I must be doing something wrong, surely?

1. 71

   TonyBoothposted 14 years ago

   I took the hubpage challenge and completed it. 30 hubs in less than 30 days (just). My hubs are doing okay with almost 300 views and averaging about 15 a day, but no recorded onward orders. I have google adsense and amazon accounts and all my hubs have ads highly positioned. But, despite all that, not one cent earned. I've read loads of stuff about how to maximise income potential, and I feel I've done everything best advised, but still without success. I'm starting to wonder if my time writing hubs is worthwhile, as by now I'm sure I could have earned more by freelancing and promoting my stuff to journals and websites. I guess if I received something, anything, even one cent, it would encourage me to do more. As it is, I feel rather disappointed.

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      cosetteposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Actually you haven't been here very long. I am only just now starting to earn money...In fact I earned a whole $1.08 today, and someone bought an i-Penguin from one of my hubs! It's not much but it's something...Be patient, and build on every little achievement - before long you will be earning, I am confident. Good luck!

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2. 87

   Len Cannonposted 14 years ago

   I don't know what you expect with 15 hits a day, but money isn't going to be rolling in.  If you were trying to make lots of money right now, yes, you should be freelancing.  I earn my wages freelancing and any money from hubpages is just bonus.  Yes, it is CONCEIVABLE I could make 300, 400, 500 a month at Hubpages but it is nothing to count on and and certainly nothing that will be happening today.
   
   Get your articles ranked on Google and you might start making 10 cents a day, and then 30 and then maybe a dollar in a year.  In the meantime, don't bankrupt yourself hoping to become a Hubpages super earner in a week.

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      apricotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      What's all this about getting articles ranked?  And, what was it - backtracks?  Help, it all sounds like double dutch to me....is all this in the handbook thing?  I think I'm going to have to do a bit of studying.

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3. 84

   rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

   patience Tony, you've only been here 3 weeks. it comes in slowly, give it some time and keep doing what you're doing to promote traffic.

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   1. 84

      rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      do you have backlinks to your hubs? that will help.

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   2. 49

      HealthTipposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with the lovely lady Tony, your hubs all have good titles and will in time reach a google audience, patience my friend and in the meantime just keep writing because you will get there !

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4. 81

   earnestshubposted 14 years ago

   I think that is good advice. Hubpages is very good, but adsense income is small so it take time.
   I started out just writing to learn and have fun. For me it was a gradual thing. Good luck and welcome to hubpages!

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5. 76

   NaomiRposted 14 years ago

   Give it a few weeks. I'm only just starting to make consistent money now, and that's after taking loads of time to optimize my hubs. I'm trusting the rest of these guys in that it'll eventually snowball as time goes on.

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   1. 39

      loveforuposted 14 years agoin reply to this

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6. 71

   TonyBoothposted 14 years ago

   Thanks everyone. I'm not looking to earn a fortune, but it would be nice to see something in the $0.00 box, ha, just to confirm the account config is right. I'm not exactly techknowledgeable, if you know what I mean. I thoroughly enjoy writing in any event and scribing a few hubs is useful 'venting', when there's no other paid contracts to complete. I'll keep at it and ... it's great to message with other like minded folk. I must spend more time on the forums in the future.

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   1. 84

      rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I was so excited when I saw my first $ in the earning box even thought it wasn't over .25!  kind of like getting your first fan!
      
      the forums do help and be forewarned, they are quite addictive.
      welcome.

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7. 61

   TheEverythingHubposted 14 years ago

   I found it pretty cool that depending on the topic you talk about some present banners instead of adsense text links. These banners are paid per impression and some of they pay rather well. In fact that is pretty much how I make my money from adsense right now.

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   1. 78

      kirstenblogposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I was wondering about this paid per impression with adsense, I get it now that banners are what thats about. How do you know if you are going to get banners? I noticed that there is a banner in my profile pretty much all the time right above my hubtivity and my profile does get decent traffic. I had a look at the traffic and earnings just from my profile page in my reports and I have noticed that while on some days there are no clicks the eCPM has a value, one as high as £0.61 with 3 views for that day. Is this like percentages of a cent being earned? It would make sense as the only click I had was worth £0.13 (ohhh big money lol) all time but my profiles earnings all time are £0.15 so a mysterious £0.02 there.

