Why I Left HubPages, What I Learned, & Why I'm Back

1. 68

   Alex Addamsposted 10 years ago

   I joined HubPages in 2011 but decided to leave 10 months in to re-start my own blog, and migrated all my content over to Wordpress. I was doing very well on HubPages, head got big, and I thought I could do better on my own. The reality is, I still could, but I think you get more with a platform like HubPages, and here's 6 reasons why:
   
   1) High Engagement
   HubPages offers high-engagement from its community. If you write a great article you can expect the HubPages community to engage and comment on your topics. I got more engagement in 10 months on HubPages than I ever have on any of my other blogs that I ran for years.
   
   2) Sense of Community
   HubPages offers you the opportunity to connect with people. When you're blogging on your own, you can certainly reach out to the circle of influencers for your niche, but it's work, whereas with HubPages, I can just log-in and connect with people on a variety of topics, ideas, and help. HubPages is focused on building better writing, and that means something. It's good to be around people focused on similar goals.
   
   3) Better Economics
   The most money I've ever made in blogging was on HubPages. You basically have a team of people behind the scenes who are experts at content monetization. The HubPages ad network pays more than Google AdSense ever did on my own blog. HubPages can tap into larger, more lucrative ad networks, so why not put that relationship to work for you. However, I will say, selfishly, I hope VigLink is an option on the table in the future.
   
   4) Accountability
   I've been away from HubPages for a year, and I can tell you that the new content contribution and review structure that's in place is much more accountable; it's designed to help people be better writers and contribute more meaningful and relevant content. I'm in the process of migrating my blog content to HubPages, and just love the new features and requirements, it's helping me improve my writing, create better content, and grow my readership. Panda is here for a while, and we need leadership who can help navigate these issues and innovate the right solutions to get good writers the credit they deserve.
   
   5) Partnership
   Like any venture you do in your life, you need the right partners. I want to focus on writing, not building websites, maintaining code, updating plugins, content monetization, backing up servers, web design, page layouts, javascript, responsive design, web hosting, etc. At HubPages there is an entire team of people focused on all of these things, so put those resources to work for you. HubPages is my partner.
   
   6) Growth
   I love that HubPages is more than just publishing. There are special opportunities for top performers to do more within this community. I hope one day to participate in these opportunities.
   
   I've got a big task ahead of updating and migrating 100 blog articles to HubPages, but look forward to rejoining the community!
   
   Best wishes,
   Jacob

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   1. 79

      formosangirlposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I subscribe to a lot of gossip magazines for free. I even go to their websites. Why? Because it is mindless entertainment. So, I noticed that I have the most traffic between the mindless topics versus the deep reflective ones. I also noticed that it's important to spice it up with seasonal topics. The bottom line: Don't put all your eggs in one basket unless you want to be known as the "pregnancy expert," for example.  Well, for me, I don't want to be an expert at one thing because that's like having a day job, and if I were in the private sector, most couldn't afford me.
      
      I also don't try over spilled milk when HP does not like an article. Those that are questionable go straight to Blogger. And it's all a fishing game. I have fewer readers at Bloggers, but when they do click on an Ad, I keep more. I also try not to care about my articles if for whatever reason, it doesn't gain traffic. Similarly, I have learned at the end of my interviewing days not to care about the outcome and just get through the motion. So, if one treats it as a means of expression, all is good. The more you write, the more exposure you have, just like any columnist in any reputable magazine. Thanks for your impressions and observations; you could have spun an HP article about this.

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2. 84

   rebekahELLEposted 10 years ago

   Welcome back.  You've made some great points.  Blogging and web site management is not for everyone.  Personally I enjoy the HP platform and community.  It appeals to a lot of different kind of writers and has worked itself back up into a nice site ranking.
   It has a global audience and allows for other opportunities that may be more difficult to attain on our own.  Take time with your move and enjoy!

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3. 82

   Solarasposted 10 years ago

   Nice to see you!  And yes, I agree Google AdSense is stingy.

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4. 91

   Suzanne Dayposted 10 years ago

   I also have a similar story to yours and found all the website maintenance plus writing was a bit much, considering the pretty average return in Adsense. I certainly enjoy the community here more. Looking forward to reading your hubs!

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5. 0

   AnnaBella Meadowsposted 10 years ago

   Thank you for posting this. I came to the conclusion HubPages is a better way to reach more readers as well and I too just returned to the site today. There are a few reasons HubPages works better for me than a blogging platform. I feel I can be free to write outside of a niche here instead of just writing parenting articles. Don't get me wrong, a lot of my articles here will be parenting related but I don't feel like that is all I can write about.
   
   Welcome back!

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   1. 73

      Kathleen Cochranposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You can always come back home.  I'll look for those 100 hubs!

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   2. 82

      Solarasposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Welcome back!!

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6. 60

   MPG Narrativesposted 10 years ago

   I've never actually left Hubpages but I have had long gaps in my writing and this is just a time issue. I look forward to reading your articles (and writing more myself). Welcome back.

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7. 82

   WriteAngledposted 10 years ago

   With earnings of $3 per month, if I'm lucky, on 20+ hubs, many of which have taken many hours of research to produce, I find I am getting better ROI on Bubblews, Squidoo and my own web sites.

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8. 68

   Alex Addamsposted 10 years ago

   Thanks all for the thoughtful comments!

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9. 71

   LeanManposted 10 years ago

   While I still remain here I do find better earnings still from my own personal websites through adsense and affiliates. Maybe it just depends on what you write about....
   
   I don't see myself ever retiring my accounts here and will continue to publish (occasionally) as I still have a good chunk of my monthly earnings coming from HP.
   
   As people always are keen to tell people here; never put all your eggs in one basket. Google is very good at smashing eggs..........................

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   1. 41

      Writer Foxposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      +1

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   2. 93

      jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      LOL, love your wisdom, LeanMan. I really need to make a new year's resolution to work on my website. I wish I had more time to do it.

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10. 73

    Kangaroo_Jaseposted 10 years ago

    Don't only ever rely solely on Google Adsense, whether that be here, on your websites, on your blog/s, etc.
    Endeavor to have multiple income streams, not just one.

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