5 Ways to Revise Your Poorly Performing HubPages Hubs - A Writer's Point of View
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Getting More Traffic and Earnings from the HubPages Experience - A Writer's Point of View
I've been publishing articles on HubPages for nearly four years. Although that accolade makes me one of HP's longer-standing contributors, it does not make me one of its most income-generating. I found myself thinking about this a short while ago, and to tell the truth, I started feeling a bit sorry for myself. You see, I know I’m a good writer and editor (that's what I do for a living), so, if I’m all that good, why do I earn only enough on HubPages after all this time to treat myself to a designer cup of coffee five days a week or pay a phone bill once a month? After getting over the wallows, I started looking at my older Hubs with the reader in mind and found that I’d missed the boat in a number of places. I want to share those places with you.
The five points below describe the questions I asked about my poorly performing, older Hubs and the actions I took, from a writer’s point of view, to revise them. Some of these earlier Hubs, now revised, do seem to be picking up a bit in both traffic and earnings. Perhaps this approach will make an impact for you.
1 ● Are You Letting the Reader Sail, not Stumble, Through Your Words? Review and Correct Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation.
Even if you had a professional editor comb your earlier Hubs for accuracy and readability, you most likely will find a stumbling place or two for the reader. However, when you revisit your writings after time passes, you are more likely to see the places that are awkward or just plain awful. Fix them, for the sake of the reader. One too many stumbling places will chase your reader right to the back button.
HubPages text capsules have a spell checker built in. Put your older Hub in edit mode and check the spelling of your text blocks.
Essential References on Punctuation and Grammar
 | Amazon Price: $4.19 List Price: $14.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $1.79 List Price: $9.95 |
Grammar checking is more challenging, depending on your skill level: If you want to use an automated grammar checker, that's fine if you don't mind your head being spun around by some of its suggestions. What will stand you in better stead is the help of a knowledgeable friend, and in best stead, the experience you've gained since writing your early Hubs.
Punctuation accuracy is not to be understated. My favorite example of how meaning can go awry only because of a simple comma is this:
"Eats, shoots and leaves."
Please don't leave your reader thinking that a panda will eat, shoot, and then leave.
2 ● Are You Keeping the Topic Fresh and Current? Update Stale Information.
The one thing you can be sure of in life is that change will happen. Even evergreen content needs review from time to time. As there’s always a new destination on the Net that could bring your older Hub more up-to-date, add or replace external links for your reader’s benefit.
In addition to surfing the Net for new information, you can use the HubPages link suggestion tool to find links to other Hubs that might add richness to yours. Upon occasion, I have found this tool helpful for updating older Hubs, but what I've found it most useful for is getting past writer's block, since it sometimes returns quite bizarre results.
Finally, look for new and appropriate videos, illustrations, and pictures, or even better, incorporate fresh material that you have created.
3 ● Are Your Product Offerings Current? Update Amazon and eBay Capsules.
I've found that keeping Amazon and eBay merchandise current in my Hubs is more of a challenge than I expected. Although I don’t write a lot of Hubs that are geared specifically to sales, I do include Amazon and eBay capsules in most of my other Hubs. When I read someone else's Hub and find the product link missing or at odds with what is being described, I become annoyed and click the back button. The first thought that goes through my head is, if you can’t make the effort to keep your products current, then why should I make the effort to spend time on your Hub?
Although merchandise can disappear from these online mega-vendors in the wink of eye, it is still your responsibility to maintain your sales offerings. Think of it this way, if you are window-shopping downtown and see an item you want to buy, then you go into the store only to be told the item is discontinued, what would you think of that store?
4 ● Are You At Risk for Your Hub Being Unpublished by HubPages? Review and Implement Changes to HubPages Guidelines.
Obviously, you won't have a reader if you have no Hub. But there's an additional backlash to this: Other Hubbers may have linked to your Hub, whereby you may have enjoyed more readership, but by letting your Hub be unpublished you've put the other Hubber in a position to do more maintenance on his Hub. This lack of responsibility could eat at your credibility not only with your readers, but within the HubPages community.
As evergreen content needs updating from time to time, HubPages rules and guidelines need your vigilant review. The guidelines change not capriciously, but for reasons that promote the HubPages business, which is your business by virtue of your earning money here.
5 ● Are You Telling Your Reader What You are Going to Tell, Before You Tell? Examine Title and Sub-headings for Logic and Flow.
Think about how you land on a page of content that is new to you. What do you want to see, a solid body of unbroken text, or sub-headings that let you get the gist of what the writer is going to tell you? When constructing your Hub, put yourself in your readers' shoes and give them what you would like a writer to give you: clear direction about where you are and where you are going.
Treat sub-headings as chapter titles in a full-length book, even though any Hub you write will probably never be that long, nor should it be. Use sub-headings not only to break up a sea of text, but to tell readers what they are going to learn from the text described by the sub-heading.
I believe most readers on the Net are an impatient lot, and thus it takes well-thought-out writing to grab and keep their attention. Formatting and layout are vitally important, too, but HubPages simplifies these aspects for you with the flexibility built into the Hub Tool. Take advantage of this tool to emphasize the logic of your text, but first and foremost, make sure your text flows logically from beginning to end with the added aid of sub-headings that summarize what's to come.