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8. 71

   TonyBoothposted 14 years ago

   Well, 37 hubs, almost 500 impressions, 2 months down the line and not one cent earned, despite optomising and backlinking all my property related niche hubs. I'm very disappointed.

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      Sexy jontyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      post at least more than 100 hubs to earn something .... that you expect .....

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   2. 68

      1974posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Do you have Google Analytics setup for your HubPages account?
      
      If not, you should do so.
      
      If so, what percentage of your traffic is search traffic?

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   3. 57

      Dame Scribeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Are you promoting your Hubs to the right people? your subject is rather focused on a particular group. Also, 5 wks old is not enough time to guage performance. Don't be too hard on yourself it's still early.

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   4. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      500 impressions is nothing.  I wouldn't expect to have earned much from that number of visitors. 
      
      While Hubs are indexed quickly, it seems to take time for them to move up the rankings.  If your Hubs are still not earning in three months' time, then start to rethink. 
      
      I use HubPages as a way to promote my websites and I find it excellent.  Plus my highest earning Hub has earned over $60, which I think is a fair price for an online article.
      
      If you're an established writer with access to mainstream publications, then I have no doubt you could do better there - check the freelancing sites online and you'll find the pay per article is much lower.

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9. 87

   Len Cannonposted 14 years ago

   I took a look and some of your articles are not even listed on Google yet.  The ones ranked your "best" didn't break up your text to allow more ads in.  On top of that, you put your amazon capsules ahead of your google ads.  If you are trying to earn money with amazon as your main income source rather than a fun bonus, you'll need far more volume.
   
   If adsense is what you're counting on, plan out your article so you get better ad placement in your text.

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10. 58

    Sexy jontyposted 14 years ago

    As soon as you post more hubs and bookmark it to other websites .... your traffic would increase and you will get adsense revenue ....

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11. 69

    lrohnerposted 14 years ago

    The keywords that you chose are, I think, too general. Have you looked them up in Google's keyword tool? Really, really high competition. Without lots of quality, relevant backlinks, you may never get to Google's page 1.
    
    I would also say do not start your hub out with a picture. A picture is fine somewhere else, but you shouldn't start off with one. Don't know why, exactly, but it has made a huge difference in my hubs.
    
    And you use the word "letting" quite a bit. We don't use that term in the US. It's "renting" or "leasing". You may be missing a lot of people simply due to that term.

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12. 71

    TonyBoothposted 14 years ago

    Brilliant replies and lots to think about. Thanks everyone. I respect and appreciate everything that everyone has said and I will certainly adopt the advice given by doing a bit of editing, and if I carry on with HubPages I'll use the info in future pieces. As a property writer, I'm just not convinced this site is my best source and may have to look elsewhere to optimise a return on the info I'm offering. Sorry hubpages, but it doesn't seem to be working for me, despite giving it a fairly good shot. I will of course leave my articles where they are - and see what happens over time.

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    1. 68

       1974posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       If your ultimate goal is to make money with AdSense, writing articles is only part of the equation.  Without driving search traffic to your hubs, you won't do too well.  Now that you've completed the 30 day challenge, instead of working on writing more hubs, work on getting some back links.  Get Google Analytics up and running and monitor what keywords people are using to find your articles.
       
       There is tons of info here on HubPages on building backlinks.  It is crappy work, but once it's done it will continue to pay off in the future.

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13. 55

    wrenfrost56posted 14 years ago

    Don't be discouraged TonyBooth I know at first it can feel like you are never going to make any money, but give it time and before you know it your getting clicks everyday. Good luck and stick with it!

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14. 67

    torimariposted 14 years ago

    Like already said; don't be discouraged!
    
