I would guess I work about 3-6 hours total, but even this varies.  Sometimes, my muse really gets me going and I can knock out the content in an hour or so.  But that's just the content.
    
    I spend a fair amount of time selecting relevant images.  Adding a 'floating' hub for additional information takes extra time. Then there are the extras like a poll, video or map (or all three).
    
    Editing is a must so I put as much time as needed for this. I continuously check the lay-out to be sure it all flows. (Something I failed to do 6 years ago.
    
    Now, poetry is a different story.  I can whip out a completed hub including images, videos and a short story to accompany  my poem in 15-20 minutes.
    
    Unfortunately, poems bring in less traffic, at least from where I sit.
    Thanks for this topic.

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    1. 62

       tlcsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Yes I think your right the content can be quite quick however the editing and additions such as video's, picture do take time to find. Poetry is something I haven't attempted to date.

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17. 0

    ShirleyJCJohnsonposted 9 years ago

    A lot of times, like Pllyanna Jones stated, it depends on your subject.  I will research for a day, sometimes two, and then can spend up to eight hours getting it set in a hub for publication.

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18. 62

    tlcsposted 9 years ago

    It looks like that on average so far I am doing ok. Researching seems to be where most of the time is spent looking at the answer from all of you. Very useful and helpful thank you, please keep coming with your views.

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19. 79

    LeanManposted 9 years ago

    It has always taken me the same amount of time as it takes me to unravel a ball of string....
    
    
    Not sure if that helps - but every ball of string I have had is of different thicknesses and lengths and some I have to keep coming back to and unraveling a little more each month..

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    1. 62

       tlcsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Very good! I like that explanation!

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20. 94

    Solarasposted 9 years ago

    On average 8 hours for a 1700-3000 word article including finding photos and videos I like, proofing, walking away from it...sneaking back up on it.

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    1. 96

       sallybeaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       My hubs can take several days especially if I am writing and creating something for a wet felting tutorial.  I take the photos as I go through the process.   Editing the images can take a while, as does uploading the images and only then can I actually write the tutorial.

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21. 92

    Sherry Hewinsposted 9 years ago

    I spent weeks on one of my hubs. It was about decorating blown eggs in several different ways, and I had to create and photograph the eggs before I could write the hub. The photos were the hardest part. Writing the actual hub and putting it together probably didn't take much more than an hour.

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    1. 62

       tlcsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Wow, that's impressive!

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22. 75

    evelynsaenz1posted 9 years ago

    My hubs started as Squidoo lenses. I started 7 years ago and am still refining them.

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23. 67

    Beaddoodlerposted 9 years ago

    I'm not a prolific writer, but when I write a hub I start with a rough draft, spend time researching and collecting links etc.  I usually work 30 minutes at a time as my eyes won't look at a computer screen any longer than that.  Some of mine take me a week to collect all the data and put it in a hub.  Others I can do in a couple of hours.

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24. 77

    Kathleen Cochranposted 9 years ago

    When I was new here, I tried to write a hub a day.  I was trying to get established.  After 100 hubs I slowed down to about a hub a week.  Working part time and working on my third book, I've found that's about how long it takes me to write, research, let it sit, re-read and edit a hub.

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    1. 62

       tlcsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       OK, so roughly how long did it take you to write 100 hubs and are you making an income from them yet?

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25. 66

    Dressage Husbandposted 9 years ago

    It really depends on how much you know on the topic and what that is anything from a couple of hours all the way up to a week or two. The low being for Hubs like recipes etc. and the long being for creative writing or a topic on which you had to do a lot of research. In other words it was a quesrion a bit like how long is a piece of string?

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    1. 62

       tlcsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Yes your right, I asked the question because I thought that I was spending far to long on anyone subject that I write about, however the discussion has proved to me that I am spending around about the right amount of time on average.

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26. 70

    word55posted 9 years ago

    Some hubs have taken me an hour to 3 hours and some have taken 2 and 3 days.

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