How can my hub be ranked #1 in Google and still be broke?

1. 58

   marinealways24posted 14 years ago

   One of my hubs is titled "Kid Hacks Nasa". In google search for keywords "kid hacks nasa" it is listed #1 out of 1,620,000 yet I am not really making any money. The hub is pretty short, yet why is it ranked #1? Any tips appreciated, thanks.

   replyreport
   1. 72

      Maddie Ruudposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Well, that's not really a very commercial topic.  People looking for those keywords are not the kind of audience who click on ads, they're just looking for a specific news story.  Also, it's dated content, so it probably won't continue to get very good traffic over time.

      replyreport
      1. 58

         marinealways24posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Excellent info. Thanks.

         replyreport
   2. 61

      Eric Graudinsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hmm. How can I break this to you gently.
      
      Your hub is not number 1 out of 1.6 million.
      It is number 1 out of 4.
      
      Do a google search for "Kid Hacks Nasa" using quotation marks in the search.
      This is called exact search, and will give you the number of pages where that exact phrase is used.
      On my search, that number was 4.
      
      When you search for kid hacks nasa without using the quotation marks, this is called broad search. Google will return the number of pages that have the words kid and hacks and nasa somewhere on the same page. They don't have to appear together, or in the same order. There are 1.6 million of these, and they cannot be considered as competition for your keyword phrase.
      
      So being number one on google really doesn't mean anything, unless it is for a keyword phrase that is being searched for by a lot of people. And even then, you won't make any money unless the phrase is used by people who are looking for something to buy, and who then click on your ads.
      
      Many people wrongly believe that:
      #1 on Google = Earning lots of money.
      
      The reality is:
      #1 on Google = A chance of earning money under certain conditions.
      
      Cheers,
      Eric G.
      
      P.S. @marinealways: I've emailed you a link to something I wrote for my clients which explains the selection of keywords.

      replyreport
      1. 58

         marinealways24posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks, I will be sure to read.

         replyreport
   3. 60

      onthewritesideposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      If you think about it, who is going to pay to advertise on any site using those key words?  What kinds of ads are they displaying on your Hub?  If that genre isn't "valuable" then it doesn't matter if you are #1 or not.
      
      I have only been on the Hubs a week or so, and my first Hub was about getting published.  I have only had 2 clicks that have paid but I made $1.26 on one click, and .80 cents on the other.  And believe me...I'm NO WHERE NEAR THE TOP of those keywords, nor will I ever be more than likely.  Top 5 listings are great, if it's in a category that is worth something.  I learned that a lot time ago when I used to design websites...way before Google.
      
      I would think that "NASA" would give you some traffic, and as far as I'm concerned, I would be VERY interested in reading an article on some kid hacking them (and in fact I'm shooting over there after I finish this).  But you have to consider who would be the potential advertisers if you are looking for the money.

      replyreport
      1. 58

         marinealways24posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Excellent Information from you and everyone else. Thanks.

         replyreport
2. 57

   yoshi97posted 14 years ago

   For a hub to profit, it must provide the reader with the feeling they need something and the means for purchasing that need must exist on the page.
   
   I wrote up a great hub on the LG enV touch cellphone and anticipated others would get excited and buy the phone. It received many hits, but didn't sell a single phone. Why? It was being read by those who were looking to purchase cases for their phone.
   
   I failed to foresee the market, and because of that, received a lot of views and no sales. Of course, I could go on to do a review on cases, but as I have only purchased on case on my phone it would hardly make me an expert on the topic ... and for anyone doing product reviews, I highly recommend becoming an expert with your products, as it only takes one naysayer to undo the following you gather. After all, if you are caught spouting misinformaiton on one product, why should anyone trust you on the others.
   
   If you are into hubpages for a profit then your hub must create a need and offer a product that you can guarantee will fulfill it. For instance, if you create a hub on catching bass then you should provide the means for your readers to purchase the lures you already know are great for the purpose.
   
   Same with recipes ... provide the means for customers to purchase the products that made your cooking easier.
   
   Of course ... don't throw out any product - throw out the ones you know and trust.
   
   Same goes with books. If you decide to expound your knowledge on a topic then it's possible some book helped you gather that knowledge along the way. Give readers a link to that book so they can purchase it for themselves. After all, you're already willingly sharing your knowledge, what harm is there in allowing the reader to dig further into the soup on their own? You did, and that's what helped you become so knowledgeable.

   replyreport
   1. 66

      bgamallposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Good tips. Also you could put an amazon module with cases for the phone.

      replyreport
   2. 58

      marinealways24posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Lots of helpful information. Thank You

      replyreport
3. 94

   Dolores Monetposted 14 years ago

   This was all great information. It's so easy on here to just start writing about whatever interests us without giving a thought to marketing. Also, I think some people jump into these article pages as a kind of get-rich-quick scheme and I don't think everybody is getting rich writing articles online. Maybe a few, but the vast majority are just picking up some extra cash and having a good time.

   replyreport
   1. 57

      yoshi97posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      hehe. I'm one of those few.
      
      Oh, and I figured out how to list those cases and found a few other nice accessories that zeroed out any margins I had planned for the next several months ...
      
      Ack! I shop on amazon more than my readers do!

      replyreport
4. 69

   lrohnerposted 14 years ago

   I'd like to add that it's not all about how commercial the hub is. You can rank #1 in Google, Yahoo and MSN for "purple baked dog doo", but if no one is searching for it, then no traffic, no clicks, no money.
   
   Sorry to say that I just checked both Wordtracker and Google's keyword tool, and no one is searching for "kid hacks nasa". They are searching for "nasa", but there is so much competition for the term, that you would have to have a full fledged blog or website with top notch SEO to be ranking even on the first page.

   replyreport
   1. 58

      marinealways24posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Ahhh so thats what that keyword research stuff is for. Thanks for the information. Good stuff.

      replyreport
   2. 62

      darksideposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Love it!
      
      Can I add that quote to my hub with credit to you?

      replyreport
      1. 69

         lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Be my guest, darkside.

         replyreport
5. 72

   Maddie Ruudposted 14 years ago

   Eric!  Nice to have you back!

   replyreport
   1. 61

      Eric Graudinsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Maddie.
      Looks like the craziness has subsided somewhat :-)

      replyreport