Hindsight Is Foresight
After a year or two or more on HubPages, you have a new perspective because you grow. When you look at a piece you wrote two years ago from the present place in your life, you may very well find that your writing has matured. In addition, perhaps your voice (an often elusive, subjective quality) has changed. The way you said something a year ago to get your point across may not be as effective or as true to you as it could be today.
On the other hand, you may be making tons of bucks here on HubPages, and if you are, please email me your secrets. I promise, cross my heart, to never reveal your identity or steal your stuff.
More from Sally on Writing
- Three Quick Tips for Fine-tuning the Writing in Your HubPages Hubs
- Three Quick Tips for Improving the Readability of Your HubPages Hubs
- Overcoming Writer's Block with Particle, Wave, Field Theory
- How To Write Your Original Food Recipes - 10 Tips for Making Your Recipes Easy To Follow
- Use the HubPages Suggest Links Tool to End Writer's Block
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Sally, these are solid tips for improving new and old hubs. I find that when I go back and review my hubs after a some time has passed, it's easier to find the akward sentences and typos. Thank you for these tips to make the review even more worthwhile.
Great hub! I am new to HubPages and a new writer. This will really help! I will keep this Hub and revisit it from time to time as a reference.
Thanks for the good tips.
There is a lot of very good information worth to any body to fine tune their hub articles. A place worth revisiting many a time. Thanks for the timely direction.
Regards,
upwelling
Great hub! Voted up, interesting, awesome, helpful, and even funny due to that last sentence. haha. I'd like to know people's secrets, too. I have learned a lot since I've been on HP, but there is so much to learn. I think that letting the reader know what it's going to be about (just like any well-written essay) and then breaking it up into sections will catch and keep their interest much better. Well-written hub. Your other links on hub-related topics look to be worth checking out as well. Thanks!
These are excellent tips in a well done hub. I've been working along these lines, hoping to improve my hubs for readers' sake, as well as for performance on the web. I still have a lot to learn about www writing, but these tips even I can follow! :) Thanks much for a can't miss hub.
Oh, do you think that ebay hubs need to be checked for updating more often than Amazon's?
@snakeslane, upwelling, Hear Me, and ajayshah2005, thank you for reading and commenting. It puts a big smile on my face to know that I've contributed something useful. :)
Sally, great tips. Informative and helpful. Thanks
RTalloni--it would seem that ebay hubs would have to be updated often since many are auctions....Don't ya think? It's been a moot point with me so far since I haven't been able to use them, but it looks like ebay is being opened up to everybody soon!
@Peg, I know what you mean. It took me a while, after going through many of my earlier Hubs, to find patterns that resulted in the advice in this Hub. It's all about coming into a different perspective after being here for so long and paying attention to what's going on in the business, I think. :)
@Victoria, so glad you got a chuckle out of that last sentence. There's so much I don't know, I just wish all the answers would come to me in a dream (or in emails from those who would divulge their secrets!) Thanks for reading and for your awesome comment.
europewalker, thank you for reading and commenting.
RTalloni, I've given up on eBay. I can't seem to find my stride. I've earned $5 from them in three years. Although I might now have an eBay capsule or two in some of my Hubs, those capsules are there only because there's no better venue for showcasing online antiques and collectibles. I wrote eBay an email the other day to ask why, although I've got plenty of clicks on my HubPages offerings, I've got no money from them. Their answer was that I don't have quality traffic. Truly, I'm in the ozone about this. However, Amazon sales are doing great, and I get a good payout every month. Go figure!
But more to your point, if you are selling ephemerals, things that come and go on a daily basis via the eBay system, then you have to rely on keywords when you build your eBay capsule. That's a lot different from specifying products that have a long life online because they are new and stocked by big eBay sellers. Consider this: I'd like to sell a lot of antique spittoons, but I can't pick one to feature because these items are so transient in the eBay market.
There's been so much chatter all over the place about "content is king," and I believe that's true. Make it worthwhile for the reader, and good things will happen from there.
I have an astounding teacher. So why, why, why don't I get it? Oh, I know, because I want it all learned instantly LOL.
Seriously, this is just another awesome hub. My thought is that I need to print out all of your writing hubs and put it in booklet form, and then use it! What great reference material! I'd keep it right here at the computer, and even you would be rewarded for my doing this. Your phone would ring less often :)
Now, if I could just get past the procrastination :)
Thumbs up, useful, awesome dear friend.
Thank you my dear friend. Now, what else do I have to do to kick your butt into where it needs to go?
The answer to that is right in front of you. Just be here, be engaged, and do what you do so well...engage. This is a super venue for you. Don't let it get away.
Interesting hub - voted up!
TY, hush4444!
i am just starting on my hub. good thing i stumbled on good information here if i need to continue. thanks!
Wonderful advice! Thumbs up.
Really useful hub for newbies like me. Thanks for sharing. Voted up, interesting and useful.
Thanks for sharing. I should get busy and edit some of my older hubs instead of dreaming about new ones.
anjperez, MD, and Jools, thanks so much for reading, commenting, and leaving the good votes!
