Hubpages For Newbies

Statistically speaking most people who sign up on Hubpages never write their first hub. Well at least that is what my referral tracker tells me. Now I must admit that I was a member of Hubpages for several months before I wrote my first hub. Why? For me it was that I didn’t know how or where to start. This is why I’m putting together my own Hubpages guide that I can forward to all those who sign up as one of my referrals. This is guide includes links to other hubs and learning center content that helped me start my first hub and has continued to help me as I write.

This question comes up often and it is a difficult one to answer. You can write about pretty much anything as long as it is not sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate for a PG audience. Most hubbers suggest that you write about what you know. The topics are endless, but if you are interested in what you write about you’ll fare much better.

A word to the wise: if you want to make money on Hubpages you need to write search engine relevant content. That is unless you have a large following. In that case your followers will help to support you writing.

It’s great to write for the joy of writing, but if no one reads your content………..well you know what I’m saying. In order to write content that the search engines will rank you need to do a little keyword research. Google offers a free keyword search tool that most hubbers use to find out what key words and phrases people are searching on the internet. Including relevant keywords and phrases in your writing you will receive a lot more traffic.

A good hub flows well, provides great information, and keeps the reader’s attention. Using the capsules that Hubpages provides allows you to organize and add great content, images, videos, recipes, polls, etc. designed to capture and maintain the attention of your audience. In fact, if you look in the upper right hand corner of the hub editing page you will notice a gauge that tells you how well you hub is coming together. The creators of Hubpages know what makes a great hub making this tool invaluable.

I recommend that newbie hubbers spend a week or two in the Hubpages Learning Center

Great photos are probably the greatest way to keep the reader from skipping over your hub. Pictures that are intriguing and appropriate to your content draw the reader in. They make the reader want to stay around for a while to see what you have to offer. Now should be inclined to put pictures of unclad folks on your hubs you won’t be around long. That said make sure that your pictures are appropriate for the Hubpages audience.

Finding good images can be difficult and it can be tempting to take them from other websites. Using images without permission can land you in a heap of trouble. Most websites copyright their content. Photographers definitely copyright their pictures. It is not legal to use copyrighted materials without permission. So verify that your pictures are copyright free or designated for public use. There are some great sources of free images on the internet you just need to do your homework before using them.

Before you add pictures to your hubs rename them with a name relevant to your hub. If you hub is about growing better tomatoes, name your picture growing_better_tomatoes.jpg or the equivalent. This makes the search engines happy. Also utilize the caption box to tie the photo to the title of your hub.

Another great way to peak reader interest is to use videos in your hubs. You can add YouTube videos to your hubs using the video capsule. It’s easy and allows you to use the embed code or the url for the video. As far as copyrights go, most YouTube videos are for your use. If a video is represented as copy written or the person posting the video does not allowing embedding/sharing I wouldn’t use it.

It is a really good idea to use your own videos. You can upload them to either YouTube or Hubpages, either way you know who owns them. Just like photos make sure that your videos are relative to your hub and Hubpages compliant. And yes I know that my video has nothing to do with writing your first hub, but it's still fun isn't it. Did it get your attention?

So your here to make money right! Monetizing your content allows you to just that. There are several ways to monetize your hubs. First and foremost is the Hubpages Ad Program.

Ad Program

Several of the ads you see on Hubpages are pay per view advertisements. Basically Hubpages sells banner ads at a price set per 1000 views. A banner may cost $9.59/1000 views (just an example) so every view earns $0.00959. Doesn’t sound like much doe’s it, but with millions of daily hub views this adds up in a hurry. As a hubs author, you receive 60% of the ad revenue from your hub. There’s a lot of math involved, but the Hubpages Ad Program pays consistently and all you have to do is sign up for it.

Amazon Affiliate Progam

The Amazon Affiliate Program is probably the second highest earner. Yes you have to sign up as an Amazon.com Affiliate, but it’s free so why not. The Hubpages tool makes adding Amazon products quick and easy. I am unclear as to the profit split when sales are made with this program. I do know that many hubbers write content directed toward Amazon.com sales and do quite well.

Ebay Affiliate Program

The Ebay Affiliate Program is much like the Amazon Affiliate Program. It allows you to display Ebay sales items on your hub and earn from the sales that are generated. Some claim that the revenues generated through the Ebay Affiliate Program and greater than those generated by the Amazon Affiliate Program and vice versa. Personally I believe the capsule placement product availability play a large role in the success of these revenue streams.

Google Adsense

A lot of hubbers fret over their rejection by the Google Adsense program and I don’t know why. In my experience it pays out far less than the Hubpages Ad Program and the Amazon.com Affiliate Program. These programs out earn Adsense hands down. Nonetheless I suggest that hubbers sign up for Adsense. It may take a while to be approved, but it does add a few pennies to your account.

Well this hub has officially gotten away from me. I will be working in it in the future as this is a work in progress. If you haven't already joined Hubpages do it today.

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