Making Money on Hubpages : Deciding on a Subject
91There are a few harsh truths to be learned in making money online, and many are not prepared for them. The single most important step in making money online is to decide on a topic to write on. This is absolutely top priority and the place in which most people fall down. There are a number of ways to do this and one thing I see over and over again in the hubpages’ forums is new members asking why they have not made as much money as they expected to as quickly as they had hoped.
This is really an easy question to answer and there are four components to it:
- You are writing about something that will not attract relevant advertisers or enough people interested in reading what you wrote.
- You are writing about a topic in which it will not be possible to rank in the search engines with, so you will not be getting enough visitors to your hubs.
- You haven't done enough work. And yes - it is work. there is no magic bullet here.
- A combination of the above.
A few examples of these:
- You may be writing poetry. You may be writing the best poetry the world has seen since Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings walked the earth. But – unless you are selling books of your poetry – you are not going to make any money doing this because there will be very few relevant advertisers on your pages. And – in the unlikely event that you do manage to attract lots of traffic – there will be no advertising and you will make little or no money.
- You may have picked a subject that is so competitive, you are never going to be able to rank in the search engines and get any traffic to what you have written. You may well have written the ultimate guide to making money blogging. It may even be the best page on the subject ever in the history of blogging. But a lot of people have written about that same subject and you will be competing with them for traffic. In fact – you will be competing with more than 3 million pages that are targeting this exact term and 178 million pages that are relevant. Hardly worth the effort of trying to rank for this term in fact.
Deciding on a Subject to Write About
So – how do you decide what topic to write on and which keywords might attract traffic without being too competitive? I am actually going to give a few of my “secrets” away here. Making money online is a constant learning curve – I am continually learning new things and I hate to say it, but other people can mess with your Mojo. So here are a few ideas as to where to find potentially profitable subjects and keywords to write about.
1. Copy Successful hubbers
I now have a group of people following me around hubpages and copying what I do. Hence this hub and a need for me to adapt and change my approach here. Now –you may think that I would be flattered by this - and I was – until I realized what was happening. All the efforts and money I spent creating incoming links to hubs that I was promoting was diluted because what was tending to happen is the “hot tags” for a given keyword are showing up in the search engine results rather than the hub concerned.
I am hoping this will change with time, but for now, these people are riding on my coattails. I am still experimenting with this – but one possible starting point is to look what is working for other people on hubpages and write around that subject. Not just me, but the hot hubbers, which you will find here top hubbers and the hot hubs which you will find here – hot hubs.
This is a list of what I consider to be successful hubbers and they are
probably writing around money making topics. Do not just copy their work and
please try and write something informative. Use them for ideas and learn to spot the
difference between the hubs they wrote for pleasure and the hubs they wrote for
money. Also - if you decide to do this - and you find an idea and a great hub from one of these hubbers - add a link to that hub using a hubpages referral tracker so that you can earn money directly from their hub. Once again - I think you need to be a member and you can sign up here.
Hubbers to Get Ideas From
This is by no means a complete list, and you will notice (I hope) that two of the people on this list are staff members. I repeat – do not just copy what they have done. Get ideas, link back to their hubs using a referral tracker and - use your brain to decide whether they were writing for money or pleasure. Despite some of the attacks I see by “serious writers,” on writers who are here to make money, some of us do both. In fact – some of us do both in the same hub.
2. Use the Hubpages Idea Bank
Another place to look is the hubpages idea bank. I think you
need to be a member to be able to see the hubpages idea bank and they have a
premium version for well established members. You can sign up here – join
hubpages. Hubpages has determined that these subjects and keywords have the
potential to create traffic and therefore income.I am prepared to take their word for it.
Neither of these requires a great deal of effort on your part, but once you get the idea, you can progress to finding your own topics. Once again - people can mess with your Mojo though, so be careful – the rules can change over night – especially as far as using the various affiliates available here. Amazon have recently changed their rules as far as how long their cookie lasts and this has cost me between $200 and $400 a month income. What did I do about it? I went and found another income stream that has nothing to do with amazon or hubpages. I heartily recommend doing this. Sure – make money on hubpages, but for goodness’ sake have several other income streams – that way when one of them gets crapped on through circumstances beyond your control you will not go broke.
