Need brand new advice to improve hub

1. 90

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   Yesterday I've sent out my home office hub to Dengarden--even after I've took upon your advice by changing title and reorganizing it, it's been declined once again. Any new tips to  help me out would be great. Here's the link: https://hubpages.com/living/Back-to-Bas … uter-Desks

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2. 88

   lobobrandonposted 6 years ago

   I don't have the time to read through, so just going by what I can quickly see:
   
   What's with the huge white space before this heading: Small Desks are Perfect for Apartments and Lofts
   
   Your title is: How to Find the Perfect Position for Your Home Office Desk
   
   But from the sub-headings, it's more on the topic of "The different shapes of office desks and ... " (other stuff)
   
   Again, I have not read through, so if the second suggestion is false, please ignore it.

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3. 94

   Beth Eaglescliffeposted 6 years ago

   What was the reason given in your rejection email? Was it something along the lines of "there is too much competition for this topic". If so, you will need to personalize it or focus in an a specific aspect of the topic before it will get accepted onto a niche site.
   
   Off the top of my head, here are some angles you could take:
   "How finding the perfect position for my desk improved my life"
   "Use feng shui to find the perfect position for your desk"
   "Famous authors and their desks"

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   1. 88

      lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Has this been the reason given to you at any time? "there is too much competition for this topic"
      
      I hope not unless the competition is within dengarden itself.

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      1. 94

         Beth Eaglescliffeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Yes.
         
         HP give this reason where there are already very similar hubs on a niche site.

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         1. 88

            lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Ok. As expected. I was just hoping it was not because the topic in itself has a lot of competition.

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4. 90

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   It's the same one I get for other declined hubs  for niches: Hi Kristen Howe,
   
   Thank you for submitting your article, How to Find the Perfect Position for Your Home Office Desk, for consideration on Dengarden. Unfortunately, your article was not selected. Since you already confirmed that your article is free from content and structural issues, it is possible that it was not selected due to the nature of its topic. Perhaps your article:
   
       is about a current event and written in a way that won't be relevant to readers in the future. Perhaps you can expand on your topic and offer historical analysis or additional insight beyond covering the facts of the story.
       is about a very general topic that is already extensively covered on Dengarden or elsewhere online. Perhaps you can add a new spin on the topic to make it your own. If your article is a popular (e.g., chocolate chip cookies) recipe, adding gorgeous, original, step-by-step photos is a great way to make it stand out from the rest.
       is unlikely to satisfy readers for some other reason. Your article might be deeply valuable to you, your friends, or your family, but not be written in a way that is useful or accessible to a wider audience. Or perhaps your article could be useful to readers, but it doesn't convey your experience or involvement with the topic.
       is about a YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topic. YMYL articles need to be written by a professional or expert on the topic, by someone who has had personal experience with it, or list credible, well-cited sources.
       didn't address the changes requested by the site's editor.
   
   You are welcome to rework this article and submit it for re-review in 60 days, but please keep in mind that the topical issues above can be difficult to fix. Your effort may be better spent publishing a new article, or submitting a different one for Dengarden after the 14-day wait period.
   
   If you need more help, or would just like to get some additional opinions and perspectives, we invite you to post in the Improving Your Article.
   
   Happy Hubbing!
   Team HubPages

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5. 90

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   I would keep your advice in mind, Beth and Lobo, for round 3.

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6. 94

   Beth Eaglescliffeposted 6 years ago

   Yes, that's the email I thought you'd received. The two sentences below are the ones I think relate to your article.
   
   "is about a very general topic that is already extensively covered on Dengarden or elsewhere online. Perhaps you can add a new spin on the topic to make it your own.  .....
   
   Or perhaps your article could be useful to readers, but it doesn't convey your experience or involvement with the topic."

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7. 90

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   I get it for all rejected hubs to selected niches.  I guess I should add a more personal slant to it. *shrugs*

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8. 94

   Beth Eaglescliffeposted 6 years ago

   Don't lose heart! Your articles can still earn while they are on HubPages. Sometimes it's not worth rewriting an old article. Start writing a fresh one with the new requirements for a niche site in mind.
   
   I've managed to get all my articles moved. Like you there were a few that I kept resubmitting (and getting the standard rejection email) until I finally "got it". Some I just deleted as it was too much effort to alter them.