Barbara, I hear you about dreaming about new Hubs. I've got a folder full of Hub ideas, going back three years now, that I've never carried to completion. Some of the ideas have been researched, too, but somehow I wind up thinking/dreaming about them instead of writing them!
This exercise of going back through older Hubs seems to be panning out for me, while it's also a wonderful excuse for not writing new Hubs! I'm joking, sort of. But I do enjoy both writing and editing, each of which takes a completely different kind of mental attention, and so I find alternating the two processes is good for me.
Thanks for leaving your thought provoking comment. :)
I like the layout of your article and you have lots of useful information presented in an interesting way. I am sure it will be helpful, it has made me think about checking back through some of my pages.
Thanks, 2uesday. That's the message I wanted to get across.
The Net is a dynamic place, and if we want to get the most out of our past efforts, we need to be revising when we find something we've done is out-of-date. I'm pretty sure it's worth the work.
On the other hand, some stuff might need to be scrapped here on HP, and maybe destined for a different site...I'm wrestling with that now.
This hub is a treasure trove of good advice. I can think of one hub which I originally wrote about three years ago and then overhauled about two years ago. I made it longer, changed the title, and included more specific information and suddenly, that hub was my top traffic getter and top click producer. It is amazing what sensible overhauling and weeding of one's "hub garden" will do. Thumbs up up up as usual:-)
Ahhh! Weeding. What a beautiful metaphor. I'm not going to add anything to your thoughts, I'm just going to let them stand and only say that I so love your comments, your thoughts, the richness you give to anyone who wants to write. TY, my friend.
Great tips for people at any stage of writing on HubPages! I have recently been reviewing and tweaking a lot of my old hubs. It is time consuming and not as much fun as writing new hubs, but it can be well worth the effort.
All these tips are effective, Sally, but particularly, #5. Why? Because it reminds me that a good teacher tells her students what she is going to tell them. Then she tells them. Then she tells them what she told them.
It works for writers, too. Thank you for the reminders.
Ditto what your other followers have commented. I have never set up my adsense or other accounts. I'm not very tech savvy . . . but I need to bite the bullet and wade thru. Thanks for offering the courage.
Sally's Trove, I enjoyed this article and appreciated the points made in it. I also enjoyed the "voice" Hub linked from this one. I weed and spiff on a regular basis, but the job seems like an endless one. Every little clean-up attempt, though, can contribute to an overall better selection of stuff. One of my biggest challenges is Hubs that "seemed like a good idea at the time" (and now seem like a really bad idea LOL). Those Hubs aside, the things you suggest really could make a big difference in a lot of Hubs.
Simple, easy steps to do. Thanks for the tips. Your hub content must be powerful. With 73 hubs published in four years, your "score" indicates you are doing something right! I get inudated by some writers that "spam" with 2-4 hubs each day. I do not care if each day has a proclamation named after "National Carrot Day," or a repitition of a love poem...
I enjoy information that creates a desire to learn more. Hub pages with "meat-on-the-bone..."
Flag up.
Sally's trove ,
This is really helpful hub for many a ignorant hubbers here.
I really appreciate you for putting such a nice informative hub regarding the hubbing and its correction methods.
This also shows how you had matured enough in this online writing and hubbing. And how much hard work you had put in to realize these techniques.
I am happy to vote this useful
For IINTERTRANS
Thanks for sharing this information! I will use your advice to keep my products and links current. Voted up and useful!
--courtlneygdtm
Hi, Sally - your suggestions were so helpful. I love to create new hubs and sometimes it's just not as much fun to go back and review the older ones. But when I do, I always find mistakes, poorly written sentences, the wrong word typed in a rush. A bit of a fix up makes a difference!
@randomcreative, thanks for sharing your experience. It can be worth the effort.
@drbj, you are so right about teaching, but here on the net, on HP, I forego the re-telling of what I just told. I prefer to end in a snarky comment. Since we're all over 18 (or supposed to be), I'm hoping folks get it the first time, if the first time is well-constructed. TY for your astute comment.
@Sally, I'm glad this inspires you. Go for it! It doesn't take too much effort to set up those accounts, and when you see the earnings coming in, that can be a good motivator. Start at the HP Learning Center
http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/contents
and look under Affiliate Settings. That will tell you what you need to know to set up those accounts.
Great advice. It's wise to go back and revise our old hubs every once in a while. Besides boosting the traffic, sometimes I also get new ideas from my old writing. Rated up and useful! :)
I've to admit that I don't write hubs that are SEO friendly and I'm not quite savvy when it comes to putting my hub in the spotlight. Reading your hub helps me see how I can better improve my hubs. I definitely have to do-over many of the older hubs. Thanks and rated up.
@Lisa, I'm glad you brought up Hubs that "seemed like a good idea at the time..." I had written a section into this Hub to talk about just that, but abandoned it because it didn't seem quite to the point I wanted to make. However, you are absolutely right. Sometimes you just have to take a piece of writing and ditch it. As you said, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Thanks for your awesome comment.
@dallas93444, "Meat on the bone"...love it! Thank you so much for your awesome words and your UP vote.
