While my pages really are not very successful yet, what I have noticed about those who have successful pages is that they have some traits in common, First, they are either pages which have some relation to being in the news recently or which are part of the popular culture. For instance, pages having to do the "Dora the Explorer" are popular as as pages having to to with pregnancy (becoming, sustaining, delivering - you get the idea). The other factor I have noticed is that pages which are doing well are usually promoted by their page managers in blogs, posts on forums, or links.

The page I have which is doing best is a page on Cinnamon Essential Oil (http://www.mahalo.com/cinnamon-essential-oil). I have not done much to promote the page, but cinnamon has been in the news a lot recently, especially in relation to diabetes and the possibility that cinnamon and its essential oil appear to help diabetics regulate their metabolism of sugar, requiring less insulin and/or other drugs to moderate their condition.

The next best page for me is a related page on Essential Oils (http://www.mahalo.com/essential-oils).

I plan on building several more pages and then promoting them through a series of blogs on essential oils and their uses. I believe that will increase page views. But what seems to send page views through the roof are news items or fads.

It might be best to post Mahalo questions directly on Mahalo. While Mahalo and Conundrum are connected, they're different and page management is very specifically Mahalo only.

Regardless, here's an answer that I hope helps you:

1)
Mahalo is very (very) young. No one really knows what works and what doesn't yet. By thinking about what works on other Internet sites we can get a good idea of what works on Mahalo, but we don't know for sure. Don't loose hope and try not to get frustrated.

2)
You have forgotten to mention the most important thing.

Here are the things that you've mentioned are important:
Page marketing: Yup, promoting your pages is important.

Effective SEO: This really isn't a big deal. Keywords are important... but a lot of traditional SEO doesn't apply because Mahalo takes care of so much of it. I know a thing or two (literally two things) about SEO and I don't worry at all about it when I write a page other than making sure that I include all of the keywords and phrases that I want to cover.

Choosing hot topics: Yup, this is another good one. Choosing topics that people are searching for and more importantly need answers too is very important.

Well designed page: Nah, this one isn't a big deal. What you need is for your page to look interesting and be easy to use. Make sure that all of your content blocks are relevant and arranged nicely. Videos help as do great looking photos and other interactive content.

3)
The most important thing is your content.

What you write and how you write it is the most important thing.

Beyond marketing, keywords, topics and design, what you say and how you say it will make your pages useful.

If you write clear, concise and interesting pages, folks will tell their friends about your page and refer back to it for more information. Importantly, if someone finds your page(s) engaging, they are more likely to click on the ads and make you money.

Hope this helps!