Something to bear in mind
All right – now you have a starting point for the subjects you are going to write on, but you need to be realistic and remember that some subjects here are being destroyed by the spammers and the money makers who provide no value. And there are an awful lot of them. What do I mean by this? This is an example of a money maker who will destroy the site eventually -
Lindagoffiigan. As you will quickly learn by reading some of this hubber’s hubs and comparing them to the hubs by the hubbers I recommend following – they are poorly written content that has been scraped from other sites and spun into barely understandable English in an attempt to generate as many adsense clicks as possible by not answering the question posed in the title of the hub and not giving any real information.
This may work – I do not know for sure - because I cannot bring myself to produce garbage like this. It may do, but I feel it will be short lived and damaging to the site if there is enough of it. This person churns out hundreds of pages of garbage – 754 hubs in 10 months. Sadly - they do not break the hubpages terms of service because they are in English and not directly copied from elsewhere, or I would have flagged them. But – this person is certainly breaking the spirit of the Terms of Service.
Myself – I try to provide genuine information and make money at the same time and hopefully provide some entertainment along the way and I like the hubpages interface. But – I have had to adapt because of the dozens of people like this targeting keywords with poor quality content. Watch out for a lot of these types of hubs and avoid the subjects they target. If they have not already damaged hubpages reputation for a subject – they soon will do.
Further Reading
- Making money blogging? not without some incoming links youre not
Making money blogging, or making money with any other type website for that matter, relies heavily on the amount of other sites linking to it to give that site authority with the search engines. - Making Money Online
Making money online is hard and requires a lot of work. There - I got that out of the way - so if you are looking for the easy answer you can stop reading now, click off somewhere else and go do whatever it... - Making Money Online Three things that have worked for me at hubpages
There is much discussion about making money online and the internet is chock-a-block full of guaranteed returns, and amazing opportunities, to make money easily. I laugh at some of the ridiculous...
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Comments
Making money through hubpages is hard work like you've stated and I find it a useful place to trial and error the income streams based on what others here do too.
I've struggled for ages to find my subject to write on and that's been my problem here, so I've tried to write different things and work out a backlink strategy later on when I have my article directory up and running.
Sorry to hear about your fans taking your mojo and great hub!
Thank you for sharing this information Mark Knowles. I am sure this is a hot topic on the internet, and we all can learn from you and others who have been successful.
I appreciate the fact that you have referred to successful hubbers that we can all learn from. In addition, you pointed out pitfalls that we are to avoid. Thanks again.
Mark you are the bomb. If anyone knows how to make money here it is you and that's a fact.
I've been writing since I was a kid, and I've taken lots of writing classes and been in groups and all that crap, and it's interesting to me to see the attitude growing up around writing online. It really is sort of evolving before our very eyes. Even back before the web there was always a group of writers who felt superior and 'artistic' and slammed anyone who made a buck. There were also authors who were in it for a buck and made one, and they understandably took offense and drew their battle lines.
You see that here more and more each month. I am in neither camp. I don't have the energy or the brains to do what you do, but neither am I slapping my poetry up here as if anyone gives a crap, Jesus. I had to make a conscious decision though (all over again)--Am in this for the money or for what exactly?
I'm in for the 'for what exactly' part. Chalk it off to narcissism or neurosis or whatever but I need to write and always have. I write about what I care about. If I can't do that it isn't worth it to me. So if people read fine, if they don't fine. If I make money, OK, if not, wah wah but it's not the end of my world. I do OK on freelancing for other people who want to make money but hate writing.
I'll shut up in a minute I promise--I'm just saying there's a middle road between the 'I'm an artiste you Philistine!' types and the 'Get rich writing online yesterday types.' People can judge me if they want on artistic standards or money standards (you'll never make money like that, Pam!) but I do this because it's what I do and I love it.
Also, most writers are nuts. Seriously. I include myself in that.