@Iintertrans, thank you for your positive vote. It's a learning process, here.
@courtlneygdtm, TY for your good words!
@Dolores, for truly valuable Hubs, which are all that you write, it is worthwhile to revisit. If there's a bit of an edge to be gained by revising, it's worth the time and effort.
i got practical tips from your hub. it's good that i stumbled on this while i am starting. now i know which direction to go and what steps to take to make it right. that's what it is, right? as much as possible avoid the pitfalls. thanks, thanks, thanks... (,")
This is great advice! I've spent the last few days going through my old hubs and have found many of them difficult to read. I was using too many words. I've been cutting the fat. :) Thanks for the extra tips. Let's hope the revision will improve earnings...
Thank you for linking to my hub about finding your writing voice. I really enjoyed this hub, very well thought out and put together. I think I'll end up spending some time checking out more of your work here. Perhaps I might learn a thing or two. :)
-Bradybones
I am new to this Hub things but i like it, I enjoy the many ideas and comments on issues. But thanks for your advice i like it.
@Om Paramapoonya, what a good insight you shared about generating new ideas by going back over older Hubs. Thanks for that. I think that's a hugely useful tip.
@anglnwu, I'm so glad you found this useful. I think you can't go wrong when you write for the reader, and it's worth going back to revise. We see so much more clearly, sometimes, from the distance of time.
@anjperez, thank you for sharing your thoughts. Although I wrote this Hub for those who have published Hubs over time, I'm delighted to see that this info is useful to you right from the start. Write on!
@amy jane, I'm glad you are sharing your experience here, because you are an awesome writer and you are showing others how even the best writers can benefit by revisiting older works. Cutting the fat! Well, if we're going to do it in our diets, we ought to be doing it in our writing. Thank YOU for the reminder...I have a tendency to like all my words alot and have a hard time chasing the lean (kind of a possessive thing).
@BradyBones, I was intrigued by this question that you shared: "Do you write like that because that's the way you write, or because that's how you think writers should write?" That sentence hooked me into the rest of your words.
I thought your short piece spelled out the personal nature of voice in a way anyone can understand. Glad you wrote it, because linking to it from here makes this Hub more valuable.
@dui, I read your first Hub...I know what you mean, but I wouldn't say you lack the quality of a writer. I think your thoughts and ideas are valuable, but the delivery of them needs work. Welcome to HubPages! I hope you learn here from your experiences and the experiences of others.
@KaisaJordan, thank you for your comment. I'm glad this Hub is helpful to you.
Sherri, what great advice! The value of "fresh eyes" (yours and/or a trusted friend's) on old hubs cannot be overemphasized. I just found a typo in a hub I wrote 2 years ago, one that I see now could use a bit of spiffing up.
And really, when writing online there's NO excuse for not correcting, updating and improving one's published hubs. It's not the Old Days where a glaring typo wouldn't be spotted until 10,000 copies had been printed and distributed, as happened when I was in politics writing fundraising literature. Twenty people might proof a mailing and not one would catch that the guest of honor's name was misspelled. (Oddly, usually no one but the GoH noticed the typo...go figure.) ;D
Brilliantly, detailed advice. Thank you.
Joanna, I hadn't thought to emphasize it quite as strongly as you did about fresh eyes. Indeed, they are the eyes of a trusted (and constructively critical) friend, or your own eyes after you've been removed from the writing for a very long time. Just today I went through another of my older Hubs and wound up saying to myself, "What was I thinking???"
Many don't realize proofreading is a highly specialized discipline, quite different from editing. It does not surprise me (it's happened to me a few times) that the guest of honor (quite possibly the one with the money) discovers his own name misspelled. I'd give both my eye teeth to have both an editor and a proofreader go through my stuff. Absent that, as you say, there's no excuse for not updating published Hubs.
Thanks, as always, for your rich and informative comments!
Hello, hello, you are so welcome, and thank YOU for reading and commenting. :)
Thank you! I definitely rush into hitting publish sometimes before I'm ready. This is all great advice.
alezafree, you speak for so many! Instant gratification is so tempting. Slap your hand and let it not hit publish until the Hub is ready. :)
Very inspiring hub, my friend. I got new energy to start writing. I learn much. Thanks for share this valuable information based your experience. You are good example for us. Well done and Vote up. Have a nice weekend!
Prasetio
Keep plugging, my friend! I am so glad this Hub offered a bit of new energy. We all need an infusion now and again. Thank you for the kind words, and you have a nice weekend, too. :)
Great advice Sally. I have been forced to go through my older hubs since I had never added summaries and am still in the process of doing so. It is amazing how one catches things when going back in with fresh eyes. If anyone emails you with that last information you requested, please share! Haha! Voted up and useful.
Sadly, Peggy, I've received no emails related to that last paragraph I wrote. However, if I do, I will share with you; after all, I only said I wouldn't reveal identity or steal stuff...never said I wouldn't share the secrets!
Hang in there. I think revising is worth it. Thanks for the votes!
Really outstanding! And what an excellent example of the points you are making. Everyone should read this.