    I've been here around 2 months or so now, and have only like $2 with 40-50 views a day. Then again, I write what I want and am not here for money really. Heck, I have 9 hubs. x(
    
    You aren't alone.

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15. 76

    NaomiRposted 14 years ago

    ITA. Don't be discouraged. I've FINALLY reached a point where I get clicks every day, but it ook me three months to get there. And I finally made my first Amazon sale today, but nothing up untuil now. This is after doing over 50 hubs and putting a lot of work into them. Yes, it can be discouraging -- and I'm admittedly a very impatient person in general -- but the wait and work is just starting to pay off. Try some of the suggestions offered here and hang in there.

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    1. 55

       wrenfrost56posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Hey great job on the amazon sale, I haven't had that privalidge yet!

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16. 0

    ryankettposted 14 years ago

    This is what really bugs me about the 30 in 30 stuff, not one of the replies has even mentioned the Google Keyword Tool or Keywords and the OP has written 30 hubs and assummed income based purely on quantity. This site sends the wrong messages to people, thats why I was 100% correct when people got unsettled by my thread that time and is the reason I dont bother coming on this forum anymore.
    
    To the OP, sorry but you have been had. Type in 'Keywords', 'SEO' and stuff like 'Money Hubpages' etc into the search bar up on the top right. That is how you find the dollars, not by writing a hub a day.

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    1. 0

       ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       OK, so one person did.... but thats still about 1 in 10. Somes it up.
       
       To OP, follow my advice, I get 2500 page views per day and make about $5 a day in Adsense. I did this by learning about keywords, tagging, and other techniques. I wrote my first hub about 4 months ago.

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       1. 71

          TonyBoothposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Wow. 2500 page views a day, 15 months, 150+ hubs and all for $5 a day. And YOU sound like you know what you are doing, which is more than can be said for mere mortal hubbers like me. Ha. Seriously though, it's fairly clear no one should expect to make much through writing hubs. As a professional writer, it seems to me the best approach is to keep freelancing and use HubPages as a place just to publish stuff that has to be written when there are no obvious buyers waiting for it. I do like HubPages, but I feel less certain that it's a site where people make any income (not much anyway) - despite what is said on the intro page.

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          1. 69

             lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             Tony -- Most of the successful hubbers do not rely solely on HubPages for income nor do they rely solely on AdSense. We have blogs, websites and write for other sites as well. We use AdSense, Amazon, eBay and some use Kontera for income.
             
             I, personally, have 3 blogs and a website and also write for Demand Studios, the Examiner and Constant Content and take on freelancing jobs when available. I have 32 hubs here published since the end of June and normally make $3 to $5/day from my HP AdSense and have been making more from Amazon on a monthly basis than I do from AdSense -- again, just speaking from HP and with only 32 hubs. And I've only really optimized about 1/3 of them.
             
             No one, and I mean NO ONE, should consider HP to be their only source of online income. That would be foolish. Not because I don't think the earning potential is there, but it could be gone tomorrow like a bad dream and then where would you be?

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       2. 69

          lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Ooopsie, just saw this. Sorry!

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    2. 69

       lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I beg to differ, dahlink. I did specifically talk about keywords and Google's keyword tool in my earlier post. Look on page 1.
       
       But in theory, I completely agree with you. A hub is not "finished" just because you hit the Publish button.

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17. 76

    NaomiRposted 14 years ago

    It's called backlinks. There isn't really a handbook that I know of, but there are many hubs that have been written on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), backlinks and keywords. If you search up top, you'll find them... and they can all explain everything a lot better than I can!

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    1. 66

       apricotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you NaomiR!  Perhaps it's about time I had a look..

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18. 68

    1974posted 14 years ago

    Tony,
    
    You still are not getting it.  There are people like yourself that participate in activities like the 30 in 30 Challenge and then do nothing to promote your own work.  I said it earlier, writing the content is only one piece of the puzzle in making money here.  Just because you wrote 30 hubs in a month does not mean the money starts flowing in.   
    
