Habee From Hubpages Interview

With so many changes in Google's algorithm in the last year or so, many Hubbers have been looking at the success stories reported for 2011 and wondering if these Hubbers are still making the same kind of money. I contacted Habee, one of the success stories, and conducted an interview with her to possibly answer some of our fellow Hubbers' questions.

Habee has been a member of HubPages for about 3 1/2 years and has made over $30,000 in that time. This does not include income from writing jobs offered to her because of exposure on HubPages. She received her first Adsense payout after being a member for only 5 months! She even shares with Ryan Hupfer on the HubPages blog that she spent the first few months as a Hubpages member not even writing; but by the pool!

At the time of the Hubpges Success Stories, Habee was reported to be making $1,300 on average every month.

How many hubs do you currently have?

I have 1,039 active hubs, along with five or six that have been idled.

What is your average monthly earnings on Hubpages? And what sources does it come from?

Last month, I made almost $1,300. Last December, I earned around $2,300. That’s a combination of HPads, Google Adsense, and Amazon. My December earnings for 2012 would have been better, but something happened on the 10^th that caused my traffic to plunge. It’s coming back, however.

Why didn't you give up on Hubpages when all the Google updates happened?

I guess it’s because I’ve invested so much time and effort here. Also, I’m an optimist, and I felt that the HP staff would work things out.

Where else do you write?

I have a website that’s all about food and cooking: bestamericanfood.net

I also have several blogs:

habee-hupagescomhubsaltwater-fis.blogspot.com

ultimatebeautypageantsguide.blogspot.net

living-inthesouth.blogspot.com

holidayideas-habee.blogspot.com

preparedness-survival.blogspot.com

In addition,I have several regular clients for whom I write. Several of them found me on Hubpages, by the way. I occasionally write articles for ConstantContent, too.

What is your most successful writing endeavor?

“Success” is a relative term. I earned the most money - $1,000 - from a hub I wrote for a Hubpages contest. It’s about the history and cuisine of the Gullah. Traffic wise, I think my most successful hub is about how to get Social Security disability approved.

What advice would you give to new online writers?

I’d tell them not to give up! I’d also tell them to make their hubs or articles interesting, with details and photos. The hubs/articles also need to be of adequate length. Too many newbies publish short articles that really don’t include much information.

What makes you successful at Hubpages?

Well, I really don’t consider myself that successful. If I knew more about promoting my hubs, I’m sure I’d get a lot more traffic. I will share with you, however, what publishers have told me. They often mention my writing style, saying that it flows well. I try to write in a somewhat conversational tone on HP. My college writing instructors would be aghast! There, I had to write in a much more formal style.

Do you have a specific process when you create a hub? If so, what is it?

When I get an idea for a topic, I search the Google Keyword tool for specific and related terms. I sort of use those as my outline for a hub. I then add photos between large blocks of text. Later, I go back and edit the hub for mistakes and awkward wording. I sometimes have trouble with typos, due to nerve damage in my hands.

What is your single most successful hub?

I had to check my stats for that. As I suspected, it’s “How to get your social security disability approved fast.” It’s had more than 140,000 visitors. I figured this hub would be successful, but I’ve had some surprises. For example, I had no idea that a hub about lazy dogs would be so popular!

How long were you writing for Hubpages before you felt like your earnings were equivalent to your time invested?

It was several months before I saw evidence that writing on HP would “work.” I actually got my first payout from Google fairly quickly, so I was encouraged to put forth more effort. The thing is…I HAVE to write. I figure I might as well earn money doing it.