Thank you, Aficionada! After reading your comment, I actually went back and re-read this Hub, making sure it was a good example (the editor and proofreader in me never let me quit). Interestingly, I found one small thing I will change, for the sake of the reader's understanding. It is high praise to read your words, "Everyone should read this." You made my day. :)
Thank you for publishing this excellent and needful advice. I do need to review and refurbish my older Hubs, especially those that are not performing well. I am so caught up in all the new Hubs I yearn to write that I neglect this. I shouldn't.
Nice insight,especially the last paragraph of Hindsight Is Foresight
I couldn't help but laugh at the panda line. Then I frantically went back and looked at my grammar. Very valuable info that I know I am going to refer back to on every hub I write. Thank you.
This is awesome advice, thank you Sally! I've always made a point to re-read my hubs after awhile and I've also edited my work. The problem I have is that I'm horrible at choosing hub titles, I think, and writers block annoys me to no end! I'll definitely ask for advice more often and try to make things more interesting for the readers! Thank you again, great hub!
James, some of us are writers at heart and some of us are editors. I belong among the latter, probably because it's so much easier for me to edit than to write. Writing hurts, while editing is relaxing. With that said, it's difficult for a passionate writer who isn't passionate about editing to go back over older works. But in this online environment, if we want our works to last over time, it's essential.
Thank you so much for your good words, and dare I say, "Happy editing!"
@atein, thank you for picking up on the hindsight is foresight. That's true for every aspect of life. It's one of the most important ways we learn.
@jenubouka, LOL! Lynne Truss's title is absolutely brilliant. If that doesn't drive the point home, not much will, although I saw a post on Facebook a few days ago carrying the line, "Eat Grandma," where the intention was to say, "Eat, Grandma!" World of difference. Accepted grammar and punctuation will let the reader sail right along with you; faulty grammar will shipwreck him. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
@MissJamieD, titles are challenges for me, too. HP put out a podcast on September 28 about creating titles. I found it very helpful. You can find it here:
http://blog.hubpages.com/2011/09/seo-meets-authent
About making things more interesting for readers, the key is to put yourself in the readers' shoes, as in, what is the reader expecting you to deliver?
Thank you for all your good words!
thanks for sharing these secrets on how to improve a hubpages page. i will surely keep these great tips in updating my old writeup
Great tips! Thanks for the hub!
I've only got one hub but I'm already planning for the future. Quality trumps quantity in the long run. I'll be sure to keep your tips in mind.
Excellent advice. Thanks very much!
Thank you for sharing this...the hardest part of this experience is that i must edit, eit, dit,edit (purposely made errors here)...it is soooo easy to THINK the correct letter, the correct key stroke and then reread and find a letter was omitted. And if you are working on a laptop that is sometimes uncooperative and will delete your carefully composed work..o..my ....so again ...this is very helpful..
i was once told by someone who was wiser than i knew then...but understand now....that individual said to me: do not ever become too fond, too enamored of your words...you will always be able to go back and improve.'
@nanetteparker, I'm so glad you find this to be useful information about updating your Hubs. Thank you for reading and commenting!
@j-u-i-c-e, indeed, quality trumps quantity in the long run. "You get what you pay for" also comes to mind. Thanks for leaving the good words, and welcome to HubPages!
@leshey, you are so welcome!
@pstraubie48, I agree that one should not become too enamored of one's words. I never quite thought about it this way, but holding on to words just because you made them even though they serve no purpose is perhaps another form of hoarding. Thanks for adding this insight to the discussion.
Great advice Sally.
I'm new at Hub pages, been here nine days, I'm glad I found your hub early. Will keep your advice in mind. I voted you awesome!
Excellent hub. I am pretty new to hub pages but will definitely re-visit my older hubs from time to time to keep them up to date. Thanks for a great article!
Good instruction set. Unfortunately Im not a good writer though I like to and I have hardly earned through my hubs though I have adsense account.
Great article but very i think it's going to be very difficult for me to follow these steps
Nice article, really good tips!!! You are my hero...you have already published articles on HubPages for nearly four years and I do it only for few weeks)))
@megni, welcome to HP! Lots to learn, always. Thank you for your good words.
@Keeley, you are so welcome!
@magodis, if you want to be a writer, you can do that. It takes discipline and learning, and it has nothing to do with making money. If you want to make money on HP or on the Net, then be a writer first. TY for reading and commenting.
Thank you Sally for your helpful hubs. There is so much support on HubPages it's hard to fail. I am not doing so well in the followers area and I'm trying to not just follow everybody. I am getting there slowly but surely. I learn something every day.
Hubertsvoice, that's the spirit! Let's see, Rome wasn't built in a day, and slow and steady wins the race. There's a lot of truth in those old euphemisms. Thanks for reading and leaving your comments, and welcome to HubPages!
Great advice and much appreciated. Thanks a bunch.
Hi Sally's Trove, Thanks for the good advice!
You are welcome, carol3san and Journey...thanks so much for reading and commenting. :)
Fantastic advise and I have begun many of these tips with more hub work to do for me. I like how you approached the tips suggestions from our view (the reader). I know it is tough sometimes to step outside of our own work but the tip is worthwhile. Thanks...bill...Oh btw I will be at Metropolitan for a Cheese Steak tonight 10/26 and probably will be wearing shorts (that is normal for me). Take care...
