Linking hubs to your hubs - Why it is important

When reading a hub, often times I notice some have links and some do not. Now I am not talking about the links to other sites or the links to those oh so attempting Google Ads, I am talking about links that will lead you to another great read.

Some people chose not to use the linking capsule to suggest other hubs to their readers. The question I ask is why?

The only reason I can come up with for not using links is…

1. A hubber is new to the site and is unaware of how to use this type of capsule.
2. Laziness. (Not to offend anybody!) But after putting in all the work to get your text perfect and the pictures found and whatever else you put in, who really wants to spend more time looking for other hubs that will accent your hub. You just want to hit publish now. (I can’t say I blame you!)

Adding links to your hubs is a great way to add to you Hubkarma. It is a great way to improve the overall experience on Hubpages, whether it is for the regulars or just happening across a hub from a Google search engine.

According to the Hubpages FAQ, “HubKarma is a score that reflects the degree to which you link to others’ hubs.” You can easily use the link suggestion tool to also help link to others hubs. This score, while rated from a 0-100 scale, is also influential on your overall Hubscore.

So other than the fact that it sounds appealing to have good Hubkarma, why else would a writer want to use those handy link capsules? Cause honestly, the Hubkarma probably means very little. Mine really hasn’t changed since I have started writing on here. Therefore, it is really just a number. So why should we be concerned. Why should we share other writer’s hubs with our audience?

1. What comes around goes around. To get all those wonderful backlinks, why should you be the only one doing the work? How many countless hours do you spend going to how many countless other websites to make sure there is as many links to your story as possible? Not saying you should stop doing that and leave the work to everybody else. But, if you have other people linking to your stuff as well, you will eventually be recognized by that giant monster Google! The results… more people will find your work.

Now remember, this isn’t all about you. This is about your fellow writers and supporting them. Basically, if you are willing to link to their stuff, they are more likely to think about you the next time they are linking in their hub. Now this isn’t always going to work. You may not know if others are linking your stuff. But, in the end, you know you have helped support a fellow writer. That is really what matters.

2. It is the greatest compliment you can pay to a writer. This is not a money making scheme. It really is just about complimenting your fellow writers. If you link to their stories and they you have recommended them, they will be humbled and thankful.

Personally, if I see my stuff linked on other people’s work, I feel honored they held me in such high regard. That they truly appreciated what I wrote. It makes me feel like these countless hours I have spent writing and working on publishing my work online really hasn’t been in vain. I know someone out there truly has appreciated my work.

3. It is like hub hopping… only you have given them a personal recommendation. Many of us occasionally use the hub hopping tool. It is a discovery tool that allows a hubber to jump from one hub to another, usually in the area of their interest. Yet, what you come across is usually a surprise.

When you put links into your hubs, this serves as another form of hub hopping. Only now it is more like a personal recommendation. If the hub you recommended also has links, the hubber can almost infinitely hop, knowing they will be exposed to some great reading material recommended by fellow hubbers.

4. Do it for yourself. As time goes on, some of your hubs will lower in score. Is it because it isn’t worth the read. Absolutely not! But, it might be because the topic isn’t something people normally search for on Google. Therefore, by linking your hubs back to your other hubs, this will help bring the hub back into people’s sights again. This is a great way to expose your other work to potential readers.

While linking is a great way to give your reader’s recommendations to lead them to some of your favorite writers and their works of art, it is also a great way to bring attention to some of your older work. The key is to not over do it. Linking should be a way to enhance the overall hub experience, but it shouldn’t be about taking over your entire hub with nothing but links.

I have seen it where on the bottom of a hub there is almost more links then there is actual written words in the hub. It seems every single hub ever written was linked on the bottom. While this may get some people to read the links, if they are anything like me, the will skip over the entire section. Using the link capsule should allow you to select a few great pieces that nicely add to the layout of your hub. I usually try to link to a few of my fellow hubber’s hubs and a few of my own pieces as well.

My recommendation is to carefully place links where it will appeal to the reader. This will make them more likely to click on the link, since they won’t be drowning in an over recommendation of other things to check out. I usually like to find hubs that relate to my articles. If I write poetry, I like to link other pieces of well written poetry. If I write something more serious, the same principles apply. If I write something humorous, I try to find other humorous hubs to link to.

So, now that you know how important it is to add links to your hubs, what are you waiting for? Get that hub going and give out some great recommendations to your readers. Not only will they be thankful for some great suggestions, but you will be giving out the biggest compliment to your fellow writers.