Trying to Make Money Online And Can't on Hubpages: What I am Doing Wrong?

Does this sound a bit like you on some days?: Help me, I am trying to make money on hubpages! I have published a lot of hubs, and at the moment there is not a lot of money.. in fact I can say that I have not made a dime. Does that sound like you some days?

This is a common complaint that many hub writers face at some point. Now, with Google AdSense and all of this business, writing does seem to take a "backseat" to how to make money here on hubpages.This also includes the Hubpages Ad Program since it is also somewhat harder to make money if you don't have traffic to many of these wonderfully fine hubs you have.

Now this person who asked the question stated that they have not made a dime, or a penny or anything else since they have been here. This is admittedly a problem, when your goal is to write for a financial freedom and your business plans are lost in the fog, you have every right to complain, except if you have not tried. Again making money is something we all want to be doing, but it doesn't mean that this will happen.

Still, this question also asked what was wrong with the hubs they have...

This is a business where text, or content, or your writing needs to follow certain ideas. Too long and you will not see success, too short and no one will stay for any length of time to make you money. There is also something called the business of presentation and traffic. Like a dinner they are both an art form.

The truth of the matter is people love to be entertained and they will pay to be entertained with pictures and videos and quizzes and polls. They want to see something that they never saw before. Or at least something they think they never saw before and then find it so useful they will spend the money they have.

If you publish great hubs, then people will stay and more likely comment or will do something with what you have worked so hard on. But you have to think of the reader, and also where they are coming from. In this case if they are followers, they will more likely come by and comment whereas if they come from Google or other search engines there must be something that they can get out of it.

If you want to make money you need to think somewhat like a retail business where store front presentation will get your customers in. Then, after you have people in your store it is up to your content-- what you have published to make people stay. What do you need to look for in a hub?

Here are a few things to look for in hubs that will drive traffic to your hub or take it away:

1) Break down of your content: Most of my readers probably do not know my hubs are on the high end of the hub word count. (For the record my how to hubs are about 1,000 or more words) but often most readers do not seem to notice. Why? I break down my content into 200-400 word sections.)

2) Having a photo right at the top of the hub: This is something that I have noticed that makes a big difference with a hub, as often, if you go online to a hub all you see on the page is a picture and without a caption. This is good, except that the google rectangular ad is then lower, and it is hard to want to scroll down only to find more pictures. About 200 words will do and then a photo with a caption.

3) Not having links especially between your hubs: There are great hubs out there, really great hubs, often better then my own, except that i link between my hubs to increase traffic. Some great writer do not. There is a link capsule for a reason, as not only can it break a text, if you put hubs that are similar close to the text you are focusing your readers to.

4) Nothing extra beyond a basic thing: Look, you can put videos and polls and quizzes and amazon and eBay, you need to do this. and you need to do it on hubs that you want to promote. There is no two ways around it. Add something that people will want to do, beyond comments!

Those are basic what else do I need to do?? I need Money NOW!!

I am sure that everyone who publishes online wants to do the exact same thing you want to do and just as fast as you want to do it as well. The key is that you will have to work, and that also means that you will need to increase traffic.

You also need traffic from as many different sources as you can get. You need a lot of traffic to make a lot of money in this business. There is a thing called social networking and SEO... these are musts if you want to make money on hubpages.

Use the power of social bookmarking to your advantage, Stumble and Digg other hub writers to maximize this network. I personally will put a note that says that I have stumbled and "Dugg" a hub, use as many sources as you can, but also use places such as Xomba and RedGage and She Told Me, and page 360 and comment there on people's hubs.

It makes a huge difference in traffic. I make it a point to stumble five other hub writers hubs each day, in hopes to help them build traffic. This is a good thing. Help others and you will help yourself.

This will get traffic and will at some point make you money.

I have traffic I am not MAKING MONEY!!! great you have traffic, but where is your traffic coming from? Here is a list of traffic sources and what you might get from them.

Hubpages Traffic: For the most part these are your "reading and commenting" traffic often we hub writer will not click ads, for the simple fact that you can go from one hub to the next and... click on your own ad, which will mean years of hard work are down the drain.

Blog Traffic, Ezinearticles Links: I put these ones together since it is harder to get traffic from these sources without a lot of writing content. Now, It is my experience that I do make a bit of money with both but... but I have a lot of blog posts, and a lot of ezinearticles.

Social Networking Sites: These are sites like Stumble Upon and Digg, they get traffic, they have the potential to get you a lot of traffic... but your work needs to be popular, you have more of a chance to make money with these sites than with hubpages direct traffic.

Other sites, RedGage and sites like that: These do make more money than the above but gain you have to be active in posting your work here. You need to be active in adding your blog post and other things, and you also need to comment on others, same idea as hubpages... The more visible you are the better the chance of making money.

The Search Engines: Anytime you get traffic from Google or Yahoo or MSN (really all of these) and you find it high on your traffic sources begin to do the "dance of joy" as these are the ones which will often make you the money. If money is one of your aims, all three search engines should be in the top five of your traffic sources.

I am still not making money: Okay, next thing, look at your hubs again, but this time, look at your tags, a lot of the time, people will write a hub and not really look at the difference a tags ( this is what hubpages calls keywords) in terms of both traffic and making money.

There is a fine art to tags and one thing that will help you is your hub stats. Now, in this case I am referring to an individual hub. Here is a breakdown of what you need to look for.

1) Do you have at least 5 good tags which are found within your hub? Now, I mean if you are writing about making money, is the tag "making money" in your list? If not it needs to be added, or if hubpages doesn't suggest it you need to go back and read your hub and figure out why. Also, look at your hubmetrics, if you have a hub that has a symbol of 1 $ then it means this will not make you as much money as say one with 3 $$$ now, this is a rule of thumb and does not mean you will make a lot of money with the Google Ads you get.

2) Read your hub out loud and see what is missing. This is the fastest way to get ideas as to why you hub is not making money. If you have a title of "how to build a business" and you talk about your new website, do you think, honestly here!, that you will make money in the end? Often The hubs which are "self-serving" are the ones which do not do well. If it helps you and no one else, you will often not make money.

3) Does it offer anything to anyone? Now, this is more of a personal thing, but see if your hub is all text, this is not good, no one likes reading 1,500 words without having something for them, a video is a great thing and so is a poll which allows you reader to voice their views.

4) What about your tags? Are they needed or are you going to AdWords and picking words which seem to be the most "profitable"? yes look into AdWords and the keyword tool, but do not ever expect a a hub without any links or anything for other will make you money.. simply because you decided to use a "high paying word"... for the record the numbers you see on Google AdWords is the highest it can possibly go... and there are a lot of lows.

5) Too many or not Enough? What will make you money... look at your tags some of them say "hot" and well then you are dealing with a popularity contest where the presentation and value is everything. The more tags you have which say "hot" the less likely you will make money, there is a lot of competition

6) Check for one word tags: For example "writing" is very general, but adding the the keyword of say "Writing well" makes a difference as in searches people want something specific... do yourself a favor and do not overuse tags, but use the tags to your search-able advantage.

 The last word-- love what you do and be passionate about what you do, success in this business depends on passion but also on saying I can improve.

This means looking at yourself and saying that I can do better.  We all can.

To your success.