Hub Makeover For Struggling Hubbers And Newbies
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Boring Hubs
Boring hubs wont get much attention or traffic. Boring titles wont either. If you want people to read your hubs you need to make your hubs interesting. If you have a hub already published but struggling to get readers, you need a makeover. A hub makeover will get the attention it needs and have people leaving comments and voting up. Boring hubs will have people voting your hub down.
I am sure I have a few boring hubs and am certainly no expert, but I would like to think that my hubs are read not out of some kind of obligation but because they are interesting. I have also been told on several occasions that they like my layout. Based also on my feedback I would assume that I write fairly interesting hubs.
Read this carefully along with visiting the help and learning centers to help make your hub standout and get the attention it deserves. I am writing this hub because I have noticed hubs that are so boring I can hardly finish.
Hub Makeover!
Here I will try to break it down step by step.
Your Title
I suggest using a title that is to the point, interesting and certainly related to the content of the hub. Titles should be short (no longer than sixty character as stated by Google) and not confusing at all. I have seen titles that totally confuse and confound me. There are times you need to stretch the title a little longer to make a point and that is okay. The most important thing to remember is - what the content contains, and take it from there.
Your paragraphs
It's up to you what you choose to write about. You are responsible for seeking your own niche so I will not suggest topics here. However you must layout your hub in an interesting manner including the way you write your paragraphs. Having a paragraph with 150+ words seems bundled and boring, not to mention a little hard on the eyes. This kind of formatting appears unprofessional. Break up your paragraphs to make the article look pleasant and well thought out. I try for less than 150 words. In rare cases if I am telling a story and it has to be told in one paragraph it may be more, for example my story "Body, Spirit And Soul - part ten" has a very long paragraph at the beginning as Helena explains her parents love story to Dave. This is a long paragraph but it will work.
Never use one paragraph for the entire hub! Need I say more?
Photos and videos
Try to use photos and videos in your content and make them as interesting as possible. If you cannot take your own photos then find some that are not watermarked or copyrighted. Try arranging the photos in an interesting manner. Photos and videos make your content look very interesting. The videos should also be relevant to your content. You can always find videos on YouTube. If you are using several photos or videos try using some quarter size and some full size. Try spreading the photos evenly through out the hub.
 | Amazon Price: $4.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $2.99 |
Aligning right and using color
Text and link capsules, when aligned right, gives you color options and this make the hub looks prettier or more attracted. I like using this because it gives a splash of additional color. I also like to use photos with a bit of color but I am not able to always find relevant photos with color.
Using separators
There are times when a hub does not call for a lot of photos and videos so I try to use separators to add that "umph" to the hub. Some of my separators I make myself. One of my hubs on skin care has a separator I made with olive and olive oil, it is really beautiful. Separators are easy to make, any graphic software including MS publisher or Open Office Draw can be used.
NOTE: If you need help, ask!
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CommentsLoading...
Flora - exactly why I wrote this hub, I went hub hopping and was so bored I wanted to go back to bed at 5 AM...LOL
Interesting. I am going through my hubs right now and I will keep this article in mind.
Thanks Leroy, I hope it helps.
i think i need to break up my text ...
thanks again
Hey Eye Say, hope this helped!
I found this completely useful, thank you for sharing. It is nice to know I am not the only one who Hub Hops.
Thanks My Minds Eye. Quite a lot of us hop hubs.
Thanks for the great article! I really love how Hubpages is so user friendly, and we can really tweak our work to make it look so professional! Thank you for the idea of creating separators with the photo software. Keep the helpful and useful articles coming! Voted up and useful!
good one... thanks Cardisa!
Thank you Hazelwood. I like the separators, they make my hub really look great.
Thank you Searchuneer!
Hi Cardisa! Thanks for sharing these helpful tips. I have a request that I am going to email you about.
Thank you ! Very useful. I really need to work on layout.
Very helpful article.
Lately I've been seeing text in hubs and all the words are underlined. For the life of me I cannot understand why anyone would want to underline the entire hub.
Thanks Dexter. Saw mail and replied.
Hi Penny, thanks for reading. I hope you got som euseful tips here.
You know what I saw this morning Susan? A hub with two videos, three links and no original content. It was not a video gallery, it was a hub promoting and online business. I had to flag it twice! (1) for being too promotional and (2)for having no content.
..well I really do love this series of instructional and inspiring self help hubs Miss C on the Hub itself almost as much as I love that 'beauty' who looks out from me inside the little picture square at the top right hand corner - well almost ....... lol - and yes there are not adequate enough words to describe your beauty - but I will try - here and now - oohh babyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy you are just soooooooooooo hottttttttttt!!!!!!
lake erie time ontario canada 1:49pm just woke up from the night shift and after visiting you - believe me I am wide awake!
Epi, you are making me blush all over, now you're making me hottttt!!!!!
Another really interesting - learning hub! Thank you so much Cardisa - I love the ideas and I will try your tricks! Lol. I love the tips about using color and separating text blocks. I'm not very computer savvy so hub has had it's challenges for me:)
Up and everything!
RH, compared to some hubs your hubs are masterpieces...I have seen some drastically boring hubs while hopping...really boring.
I am so addicted to your Hubs right now. Really great tips for newcomers and Hub veterans alike. I thought you might like to know that your last paragraph header, "Using Separators" is not in bold like the others ;)
Thank you Pixels, that's what I am talking about, helping each other. Very grateful.
Cardisa, due to time constraints, I have never hub-hopped. Maybe I'm missing something by not doing it but I just don't have time. And, anyway, "you" are doing it and doing a great job of helping people.