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9. 90

   Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

   Aww thanks Beth. Lately, I'm not making very much these days, just barely five cents or less. From November-January, I've made a little over a dollar. What gives?  I'll see if I can think of something new for the future. I try to tailor my articles to fit every reader's needs. It did take me 4 times to get my expressively writing hubs accepted last year.

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   1. 96

      theraggededgeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      There's a problem, right there. You can't address every reader's needs. It's not possible. It's better if you decide up front who the article is for. Hold a picture in your head of your ideal reader and write for her.
      
      Your articles should help her to solve a problem or a question she might have. Imagine she's sitting with you having a coffee and you are explaining how you solved it. Pretend to be showing her pictures. Then imagine yourself saying, "I know how I can help you even more, I'll get this typed up for you and send it to you in an email later."

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   2. 72

      catspyjamasposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Kristen, are you getting your hubs linked in google? The higher you rank, the more traffic you will get, and of course more money.

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      1. 94

         Beth Eaglescliffeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         @ Catspyjamas
         
         That is precisely what the HubPages rejection email is telling you. i.e. There is too much competition for the hub to be ranked well by Google. It will never appear on the first few pages of a search unless the article is rewritten making it more individual or targeted to a specific audience.
         
         HP is only moving articles to the niche sites that have a chance of generating long-term income. It's a commercial decision. HP is a business.

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         1. 72

            catspyjamasposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Ah, ok. I have never submitted anything to these niche sites. I make a couple hundred a month off a couple of articles that i linked well in google.

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10. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    And that's just the monthly total when I've made over a dollar and made over ten cents a day.

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11. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Hey Bev, you might be right about that. I guess I need to refocus it more or try something else the next time around. Back to the drawing board, once again.

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12. 64

    enl1230posted 6 years ago

    Kristen...I just read your article and maybe a shorter title like --->>>
    Creating A Home Office
    and only one poll.  Watch the links as well.  I had trouble with an article and finally I deleted it.  Too frustrating!!  Anyway...great info.  Good-Luck!!

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13. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Thanks so much for stopping by with your comments.  I don't think I had too many links with it.

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14. 88

    lobobrandonposted 6 years ago

    Was just reading through and your pictures seem to be thrown about.
    
    Where to get the best deals is a subheading for one paragraph? Maybe just add it to the intro instead.
    
    Find your perfect desk (the L shaped desk needs to go below this section) talk about the desk before the picture or show the picture to us right before you talk about it. Don't show us a picture and then tell us how to find the perfect desk and then later say hey that's one of the types of desks you could use. All your desk options would be better off in one carousel. When you edit a picture you have an option to do this. I'm not sure what it is called it's the third option, the other two being without border and with border.
    
    This poll question: Where do you prefer your office desk to be? would work better at the start as you then let people think about their perfect spot, and then you go on and tell them the kind of desks available and they could then choose the type that fits well in "this" spot. The other poll What kind of desk works best for you? would be at the end so that they can tell you what works best for them.
    
    The section on tips for computer desks would look and read a lot better if you could create bullet points?
    
    These suggestions alone may not get your hub to the niche site, but I'm sure they are a step in the right direction. Logical flow and easy reading with quality information is what usually works.
    
    I don't like offering constructive criticism as I think I come across as a mean person, I'm sorry if it sounds that way, it's not my intention.

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15. 83

    Venkatachari Mposted 6 years ago

    A very good advice provided by you, Lobobrandon. I appreciate your opinions and the smartness. It leaves no more to suggest.
    I hope Kristen will appreciate your suggestions and get it approved by following your hints.

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16. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Lobo, thanks for the tips.  I've tried to get it organized from what others had mentioned to me last fall.  I'll keep these tips in mind for later this year. I don't think you're a mean person at all.

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17. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    What did you mean by thrown about?

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    1. 88

       lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       I mean that there's no real order. The image appears out of the blue with no real context. It would be fine if you were just showing us a desk in a home office. But that's not the case, you are in fact showing us the different options starting with the L shaped desk.
       
       It would be nice to have this image before or after you talk about it rather than showing us the image, then giving us some tips (general tips to pick a table not tips for an L shaped table) and then talking about the types of tables. When you talk about the types of tables, that's where the image would look good and go with the flow.