It's all about the reader, isn't it, mtsi1098? If we didn't have a reader, we'd have no reason to write, I think. But now I'm thinking about Emily Dickinson. I don't know that anyone knows exactly why or to whom she wrote. One of those mysteries. But, clearly, she wrote for any human who could read.
TY for the tip about the shorts. I'll be sure to scout out customers for their attire at Metro in the dead of January.
Just yesterday I was absolutely craving a cheese steak and thinking about Metro. Problem is, I'm on a no-meat, no-cheese, no-bread diet. That doesn't bode well for me and cheese steaks. But thank you so much for asking! I might have to succumb to this craving in a couple of months.
Sally, this is a great hub and excellent advice, which I am going to pay attention to. I think checking our older hubs occasionally is a good way to not only keep them updated, but to see how we have grown as writers -- or maybe even see if we have not grown as much as we would have wanted to.
Up and Useful! Thank you.
Thank you, Phyllis, for the good words and the votes. You have an excellent point about going back to older Hubs to see how much progress we've made. If we're going to continue to write in this venue, we might as well keep getting better at it!
Excellent advice, thank you! I actually have noticed a huge improvement in my writing in the last six months, although i do not write much, but when i do, i am confident they are good, informative hubs that people will look for.
Thanks.
G Miah, thanks for reading and leaving your thoughts!
Hi, great hub, that was really useful, I’m a new hubber and figuring out everything about writing a good hub pretty much not easy and surely I will consider your advices in my new hubs…thx for the help
This is great advice for going back and revisiting older hubs for clarity and fresh content. I am new, but I am already finding ways to improve my older hubs.
sam-eg and Millionaire Tips, first, welcome to HP!
Next, I'm really glad you find this information useful from your perspective as newcomers to HP.
A dear friend of mine taught me many years ago about the 6 Ps...prior planning prevents pish poor performance.
I didn't know the ins and outs of HP when I started here. I've learned by experience. I'm so glad I can share a bit of my experience to help make your 6 Ps work for you.
After reading this I feel compelled to go back to my old hubs for a revisit. Thank you for this excellent advice.
Blessings!
Mekenzie
Mekenzie, ty so much for your comment. A revisit is almost always a good thing to do, about so many aspects of our lives.
...well Sally you have a treasure trove of great hub subjects - and this is a most essential guide for any hubber - new or more experienced - because we can all learn something new each day from each other - I try to learn a new word each day if I can - and I always try to keep an open mind and a positive attitude - and yes, with all of the different hub personalities here - I just say - be yourself - and what a small world it becomes when you meet so many different and talented people here from all over the global map .....
lake erie time ontario canada 10:54am
epigramman! Thanks for your awesome comment. This community benefits greatly by sharing experiences, to your point about learning something new each day from one another. For those who work online most of the time, it's sometimes hard to build useful relationships, harder than if we had the luxury of hanging out in a physical space around the water cooler. This is a helpful community, and I'm glad to share here what I know while I also learn from others.
Great tips! I appreciate it.
Excellent advice here - I don't have that many hubs at the moment (time is an issue)- but I will go back and have a look at my old ones and give them a 'tweak' :)
gambrelp and Suki C, thanks for reading and commenting. I'm glad these tips are helpful!
As you say, I find many things to correct and tweak in my early hubs. It's really good advice to go back and spell check and grammar check. I can't believe the little mistakes I've picked up! I was interested in the comments you made above about using eBay capsules - I'm having little luck with eBay and wonder if I should bother... it's always hard to know.
Thanks for the good advice here...I need all the help I can get! :)
Stephanie, I've never cracked the eBay payout. Amazon, yes. I don't think it's because of what I write, but about their different payout systems.
However, since I "bundled" (forced by HP policy) my eBay earnings into the HP Ad program, I now see about 7 cents a day coming in from eBay, where there had not been a cent in more that two years. I have no idea what this means.
It may be hunt and peck until a light bulb gets lit. :)
Great advice. Thank you so much.
Thank YOU, zzron.
Sally's Trove,
Always seeking to improve and this is a great start for me. I am working on finding my voice and making my hubs more consistent. Thank you very much.
Thank you for the kind words, American_Choices. I'm also glad you shared your search for voice. Voice comes to some easily; others struggle. I'm in the latter group. I wrote a blog post about this struggle here:
http://uninvitedwriter.blogspot.com/2011/12/reflec
I found I had to go outside of HubPages to plow through this struggle. I continue to write and engage here, of course, but I'm not so sure I'm going to find the voice that still alludes me in this place. Except maybe in responses to thoughtful comments. :)
Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge. I'm relatively new and greatly appreciate it : )
Jennifer Essary, thank you for your good words!
This is good advice. Voted up. I am about to revise my hubs, and want to make sure that I am doing it right.
Millionaire Tips, thanks for reading and commenting. I'm glad this hub is useful to you.
This is really good advice. I am going through and revising mine also.
Thank you, Sally's Trove, for investing your time in putting this together. I know I need to do some housecleaning on my hubs but I was not really sure where to start. Now, I have a road map:) Voted up and useful.
