Should I continue to run Amazon ads if I've never earned a penny with them?

1. 92

   vespawoolfposted 11 years ago

   Should I continue to run Amazon ads if I've never earned a penny with them?
   
   I've been earning with AdSense and HubPages since July, but never a penny from Amazon.

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2. 92

   Melovyposted 11 years ago

   Yes.
   Last month after over 13 months with HubPages I had my first Amazon sale, and I have now had more sales this month too. Someone else told me it took him a year for his first sale and then he had one every month after that. There's no real logic to it, but it's definitely worth holding on.
   I have been told it's best to just have one item per capsule and where you place them can be important, so perhaps play around with arrangement.

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks so much. That's very helpful! I'll take a second look at my ads for position and quantity.

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      StandingJaguarposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Do you have advice on arrangement? In the middle? At the end?

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3. 65

   maddotposted 11 years ago

   Good question. i think we are in the same club. I've been here  longer and i don't even bother checking Amazon anymore, but I leave it,,,just in case. Gotta be in it to win it! Good Luck!

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think that's a good strategy!

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      maddotposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Actually I've just being going through my hubs and dumping amazon.. so i take back what i said previously...

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   abithewriterposted 11 years ago

   it is better to use google adsense. amazon is really a waste. i didnt get a single penny

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      We're in the same boat, then!

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5. 73

   LetitiaFTposted 11 years ago

   I've been wondering the same thing. I hardly even have hits. As for ebay, I've never even had a reply to my application. I'm definitely planning to remove my few ebay capsules...

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, congratulations on your 100 Hubber score! Yes, I never even applied for Ebay. It's frustrating!

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      LetitiaFTposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yikes! Hadn't seen the new huge Amazon capsules that screw up existing layouts yet. May just do away with them all (although Melovy and randomcreative have me wondering...)
      PS my score drops when I publish a hub, but reaches 100 when I don't. Weird.

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The new Amazon capsules are what inspired my question. They're so gaudy!
      I know...the Hubber score doesn't make much sense, but you did reach 100 which is a huge accomplishment either way!

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   randomcreativeposted 11 years ago

   I agree with Yvonne that I would give it more time. It can take a long time for that traffic to build and to see sales. It also depends on the time of year. My Amazon sales are slow right now, but they will most likely pick up for the holiday season.
   
   I'd also reevaluate the products that you have listed. If you tend to list a lot of the same types of products and they aren't moving, try switching up a few of them.

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, that's very useful. I will take a look at the products and see what I can change.

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   Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years ago

   I've taken a lot of my Amazon capsules down because I have not earned anything from them either. I leave them if I think they are very relevant and they seem to add something to the hub.

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think that's a good idea. I also try to feature only special items...or at least that's my latest technique. I've noticed the Amazon items have a more intrusive appearance now. BTW, congrats on reaching a Hubber score of 100!

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   chef-de-jourposted 11 years ago

   I would experiment with Amazon capsules, keep them but try different angles -
   one item per capsule half way through the hub,
   one near the start;
   unusual but related items, one per capsule,
   4 or 5 items in a capsule if your topic is popular
   cheaper items?
   expensive items?
   
   It's very hard to predict if you'll get sales from single one item capsules or gain sales by offering more choice!
   
   Wish you all the best whatever you decide to do!

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I try to use the Amazon capsules sparingly, but you've given me food for thought. I think I could eliminate some of them completely. Thank you for commenting!

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9. 76

   Escobanaposted 11 years ago

   http://jainismus.hubpages.com/hub/Am-I- … er-Hubbers
   
   After reading this Hub I changed all my Amazone ads into Ebay ads. It's a simple story but I suggest you read this Hub. It helped me a lot!

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      vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      So have you earned anything with Ebay? I have to admit, his strategy seems appealing and especially now that Amazon capsules are so big and noticeable. I'm going to think about it and may give it a try. Thanks!

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      Escobanaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      To be honest....I don't earn more than a couple of dollars a month with my writings but I do believe in that Hub. I'm not in here for the money really but I do like following tips of fellow writers.

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    Giselle Maineposted 11 years ago

    I agree with Melovy and Randomcreative.  I had Amazon ads that didn't earn anything for most of the first year.  I more or less 'gave up' on them and was even contemplating removing them altogether from my hubs.  But then I started earning from those Amazon capsules, so I was thankful that I didn't delete them.  I don't put Amazon on all my hubs - it really comes down to the content of the hub itself.  I base it all on whether the Amazon complements the content of the hub, and I don't worry about whether or not it will earn anything.  I still don't earn much from Amazon - but I am seeing what could best be described as a 'steady trickle'.  It is a very small fraction compared to what I earn from the HP ad program. 
    