I have noticed that the pond is getting more crowded lately, and that there are lots more people posting spun articles and so forth. On the up side, I now can make a decent living spinning articles for these people to the degree that I can stomach it. It all changes every couple of weeks. It's crazy. You have to change your whole strategy all the time and then if it works, people come take it, as you've discovered.
Oh yes - writers are nuts - no question. I am seriously thinking it is time to find an offline job - if only part-time. Sitting on my ass getting fat in front of the computer is not providing enough stimulation. LOL
I write for a variety of reasons - not all about making money. My evolution hub is now my most commented upon hub - and trust me - it does not make enough money to justify the effort. But it certainly is funny seeing the frustrated comments of people who want me to believe the crap they believe. lol
But I agree with you - you need to be adaptable to make this work because the goal posts are moving all the time. And people will take it from you if they can without doing any work.
i think i will stop writing poetry and start listening to you, need to learn the a.b.c's help
Good information. Thanks for this hub.
Mark--I've been looking myself but there's just nothing. I've been taking more contract work, freelance. It's boring but it pays. If Bill doesn't get well, I may try to get some medical training. There are these sort of sub-nurses at all the hospitals here who just have to know who to take vital signs and not be mean, and I think I would be good at that. I love to write but after awhile writing online does get to be very frustrating.
Yeah I know.
Best bet seems to be to go massively into debt with 20 years of student loans lol
Very enlightening hub Mark. This certainly makes me glad I do not depend on my writing for income. It must be a tough job constantly having to change strategies in order to maintain a profitable result.
Thank you for (another) thought provoking hub. We certainly don't make money, but haven't felt like giving up.
We are not prolific on Hub pages, because we produce our website. Also, Tricia has a 'real life' busines to run.
We both enjoy writing, and are vain enough to enjoy seeing our stuff on the screen.
When we started we just wrote about anything that struck a chord, but are now more selective. We have reduced the range of topics that we cover on our website, and take note of how much competetion there is on any given subject.
It only takes a few minutes to see what has already been published, and that tiny bit of research can help increase traffic, and sometimes earnings.
Conversely, passion helps! We have found that when we are very fired up about a certain topic, and write with feeling, then we get a lot of traffic.
As you point out, though, traffic does not necessarily equal earnings.
@Randy - You need to be adaptable. Evolve even lol
@ 2Patricias - Yes - traffic does not always equal income and well written content will attract more traffic usually. Depending on the subject.
Good work, Mark
I have recently been expanding into the commercial side of things - there certainly is plenty of scope to write interesting stuff and make a few bob from it. You are one guy I always read and sunforged is another with excellent information. Nelle Hoxie is great for the Amazon angle - I have had some limited success there.
Agree with you about goffigan - the main reason why HP is banned from most of the social sites.
Pam - it is only a general anecdotal observation, but I have noticed that Google seems to be getting better. A year ago, when I researched online, I was lucky if I could find a single article on the first ten pages of search results that was useful and not keyword soup. The quality does seem to be increasing :)
Yes - that is one issue with using hubpages. One person damages the site for everyone else. Although - I would say it takes more than one to get you banned from most of the social networking sites. But - you are just as likely to go to your favorite one and discover the site banned.
Early on we were banned from Mixx, which upset the owners. But - what can you do? Quality is very subjective. It is easy to get rid of the duplicates or the obvious spam, but this stuff? Gard to do. What they are doing is encouraging real people to create useful content but if the crap outweighs this at any point - expect to see a big penalty applied.
Thank you for another great hub.
I don't write here to make money, but I'm certainly not opposed to the idea. To that end I read many of your hubs. And when I'm not working and have time, I will actually apply some of the information I have accumulated by reading them.
Very frustrating situation. Great job, Mark, in describing it. But what can be done? I started with Hub Pages just a month ago and have had modest success, but I've been ripped off already and I see more word-garbage laying around hubs all the time. This is starting not to make sense to me. I'm a dogged researcher and a capable writer, willing to study and learn all the time 24/7 if necessary. But I see very small payback from the effort, with the notable exceptions of some hubbers who seem to enjoy why I write. That alone is not justification money-wise to spend much time here. I have to make a living!