TY homesteadbound and DonnaCosmato. I'm so glad this may be helpful to you.
It's all about communication...it's too easy to just put stuff out there on the net and consider it done. But things change. If we want our words to have life over time, then, in this environment, we must revisit them to see if they are still effective. It's a daunting challenge.
Another awesome hub, you had lots of useful info here. Thanks for sharing.
I think it's great that Hub Pages let's its writers go back and edit/tweak hubs. Another content site on which I have articles does not provide that option, meaning I have to write an entire new article to provide updated info. Thanks for your suggested tips here.
@sabrani44, thank YOU so much for reading and commenting.
@L.L. Woodard, you pointed out a very good aspect of HP...we can go back and edit to bring our writings up to date, meaning worthwhile to readers, and there's no time limit on the editing process. I think this is a dimension of HP that has not been given its proper due.
HubPages is a joy ride, I am working to earn but I am Learning while Earning, it can't get better than that. Thanks for Sharing your Experience.
You are welcome, Zainnisar!
Thank you for posting helpful information. Though I have only been here for a couple months, I am hoping to learn as much as possible now so it will help me progress well. In regard to making money, it seems you need Amazon and eBay, so for those of us that don't live in states that allow Amazon, we will enjoy the pack of gum income!
Before worrying about Amazon and eBay, just make sure your Hubs are quality, which yours are, EyesStraightAhead. Ty for sharing your thoughts.
Excellent advice - I'm so glad I found this hub. I knew updating and refreshing is the key to keeping your hub higher on searches, but I wasn't sure I knew all the points to consider. Thank you for sharing your expertise! Voted up, useful and interesting. And shared.
Thank you so much for your advice. I was a technical writer and instructor for many years. Putting myself in the place of the reader or the audience is paramount in my book. Thanks for SHARING.
This is great advice. Thank you so much for posting this. Vote up.
Thank you for the compliment, Sally's Trove. I do come here because I enjoy writing. I don't hope to make my income from HubPages. I do hope to become a writer who can earn an income doing what I love, and the more hubs I write, the more I find my weaknesses and start working on them! Also, I am learning from everyone here how to build a quality portfolio. I appreciate the community and hubs like this that help those of us new to writing for a large audience!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. There's some great advice here that I'll be applying to my hubs. Voted up.
Thanks much for your reply. I'm continuing to work on my old hubs even though life interrupts at times. It's interesting to go back through them and wonder what I was thinking at some points!! :) Refining my writing is one reason I joined HP and reviewing old work is one good way to see the need to refine it! So appreciate good advice on improving hubs. Glad to see such a good response to your post here.
Hopefully I can put these very helpful tips to good use. Very good!
@Marcy Goodfleisch, thank you for the good words and for the sharing. Even though I strive for evergreen content on HP, I find that timely information will creep into my narrative. It behooves me well to revisit my writings, from the writer's point of view, to make sure there isn't anything outdated or stale that interferes with a reader getting the most possible out of my words.
@peoplepower73, I love hearing from a technical writer! There is no way we can bridge the gap between developer and user without being able to walk in the user's shoes. And this ability is critical for any writer to be successful. Thanks for this affirming and insightful comment.
Great content. I can think of at least a few of my hubs that will benefit from some, if not all of your suggestions
Thanks for the great input
@JamesPoppell and savanahl, you are so welcome. And thank you for the votes up. :)
@RTalloni, I also wonder at times, "What was I thinking??" If we're fortunate, we'll have other outside eyes to lend some thoughts. But absent that, we have to become our own objective eyes (critics), and often that transformation from subjective to objective comes over time. Thanks for your awesome comment. I, also, am glad to see such a good response here.
@RetailRich and aidensdada, thank you so much for your affirming comments. :)
Great advice! I'm just starting out on HubPages, and I'll be sure to keep this in mind.
Hi Sally,
This was a useful and helpful hub.
In the short time I have been here.
I have already revamped several of my early hubs.
Always more to do of course.
I must say that I am shocked that after 4 years solid on hubpages.
I would have expected you to be making more than enough, to keep you in coffee and the odd utility bill!
You had better get over to my hubs and see how to make your hubs, start making you some cash!lol
@Bldg an Architect, welcome to HubPages. It surely can be an adventure. :)
@molometer, your comment put a smile on my face. As a lady never tells her age, so most Hubbers (self included) don't reveal their earnings. That designer coffee I can afford daily with HP earnings, well, that coffee could be Kopi Luwak. ;) And just last week, I reduced my monthly phone bill by 70%, going to another carrier. Meanwhile, I'm headed straight to your Hubs to see how I can be making some real cash! Loved your comment.
Thanks for the insightful info great hub
I'll have to go through my hubs and do some editing. I am sure it won't do any harm. Thanks for the tips.
Sally, thank you for the advice. I just added one word to the title of one of my hubs and the traffic shot way up. I did that yesterday. It had not had a view in a week. Yesterday, it had 8. I think that is improvement.
This is a great hub. Thank you for sharing. One question, though: I haven't been updating my ads because I read somewhere that they update automatically. I only use keywords for most of them. Have I messed up? What do you think!