    The people that make money via AdSense on HubPages are the ones that understand that in order to make anything, you need to get search traffic to your Hubs.  And to do that you need to get your Hub to appear on page 1 of Google.  Search traffic is the key, social traffic (meaning fellow Hubbers) don't tend to click on your ads, period.
    
    Do yourself a favor and read this guy's blog on how to make money online with AdSense for Beginners.  His name is Griz and he lays it all out in black and white, free of charge.
    
    I hope I am not coming off too harsh, I just hate to see you quit so easily.  Do some reading, spend the time to link your Hubs together with Groups and the link module, build some external back links via other free sites and then see what happens.
    
    Since I started here, my Hubs have been viewed a total of 2,786 times.  Since September 1st I have made just under $40 in AdSense earnings.  99% of that is from the 2 Hubs I have that show up on the first page of Google for their keywords.  That is nothing to retire on but it is a start.  They show up in Google because I took the extra time to build backlinks, and I continue to build more on a daily basis.
    
    This is not a get rich quick program, you need to put in the work in order to build a sustainable income and that can take years.

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19. 58

    Sexy jontyposted 14 years ago

    Keep patience ....... for everything on hubpages .....
    
    because the wait and time will pay you a lot ....
    
    It is now paying me well ......
    Hope it will pay to you as well ....
    
    Keep trying with no rush ......

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20. 71

    TonyBoothposted 14 years ago

    Just to explain a couple of things, yes, I already have my own website (an author's website, primarily for my own book promotion) and I write constantly for other sources, specifically news agencies and property websites. My point being that I have fairly quickly realised that the workload in writing for HubPages and then optimizing and backlinking, etc., is very time consuming and with no guaranteed success. As a freelancer, I find $5 a day might be good for writer's just starting out and trying to find their feet, but for others more experienced and perhaps already with some success behind them like myself, it's a paltry return on the time spent. Bear in mind I'm more used to getting $300 for a 1500 word piece from established websites alone ... admittedly, that's a one-off return as the article copyright is sold to them, but my point here really is that established writer's need to evaluate their time and effort versus the return they can make. For me, HubPages doesn't work as well as I had originally thought it might. We all need a vehicle for writing, but I believe there are hundreds if not thousands of better ones out there, if you really think you can sell to them.

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21. 68

    1974posted 14 years ago

    I don't think you can be convinced to keep at it, but I feel the need to respond anyway.
    
    At 5$ a day X 30 days a month = $150 a month
    
    $300 one time payment / $150 a month = 2
    
    If you get to the $5 a day mark, it will only take you two months to earn the same as your one time $300 payment.  In theory, that could end up being $1200 a year and yet you continue to say it is not worth your time.  Do you not see the potential here for a little more work backlinking once the article is done?

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22. 65

    Flightkeeperposted 14 years ago

    Hi Tony,
    
    Yes you are doing something wrong. Your expectations don't match how Hubpages work.  You are used to selling and giving up your rights to your work.  Hubpages doesn't work that way. In a way hubpages functions as your own personal magazine or channel. You alone are responsible for the content and you never lose your rights to it.  Whatever hubs you put on this channel will earn money according to the adsense ads and number of clicks and sometimes page impressions which means traffic will be important. You can build up a loyal following this way if they like your hubs.  The pay will be low at first, but the longer you're in it and as long as you increase your traffic because your hubs continue to generate interest, you will see  that you will get a higher monthly paycheck.  Your hubs will still be earning even five years from now.  So think of it as a kind of annuity not a one-time payout.
    
    You might also consider your hubpages as a tool to be able to generate even more work assignments and even business.  But no there is no big, fast money in hubpages.  Something to think about if you want to stay engaged in hubpages.

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    1. 71

       TonyBoothposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Absolutely. I think that's exactly the conclusion I have come to. I do think HubPages is a good place for writers, but not a place to earn from on a day-to-day basis. I certainly won't be turning my back on it, but perhaps I won't allow it to become an obsession either, such as is the case with the 30 in 30 day challenge. A healthy mix of HubPages and real paid work is probably called for from all serious and/or professional (that means no other salaried career) writers occupying this space.

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