Thank you!
James W. Nelson
You surprised me James. Didn't expect you today. I am so happy you too the time out for me, thanks. I will hub hop for both of us...lol
Cardisa, You are one helpful Lady and i appreciate you. When i first started writing, i had no clue. Talk about writing, using only one paragraph, guilty..It takes time and practice. I wish you had been here when i first started. I look back on my first hubs and feel embarrassed, but we all have to learn..Thank's
Ruby, I too have made a lot of mistakes. It is my learning that have enabled me to write these hubs. I am only passing on what I have gathered in the process.
I know that Cardisa, that's why so many appreciate you..
Thanks!
Great advice here. When I first got to HubPages, I read a lot of Hubs, and made note of what made articles interesting, and the techniques writers used to 'hold the attention'. Links, pictures, and videos.
I still read a lot of Hubs, but when I do get the call to write something, I always think in terms of 'what image was I trying to convey', or 'what quote' or 'what song' did I have running through my head as I was writing. Then, I go look for them on the web and see if they are addable to my article.
I do the same Jim, I try to find images and videos that portray the images in my mind.
This is an interesting and useful hub. How an article looks can have a big effect.
Yet, of my own hubs the one with the second highest views has no photos at all and my most recent hub has only one small photo and has had more views in a week than any other I’ve written. So I think the writing content is really important, and I’ve been surprised at what does well and what doesn’t. (It might be an interesting experiment to add photos to the ones already doing well and see what happens!)
Melovy, I have seen hubs with no photos or videos and could not take my eyes away from the content, even while hub hopping this morning. I think a great writing style that captures the reader can achieve that. But unfortunately there are hubbers that do not have a good writing style so their work comes off as boring, so a great layout will help.
Hi, I think we all make the mistakes above, but its the going back over them that gets me! lol I do tend to forget to leave a space between paragraphs sometimes, but I think I have got the hang of it now, but your ideas are great, and I am going to bookmark this to make sure it sinks into my brain! lol
Nell, your hubs are great and certainly never boring!
Thanks! I just got started at HubPages and will keep your fantastic tips in mind. Cheers, BB
BB, thank you for taking the time to read and comment, I hope my tips were helpful.
...well as you know dear Cardisa I am not a struggling hubber - lol - but I do struggle in knowing that I live so very far away from you - but thank you so sincerely for being in my online life and supporting me with your legendary comments and your love of life and you are such a great team player here at the Hub and it's important for you to know that we all love you here in return - at the HUB - yes the world can be a smaller place to live with righteous people like you Carolee.
lake erie time 2:22pm
That comment deserves and HUGE HUG, how can I top that! I really do appreciate you Colin, I really do...and maybe someday we will get a chance to drink coffee and listen to Bob together.
Great information and very helpful thank you.
Thank you Aceatnna!
Thanks for sharing the tips. I do plan to use them. I already reached the payout two months ago, but yet to be paid. So I am curious if I am doing the hubs right or how it works.
Lavender, you need to email HP about your payment.
I hope you spruce up your hubs and start getting more traffic.
Thank you Cardisa for bringing this hub forward. I thought I was being to picky when I was hub hopping. Thank you for these great tips. Still learning here. Titles are really my weakness I think
Mljdgulley354, thank you!
I don't see a problem with your titles but I will check some out for you and let you know. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Good tips. I think I'll take more time adding in separators and working on the overall format of the article. I usually just use the text box option.
Hi Double Down, sometimes when it's not poetry, the hub can appear a little boring without some pictures or videos, so adding the separators can make a difference.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Sound advice Cardisa,
I tend to use eBay and amazon more for there decorative effect than any sales potential. Picture paints a 1000 words and all.
Useful hub voted up.
You are right Molometer. I love adding photos and videos. I wish I could make this hub a little more attractive!
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Great article! Lots of good information here. Thanks!
Sgbrown, thank you. Happy you like it. Have a wonderful evening.
Cardisa ~ Good basics in composition. The best point in this entire tutorial was this message: Go back, review your hubs, make refinements, changes, additions, corrections as needed, especially as your expertise grows. There are plenty of tutorials for newbies and experts alike. Remember, we are all learning together. Blessings, Debby
Debby thank!
You are also right, it is a learning process for all of us. I too have to keep going back to older hubs to make corrections and spruce them up.
Thanks for reading and commenting Debby.
Great hub - I have been thinking of using those line separators. Have to actually do it once this challenge is over.
If hubs are making you drowsy, come on over. I'll knock your eyeballs out! Please, don't call me a hubber.
Millionaire Tips, I find the separators really nice and you can create your own or get from free Google images.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
WD, thanks for making me laugh this Saturday night...lol
It's a great hub already, why not throw a few amazon pictures into it.
I have never sold a thing off of amazon but the pictures help balance the hub up I find.
Because there is hardly anything on Amazon about HP. The product links must be related to the hub.
Great tips! Thank you for sharing.
You are welcome Jean.
Thank you for reading.
Most importantly, a great hub is commensurate with an exceptional content - that is the minimum prerequisite.
It was really useful!
Thank you Phillippeengel, thank you for that. You can also have the best information but because your layout is boring, people will overlook it.
Thank you Infoforum.
You're welcome
I am so happy to have found this hub. It is so informative. The separators sound interesting and something I should learn. Always enjoy your hubs.
Wetnosedogs, I am so happy you stopped by too. Thank you and have a great day!
FloraBreenRobison 7 months ago
My mystery hubs always have a lot of text so I love to utilize the sides and highlighted colour. I've seen several hubs hub-hopping that have a huge amount of text all in one big paragraph.