Creating a Hub Template

With the latest update to HubPages, we have added the ability to reuse an existing hub layout for a new hub. in addition to providing two additional starting layouts.   Here’s a snapshot of the new layout selection:

The new feature gives you the ability to create a template hub.  By this, I mean a hub that is not necessarily published but which you can reuse for each new hub you create.   If you start your template title with an !, then you can be sure that it will be at the top of the drop down list.  This will make it very easy to select when you create a new hub and it will also separate your template from your regular hubs.  For example, you could title your template !My-hub-template.

Templates are nice because you can change them at any time and because  you can have a different template for each style of hub that you like you write.

So, what is the ideal layout?  Should hubs try to be as complicated as possible or should they purposely stay simple?  In my view, a hub should always be as simple as possible.  In my view and in my experience with well-written hubs (mostly, as reader), the content is key.  Content should drive the layout.

Let’s take a look at the different layout usage patterns on HubPages.  If we look at all hubs without regard to quality, here’s what we find:

• There are over 68,000 different layouts in use on HubPages (out of 310,000 published hubs)
• over 84,500 hubs use the default layout (Text -> Photo -> Comments)
• over 8,000 hubs use (Text/Photo -> Comments)
• over 5,900 hubs use (Text -> Comments)

If you only consider hubs that have a Hub Score of 80 or more, then you get some different values:

• There are about 7,500 hubs with a Hub Score of 80 or more (at the time of my test)
• There are over 5,800 different hub layouts used by these hubs
• Roughly 300 of these hubs are written with (Text -> Photo -> Comments)
• Roughly 170 of these hubs are written with (Text/Photo -> Comments)
• Roughly 50 of these hubs are written with (Text -> Comments)

I think that the lesson here is that the best hubs use a layout appropriate for the content rather than the starting layout.  Given the great number of different layouts, I think it is also interesting to see which capsules are being used and how many of them are found in each hub.

If we look at at the hubs created this year, we find that the average hub uses:

• 1.78 Text capsules
• 1.54 Photo capsules
• 0.96 Comment capsules
• 0.32 Amazon capsules
• 0.27 Link capsules
• 0.27 Video capsules
• 0.11 Ebay capsules
• 0.09 Rss capsules
• 0.07 News capsules
• 0.07 Poll capsules

Now, if we look at what types of capsules are being used by hubs with a Hub Score of 80 or more, we find that the average hub contains:

• 4.92 Text capsules
• 3.77 Photo capsules
• 0.99 Comment capsules
• 0.90 Amazon capsules
• 0.83 Link capsules
• 0.73 Video capsules
• 0.21 Ebay capsules
• 0.23 News capsules
• 0.15 Rss capsules
• 0.27 Poll capsules

I think that the lesson is clear.  The higher rated hubs have a more interesting selection of capsules.  Indeed, if you compare the two sets of numbers, the higher rated hubs have roughly double the number of each type of capsule.

If we only want to look at the hubs that reached the coveted 90 hub score, here’s what you find:

• There are 525 different layouts (for roughly 590 hubs with a score of 90 or more)
• Of these, roughly 13 used Text/Photo -> Comments
• Only 11 used Text -> Photo -> Comments

Of these top-rated, the average hub used:

• 4.77 Text capsules
• 5 Photo capsules
• 0.97 Amazon capsules
• 1.00 Comment capsules
• 0.37 Link capsules
• 0.61 Video capsules
• 0.27 Ebay capsules
• 0.33 News capsules
• 0.11 Rss capsules
• 0.25 Poll capsules

Again, I think this proves the point.  If you want do well, find a layout that best promotes your content.