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18. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Oh okay. Somehow it moved around or got bumped from my original positions. I did have the photos before and after the capsules. So that's odd.  Easy fix.

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    1. 88

       lobobrandonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       Probably got moved when capsules went from half to full width.

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19. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Probably.

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20. 87

    paperfacetsposted 6 years ago

    I get so discouraged getting the same generic rejection email. All my travel submissions receive it. After two years of twice weekly submissions of hit and miss success I am slowly learning to let go. Those articles on the HP side that get some interest from Google or Pinterest I leave as is, but I have moved many to other places on the web or simply deleted them.
    Your piece covers all the very practical aspects of changing a room into an office and the questions that might enter into the process of doing it, but I think the editors want modern, bling and new appoarches that the "too practical" in your piece does not address. Move to other articles for submission and get a feel for what editors are looking for in the other niches, and possibly find good fits for your writing.
    Be sure to read all the info on "About Us" and "Editorial Policies" for each niche first to get a feel for what they are looking for.

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21. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Hi Paperfacets. I've read every Editorial Policy for my chosen Niches last year and copied/pasted it on my e-sticky notes. I might try it one more time and let go, if it doesn't pass muster later this year. I'll keep working on others somehow for niches.

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22. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Catspy, yes my hubs are linked for Google and to Adsense. It's also linked to HP ad program and Amazon.  I do have a good hubber score of 88. It's around 80 for the general hub score.  Beth, I guess I'll try again or fold on this one.

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       catspyjamasposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       What i meant was how high they are ranked in google. Say someone typed in "finding the best desk" or something similar, would your hub be on the 1st page? That's where you get your traffic.

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23. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Oh I see. I'm not too sure about that. I guess I have to make it unique somehow.

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24. 94

    prokidwriterposted 6 years ago

    Hi Kristen, I like your hub, and hope you can find a niche for it. One thing I noticed in your first image is that the “source” link does not actually go to a source. I think pixabay is misspelled in the link. Also, there is a noticeable difference in image quality among all the images in your hub. If it is possible, I would use  images that  are similar in quality, though I know that’s hard to do. Finally, I’d look for a YouTube video about home offices or home office decor and add it as a capsule, just for some variety. Happy writing, I enjoy reading your work!

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25. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Thanks Prokidwriter for stopping by and commenting.  I've tried to use my own, but it came out blurry for some reason or out of focus. My smartphone doesn't have the auto-focus feature, though I wish it did.

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26. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Catspy I barely make a dollar a month (except for November-January, when I've made over a dollar and had made payout finally in December.) Now it's back to five cents or more, niched or non-niched hubs.  Any advice to make more money here?

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    1. 72

       catspyjamasposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       Well, I'm hardly an expert but i would work on getting your hubs higher ranked in google. Get backlinks from your social media accounts, blog, etc. Write an article or two on the subject and link to your hub. You can also check google trends to see if there is a subject people want to know more about and write an informative hub that answers their questions.

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       1. 96

          DrMark1961posted 6 years agoin reply to this

          You only have three articles that are even featured. The others do not show up on Google at all, no matter how many backlinks you make for them.
          The reason you are earning at this point is because your cat articles have been moved to a niche site. It does not matter if you have submitted them or not.
          Are you suggesting she write articles on a blog and then link them to her hub? Where are you suggesting she should she publish those articles?

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          1. 72

             catspyjamasposted 6 years agoin reply to this

             Those 3 hubs are the ones i focused on and took the time to research and do backlinks for. I was making money off of them before they were moved to the pet site. It's only a couple hundred a month but it does bring in a mostly passive income. I wrote a couple of articles that were featured on other sites, set up a blog, answered questions on yahoo, and got some links from various social media sites. It's a pain in the beginning but once you get ranked well, it's mostly hands off.

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27. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Hmm. I do share my hubs with social media outlets. Ten of my 100 hubs are niched so far in the past year including one from last month.  Not sure what else you mean by backlinks.  Dr. Mark, good questions. I would love to drive traffic to my non-niched hubs and make more money.

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    1. 72

       catspyjamasposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       Basically a link back to your hub. Everytime someone pins (from pinterest) a link, or tweets a link to your hub the better you look to google. Submit an article or two to an article directory. Website owners are always looking for new content. They may put your article on their site, it will have a link back to your hub. If it's a subject you can go more in depth with, create a blog.

