Is hubpages still the best site to write online?

1. 59

   sid_candidposted 13 years ago

   Its been about one and half months since the infamous Google panda update. Do you think Hubpages is still the best site to write online or other sites have improved their position.

   replyreport
2. 68

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   I think the best site to write on is your own. Full stop. Everything else is a far second.

   replyreport
   1. 59

      sid_candidposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I agree Ironher that its best to have your own site but what about people like me who cannot start their own site for some reason or the other. is Hubpages the best?

      replyreport
      1. 68

         lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Not sure why you couldn't start one of your own. If it's money-related, there are places that don't cost anything.

         replyreport
         1. 59

            sid_candidposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            There are two issues. I cannot create my own website due to financial and technical concerns. I am not technically skilled to handle designing a website and free platforms for website creation are not great for revenue generation and my focus is revenue.

            replyreport
            1. 68

               lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Hubpages is the only place of this type that I write at, so I probably can't give you a very educated answer.
               
               That said, you can absolutely make some decent money off of "free" website platforms. They're technically simple, and all of the SEO principles are the same you are applying here.

               replyreport
               1. 59

                  sid_candidposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Can you suggest a few of the most competent free website platforms.

                  replyreport
                  1. 68

                     lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I think Blogger is the simplest to use, and has built-in tools for Amazon and AdSense. There are tons of free templates for it as well.
                     
                     If you can afford it, you should try to purchase a domain name to lay on top of it -- it should cost $10 or less per year. That way, instead of having:
                     
                     mywebsite.blogspot.com
                     
                     you'll have
                     
                     mywebsite.com
                     
                     People don't even have to know it's a Blogger site. Also, if you choose to move it over later to a self-hosted site, it's much easier since the domain name can remain the same.
                     
                     If you don't want to spend the $10, then just go with the default. You'll be fine!

                     replyreport
                     1. 85

                        Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        This is great advice.  Surely you can afford $10, and it gives you a lot more flexibility later.
                        
                        I also agree that if you can't afford hosting, blogger is the place to go. Many of the other free platforms use a proprietary website builder and it's difficult to move somewhere else later.  Plus you never know if they're going to suddenly disappear!

                        replyreport
   2. 85

      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Question - would you say that, even for a writer who hasn't found his or her niche yet?
      
      I agree that a niche blog will do better than HP, but 'm not sure that an unfocussed blog would be better than HubPages?

      replyreport
      1. 59

         canadawest99posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Starting your own site is easy and cheap, but drawing traffic to it can be difficult, thats why people piggy back on site like HP which has authority and organic traffic.
         
         I write at xomba, infobarrel, triond, HP and bukisa.  I am not eligible for ehow or associated content.  Out of all the other sites I have researched, none have the traffic ranking of these.

         replyreport
      2. 68

         lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         If you had asked me that question pre-Panda, my answer would probably be different. Right now, I think it is as challenging to get a decent ranking and traffic for new hubs as it would be for a personal site. But...that's only my opinion.

         replyreport
3. 59

   Andrew0208posted 13 years ago

   HubPages is still the best place to write for me. Why? A magazine type like HubPages is completely differently from the art of blogging. It got rich writing layout and formation here. It's the best I think and should not be the only one in your portfolio. You should also start cultivating and growing your own websites along the way. Very important!
   
   Lastly, I'm yet to see a caring and dynamic online community like HubPages. Though Warrior Forum seems to be also caring and dynamic community for me but quite exclusive for Internet marketers.

   replyreport