    My advice to you would be keep everything in, don't waste time messing with it  (unless it doesn't match the content of your hub well). Remember also that if a hub doesn't get much views, it won't get much Amazon traffic either - so I would focus on making sure your hub traffic is good before messing with placement, etc.  Just my opinion though - others may have different ideas.  My opinion of Amazon is that it is best looked at as an added bonus rather than a significant source of hub-derived income.  Keep the capsules in, have fun with Amazon... but don't get hung up on it.

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       vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Yours sounds like a balanced approach. I think I need to wait to make any decisions, for sure. I get quite good traffic from a few hubs, and yet even those show no Amazon sales. I'll wait and see what happens later. Thanks for your comment.

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    Deborah Brooksposted 11 years ago

    I say just keeping trying and keep putting the amazon adds on.. I haven't gotten paid yet  but I believe I will..

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       vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Deborah Brooks, I've had a traffic dive and have been reading the forums. It's very depressing! So I really appreciate your positive attitude more than ever! Thanks so much.

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    Faceless39posted 11 years ago

    I've never earned much more than a penny from Amazon, either, but my philosophy is this:  give the reader everything they could possibly want (within reason) to help them out.  That is, after all, what we all want when we visit a page on whatever subject we're interested in.
    
    Doing what the reader wants brings more readership, thus more hits, and thus more earnings.  Not only that, but you're helping to improve the HubPages image, which helps us all out in the end.
    
    Think:  "what would I want?" and do it.    That doesn't always mean Amazon products, either, but sometimes it fits.  Good luck!

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       vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I really like your philosophy! It's so true. If it's helpful, go ahead with it.

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    calculus-geometryposted 11 years ago

    I removed mine a long time ago for that reason.  My logic is that if a reader is going to click on anything, I'd rather it be an ad since you get paid for 60% of ad clicks regardless of whether or not the reader buys anything from that site. But if someone clicks on an Amazon item, you only get paid if they buy something from Amazon.  My hub topics aren't Buy! Buy! Buy! oriented and the people who read them probably already have calculators and math books.  Your experience and results may vary.

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       vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Wow, the other side of the coin sounds very logical. :   ) My problem with Google ads is they don't always fit my article. However, they do pay much better!

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14. 71

    nmdondersposted 11 years ago

    I think you should use them.  Iou can go a really long time without selling anything and then end up selling a few things in just a day or two.
    
    I would do what some other people said and experiment with them.  Just move them around to different areas of your page, give a title to the capsule, place them near products or items that you're talking about.  Good luck, I'm sure it'll eventually work out.

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       vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       It's really nice to consider both viewpoints. I think it certainly can't hurt to wait it out through the end of the year. A lot can happen between now and then anyway! :   )

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15. 91

    Rochelle Frankposted 11 years ago

    I have earned about 10 to $15 on Amazon-- in some months. It is all applied to credit for purchases on Amazon.  I personally shop on Amazon quite a lot, since I live in a rural "shopping-deprived" area.
    MOST-- probably 90% --of my Amazon  earnings have come from one high- traffic hub. It is one which is searched by people looking for products that offer a solution to a particular problem , but I have also had some 'hits' from other hubs.
    I often use the Amazon capsule-- just for "aesthetic" purposes. -- a break in the text with items that relate to my subject.
    If they happen to  result in a sale, so much the better-- but they still serve a purpose.  (One example is my hub about a pitcher collection).
    On some hubs-- like book reviews, or other subjects that relate to a book or product you might be selling through Amazon, they can be helpful.
    There's no reason to NOT use them, unless you think they are cluttering up your format or are not attractive.
    You never know if they might score a sale.

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       vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I also do a lot of shopping on Amazon. You can find almost anything. I've used capsules for aesthetic purposes... items I've purchased from Amazon and mentioned in my hubs. (kitchen related) Thanks for sharing your experience with me!

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    tirelesstravelerposted 11 years ago

    HP likes them.  I haven't made much either, but they do make hubs look nice.

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       vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I like the look, but the amazon capsules have grown in size lately.

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    FatFreddysCatposted 11 years ago

    I've never sold much with Amazon capsules either... but I keep stickin'em in my Hubs, more out of force of habit than anything else. I figure, I went to all the trouble to join the Amazon Associates program anyway, I might as well use'em in the hopes that I'll eventually get lucky.

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       vespawoolfposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       True! I'll stick it out for a while. :   ) Thanks.

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