Bookflame - diversity. Yes use hubpages - they are a good source of income for me. But use other sites and sources also. Plus - be patient - expect to have to put in at least 6 months of hard work before seeing results.
Thanks for sharing Mark! Am really appreciative for helping others and myself to earn from the Internet.
Thanks for the share Mark. Subject+Informative+Good Content
Thanks for your insight Mark. I don't have that many hubs yet but I will continue to write what I feel like writing. Multiple income streams are the way to go for sure. I have tried to write for the clicks and they seem to be my worst performing hubs. The pieces I wrote for fun are the most visited. Not making much money yet but I am following you and some of your recommendations, and hard work and time will tell if this place is going to be a starter to giving up the day job.
And a little tip for you - rather than "getting fat in front of a computer" try typing standing up.
I could try that. Then I could get fat standing up in front of the computer LOL
Mark I dub you the Guru on Hub Pages. As I said a few months ago you are the Walter Cronkite on writing. I am so sorry that your hard work is being copied. It is extremely hurtful and not a compliment at all. I am glad you called out an offender and perhaps hubbers can boycott that user. I too have seen my ideas re-used and it sucks. This was an awesome article. Thank you for your help.
Thank you. Sadly - it is part and parcel of making a living online. Dog eat dog. :(
Great hub Mark. Nail hit firmly on the head.
My most visited article by far has been '50 Funny Facebook Status Updates', as a result it shows up in hot hubs all the time. I published that on 2nd September 2009, and at the time there were no hubs on the subject. There are now about a dozen, several of them from a person that congratulated me on the hub and then proceeded to rip it off completely. As it happens, the hub is still growing in stature. The more people rip it off the better the traffic, but when it finally gets dropped by google one of those people will take a lot of the traffic. The saving grace is that the rip offs are crap, and most of their traffic probably comes to me through 'related hubs'. But to think that I spent hours finding a topic which had not been covered in 3 years on this site, and then to have it copied within 2 weeks, does take the biscuit.
As for that Goffigan, hubpages is obviously making a lot of money from her substandard outsourcing as I was banned from the forum for criticising the quality of her work whilst she has been actively praised by a certain staff member. Hubpages are blind to the impression that she is giving, if I won Euromillions I would love to spend it all on this site - just to press delete on her/his account. Ironically, she can actually write extremely well whilst on the forums - I wouldn't be suprised if another established hubber is behind that account.
Hope you bounce back from recent setbacks mate.
Thanks Ryan.
I am surprised you were banned for voicing an opinion. I am not impressed with people like goffigan - but who was singing it's praises?
I am good to go - it just feels like one step forward two steps back sometimes lol
Mark - another candid hub, and rightfully written. I wrote a couple of hubs that have been copied in terms of subject matter. I just shrugged. I find it slightly bad mannered when you discover a clone, more so when you do indeed garner comments from those that go on to publish almost the same style and content.
Anyway. I'm currently taking some advice you gave me and have begun a site, though I'm initially taking advantage of blogger, as a means of learning what it is I need to do.
I'm quite happily creating external content pointing back at it (and yes, you do have to graft) but I'm happy to do so.
And I don't mind the wait. It's all good :)
I've also flagged a few regurgitated (probably via translation software) hubs of late. Utter trash and so horrendously cobbled together I cringe when I find them.
There is an awful lot of trash. But - seeing as I am banned from the forums once again after being provoked by yet another religionist troll - I figure I will leave hubpages
to sort that shit out themselves from now on. No more flagging for free LOL
Mark it would not be the same without you, also i want you to teach me to be a succesful writer
Lorraine - read what I have written. I have been totally honest in everything I do. No BS here lol
i will read and read and learn...... thanks
Thanks for another concised and helpful hub. Please don't leave, we will always need you so much. Hahaha...Happy hubbing Mark.
All writers should learn this useful information. Thank you Mark Knowles
PL - Mark's not leaving. He just means he's not helping Hubpages weed out the crap anymore :)
And I'm shocked Mark. Ridiculous! There will be a reason for the sub-forum, though I'm unsure what it is. All it causes are word-wars. Life imitates art, or the other way around?!