Excellent information! I seem to be updating my hubs often. When I get good ideas from hubs I read, I will go in and work on mine. My oldest are only 4 month old, but I still check on them from time to time to see if there is anything I can do to improve them. Thanks for the wonderful information! Voted up and useful! :)
Sally's Trove, there are some great tips and lots of good advice in here; thank you! I'm still learning the ropes here at Hub Pages, and your advice is very helpful. Thank you for sharing with us.
It took around a year to kinda understand hubpages, after that, things get a bit more organized.
Good informative hub. I have gone through my older hubs and freshened them up as they were, as you say, a bit outdated. It's a good idea to check spelling and grammar also, you may be surprised, I certainly was, at the silly spelling mistakes and missing words I had made.
Voted up!
@Tricia Ward, you are welcome, and thank you for reading and commenting!
@dahoglund, you are welcome for the tips. :)
@Becky Katz, sometimes the addition or deletion of one word in a title can make a big difference. The nice thing at HP is that you can edit your text, including the titles.
@TIMETRAVELER2, I think you are talking about Amazon and eBay "ads"? If so, you should be reviewing them from time to time, even if you generate them using keywords (and, yes, if you use keywords the ads will change automatically). Whether you use keywords or specific item numbers depends on your purpose, but in either case you should be checking them from time to time to see that the items being displayed are what you intend.
@sgbrown, thank you for sharing your experience here. I think you are doing the right thing. However, it will get tougher to do the more you write!
@time2rite, thank you for the good words! I think rasta1's comment is helpful...it does take a while to get the whole Hub process under your belt and once you do, writing Hubs becomes a lot easier and more efficient.
@editorsupremo, no matter how conscientious we are about grammar and spelling, we're almost always going to err somewhere only because it's our own work we're proofreading. Going back after some amount of time allows for a fresher view where mistakes pop out rather than hide. Thank you for the up vote. :)
Sally, this advice could not come at a more opportune moment. I am in the priocess of rechecking, correcting and updating my hubs. These wonderful tips will surely come in handy.
Thanks for sharing. Voted up and awesome.
rajan jolly, I'm so glad you find these revision tips helpful. Thank you so much for your good words and positive votes.
Hi Sally, just cruising through the "HUBS" for yhe first time.Enjoyed your HUB on S&H very discriptive and too, part of my life. Thank you, I hope to HUB as well as you.
Thank you for this wonderful article. I like just being able to come to hub pages and read a couple hub titles, that lead me to such great answers. The learning curve is awesome. It is true, stick around, the stories get better. Thanks for the reminder to keep up to date on the guidelines. Glad you are here teaching us, sweet. Oh yeah, and when I find out those secrets I will share them with you, of course, LOL!
Rickbaron, so you, too, are a member of the S&H family. Pleased to know you! Thank you for reading and leaving the good words.
Ruby H Rose, LOL about sharing the secrets. I won't tell if you won't. ;)
This hub is filled with info I will read and reread. I am not able to keep up with hubbing right now as I have just moved and am trying to settle in to a new home and new town. So my hubs are being neglected. Hopefully I will find the time to get back to reading and writing here. Am so glad I found this hub ...am always looking for suggestions.
Thanks, pstraubie48 for reading and commenting. I hope you do find a way to incorporate writing here on HP into your life. Glad this Hub is useful to you. :)
It really is becoming more and more a place I like to be...
I have bookmarked the page for re-reading. Nice work!
Thank you, Randy M.!
Hi Sally,
I read your hub today. Wonderful...
Nice to get many details.
Thanks a lot..
You are welcome, Mathew Raindrops. :)
Very useful tips. I hope to apply them and see how my low performing hubs do1
Thanks for sharing some useful pointers.
Voted up and useful.
TY for reading and commenting and leaving the votes, rajan jolly!
That is really interesting post..Nice hub
Thank you, htodd.
Great hub topic and very useful to me as a writer. I need to go back and update some of my first hubs. Thanks for the advice.
Thia is just what I needed to read, I really do need to go back through my old stuff and sort it out. I never even thought about the Amazon links, thanks!
Nell and teaches, you are so welcome. I found it quite an adventure to go back over my earliest hubs, to the point where, in some places, I blurted out, "Whatever were you thinking???" LOL Enjoy the experience!
I am fairly new to Hubpages and also as a writer. Your information is very helpful. Thank you for posting this hub.
Thanks, leigh anns page, for reading and commenting. I hope this information will be useful to you as you continue to write on HP. :)
I've never read this hub just missed it I guess. The link suggestion tool, I have never tried that but a very good idea. I sometimes don't have the right words in me and when I look at how other people word their hubs or sites it helps me. I have been rewriting some hubs and did one this morning was surprised at how much more I could add to it that I had never thought of. Just by going back and rereading it. Voted up on your hub.
moonlake, sometimes we are our best critics, but only after time has passed. Thank you for the vote. :)
Brilliant hub Sally it has given me the get up and go to look through my older hubs and update.
I bet I will be quite surprised.
Thanks for a hub that is so helpful.
snakeslane Level 7 Commenter 7 months ago
This is good advice, thank you Sally's Trove.