Check Out The Latest HubPages Viral Hit!

Good morning, Hubbers! Today I’m thrilled to share the inspiring success story of Hubber Carisa Gourley (blessedmommy on HubPages) who, through a collaborative effort with HubPro Editor Kate Rix, has gained a huge readership with her Hub Military Diet: Lose Up To Ten Pounds In Three Days. Carisa’s Hub was already popular, and with the help of a HubPro makeover, its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds, culminating in a viral Facebook explosion. In fact, as of last week, it is one of the most successful Hubs of all time!

Although the current viral wave is due primarily to Facebook traffic, her Hub has also improved in search rankings and holds top slots for several prominent Google keywords. It remains extremely popular on Pinterest as well.

Carisa has very graciously given us permission to share the before and after HubPro versions of her Hub and answered a few questions about her Hub and the HubPro process.

Here’s a sample of Carisa’s Hub before HubPro Editing:

The same Hub after Editing:

You can see the entire HubPro Edited Hub here.

Carisa talks about going viral and the HubPro process:

Your Military Diet Hub has received over 24 million page views since you wrote it 7 and a half years ago.  How did you feel about your most successful Hub being selected for HubPro—did you think it could be improved?

When my Hub was selected for HubPro, I had some mixed feelings, to be honest.  I was excited that HubPages saw the Hub as worthy to be selected for HubPro, but I was a little nervous to let someone else work on it.  I thought it was already a pretty good Hub and it had already been pretty successful.  However, I’m not a professional and I’m also teachable.  I thought maybe HubPro might offer something that I couldn’t do for the Hub myself.  I have also learned that good things often come when different perspectives and different talents come together with a common goal, so I decided to go through with it.  I’m extremely happy that I did.

What was the HubPro process like for you? (communication, collaboration, etc.)

I cannot say enough about how pleasant that the HubPro experience was for me.  Kate, the lady that worked with me on the editing process, was very kind.  She never once made me feel like my Hub was inferior; she was only enthusiastic to offer her service on making it better.  She kept up timely communication with me during the whole process and explained every step in detail.  She respected my input when I had something to say.  She was a team player and never did anything that took me by surprise.  I was able to see all the changes as they were being made and give feedback if desired.

How do you feel about your Hub now that it has been through HubPro?

I’m very proud of my Hub now and I love the end result!  It’s like I built a house and HubPro came and painted and decorated it for me.  It looks so polished and professional.  It’s colorful and beautiful.  I love it!

What’s it like to have millions of people engaging with your Hub and wanting to share it with their friends?

It’s an overwhelming feeling to say the least.  I just can’t wrap my mind around it.  It’s a feeling of awe.  After my Hub came through HubPro there was an enormous traffic increase!   I went from having pretty good street traffic to having a full blown interstate!  The traffic increase has been so amazing that sometimes I just open up my stats and stare at the page with amazement!

You have 70 other Hubs. Do you plan to update and edit any of them?

Yes, I do plan to update several of my other Hubs.  Now that I have seen what a little color and strategic wording can do for the success of a Hub I’d be foolish not to try to make some changes.  I also hope to submit some new material in the near future.