LOL - I am shocked too. But the religionists seem to be taking over. Must be good for business.
Mark - now I know you know that war is always good for business ;)
Oops. I mean religion ...
Same thing lol
Another great Hub - like you I can't write crap just for the money, in fact, one of my best performing hubs has generated zilch, but I feel it pays in other ways. It showcases my writing and offers loads of useful information, because it performs well, it's always on my front page and I sometimes offer my Hubpages as an example of my writing, if for example I'm going for some freelance work.
Also, like you I have other income streams, freelance (boring, but readily available and I get paid for my words AND, some of the info is good for answering pub quizzes There's nothing I don't know just now about Eruopean Basilicas!, plus magazine writing and the novel chugging along in the background (EDD March next year). I also have two part-time nursing jobs.
Sometimes you need to give something back to your community, like a well-researched informative article for free, one that you don't expect to get a return on.
Am rambling now, so will stop and pack up my soap box!
hi, thanks for this information, I bookmark it already!
After joining Hubpages two years ago I find myself happy for two reasons:
1st - I have made some money (specially through Adsense and Amazon);
2nd - I still managed to keep my offline job... I would be in trouble if the only money I got came from my online profits LOL
But then again I`m not (or ever was) a writer... so I must be happy with my results after this last two years here at Hubpages. And something tells me that the next two years will be even better :)
Thanks guys
Funride - Don't get me wring - It is what it is and I make good money here. but - the dollar is now worth 30% less than it was against the euro and Amazon just cut me out of 20% of the commissions I was earning.
Like getting part fired from a job, but having done all the work. lol
I know I've already commented, but I've just remembered something.
Sometimes we have tried brainstorming for words that might make good keywords, and found words that appear to be worth a lot of money.
Then we've thought about what we might write around those words, and decided that we have no enthusiasm for the idea. We fear our resulting Hub would be so boring that nobody would read it. Or worse, people might start to read it and see that it is poor quality and then decide that none of our Hubs could be worth reading.
Which is a long way of saying to write about subjects that are of personal interest.
There is something to be said for that. Brainstorming is not a sensible way of finding well paying subjects. It might be a godo starting point but then you need to do some work.
The other thing you need to consider is - how competitive is that subject or keyword. You try getting search engine traffic to "making money online" lol
If you have $97 to spare - this tool is indispensable and will give you more keyword ideas than you can use in a million years. And tell you how competitive they are:
https://paydotcom.com/r/91878/mpk123/25942654/
If you want some more ideas, I list all the tools I use here:
I feel honored, I made the list :-)
I just write whatever I feel like. Nothing to it and no real thought to most of it. I generally write whatever, but sometimes I will do a little research to figure out what is hot, what is upcoming hot, and what will remain so for a little while.
I think that as long as what you write is written well, and your page is entertaining enough, traffic is better as is the potential earnings.
I didn't realize that amazon had shortened the cookie, but that does make sense as my earnings are a little less than usual. We'll have to see how it does.
It has made quite a big difference to me. The actual earnings are disguised as they introduced the change as the "season" is approaching - so, my earnings have increased, but my conversion rate is well down. :(
Another great hub and I really do hope you'll keep on churning them out. I bookmark this just so I can get back to it again and again and again. Just have one question though - which is better, writing for Adsense, Amazon, eBay earnings or freelance writing (the kind that pays you per page or per hour)?
I'm more into the latter than the former but I'd really want to have both in the future. Told my husband to give me two years to earn $1,000 per month online :). Hope this is possible.
Thanks for the hub Mark.
Easily achievable. Within 6 months if you apply yourself. Good luck.
Thanks, Mark. I hadn't read about the hubpages referral tracker.
Following on from your hub, I wonder if it's time to start a new writing site with the quality hubbers! One that refuses to accept crap writing. That's where the money is...
I am not so sure that IS where the money is. :)
Hello there. thank you for sharing. Makes a person think!!
Hmrjmr1 says:
5 days ago
Great Info! Thanks