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28. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    I already have two blogs and used to have a third one, a decade ago. One blog is on book reviews, the other is on my writing journey to get published (as in books). I don't think I can add a third. Too consuming.  I only backlink my book reviews with a link to the book in Amazon.  Not sure about the article directory part. There's got to be a better way than with that.

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    1. 96

       DrMark1961posted 6 years agoin reply to this

       That advice you received is about 5 years out of date. Things change quickly around here.

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    2. 72

       catspyjamasposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       Kristen, I would only link your blog if it was relevant to the subject of your hub. Basically it comes down to getting more backlinks, optimizing your title (making sure your keyword is in the title) and using a good anchor text with your keyword. That was true 5 years ago and it's true now. This is verging off your original problem with your hub though. I wish good luck to you.

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       1. 96

          DrMark1961posted 6 years agoin reply to this

          No, I do not think it is verging off of the original problem of her hub. The question is how to get more backlinks so that it has better page rank and gets more views via Google. If her page gets a lot of views from the search engines, HP is going to move it to a niche so that she will do even better.
          The question is how to get more backlinks. I do not think your comment about getting more pins from Pinterest is true. I do not think it makes you look any better to Google. I have heard that they only accept 2 backlinks per site, but I do not know if this is true. (I have one article that has about 40,000 views from Pinterest, yet has terrible page rank on Google.) If the 2 backlinks per site is true then using your own blog, social media, or a forum is not much help. The only way to get backlinks is naturally, through writing an article that other people will link too.
          My comment about 5 years was because of the "article directory" comment. As far as I know there are no longer article directories in assistance that will let her write an article and link back to her hub on desks and office chairs. If I am wrong please provide us with some sites so that we can do some more linking.
          I think your point about optimizing the title is spot on. If a title is not working after a while I try to change it.
          I really wish somone with more knowledge in this area would also chime in. I think this could help Kristen a lot and not just with this article.

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29. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    OKay. I don't think it would be relevant at this point. I'll revisit that hub this fall and see if I can think of something to make it uniquely different. I'll try other hubs, old and new, somewhere down the road this month to get into one niche.

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30. 91

    michelleonly3posted 6 years ago

    The problem with this hub is that it doesn’t offer any new information. Too much of the article was about the kind of desk however even that information was vague. Anyone can put a desk in a room, you need to find solid information to offer a reader. Such as how to hide a home office in a living space when you can’t put your office in s separate room or how to convert a hall closet into a home office. I felt like your article was just trying to sell me a desk not help me set up a home office. Dig Deeper, offer new information. That is my advice.

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31. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    Thanks Mark. I did change the title and removed Back to Basics per suggested. My 2 other home office hubs--chairs and accessories (I hope to work on later this year and try to make it unique someway) and computers (I'll figure out the same way.) Why is so hard to get into a niche?

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    1. 96

       DrMark1961posted 6 years agoin reply to this

       I really do not think it is. I have over 250 articles on a niche site. All have been moved except for some things I wrote my first year here.
       When I am writing a new article, I first put together an outline on Word and then type the article (I try to make it about 2000 words but most of them are short of that). I get some great appropriate images, usually from Flickr or photos I have taken around here, and then I open up my hub. I make sure that when I add my photos, videos, polls and capsules that it is a stellar article.
       After I am done I open up Google and look at the first three articles that come up when I have typed in my title. If they are any better than mine I figure out why and make whatever changes needed. I then use a keyword tool (thanks to Lobobrandon for that suggestion) and find any keywords that I need to add. I do not just shove them in there, but do add some questions and answers so that my article will be of more help to more people using those keywords.
       When I am finished with those steps, and have published the article, I am pretty sure that it is going to be moved to a niche site and, in a matter of time, appear on the first page of Googles search.
       (Wow, this post is way too long. Hope it is some help, and not TMI!)

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32. 90

    Kristen Howeposted 6 years ago

    No worries Mark. I've gotten about maybe 10 niches sites so far in the past year.  I tend to keep my articles around 1 K if not 1500 words.  Maybe your idea on being creative would help my title. Most of my articles I submit to niches, and nothing have been moved automatically, if it was that easy.  I'll keep it in mind. This is going to be hard month to make another 50 cents in over a week, if I make five cents or less a day.

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