Backlinks? URLs? SEO? Writing is the Easy Part.

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   JoeYoung22posted 9 years ago

   Since my steady stream of freelance work dried up a while back, I have looked into opportunities available in the world of Internet writing. What I found took me way outside of my comfort zone.
   
   In the past, I was given a monthly quota of articles to write. I was comfortable with this- just write the stuff and email it to the site. Now I have to get to grips with terms like backlinking, SEO, URLs, Google AdSense, and all manner of other stuff, all of which is new to me.
   
   Writing is the easy part - understanding all the marketing jargon is a right headache. But I’ll plod on.
   
   I’m not expecting to make a fortune in this manner – I’m a realist – but I would like to maximise the opportunities that are available to me. So, did you find any such difficulties, or is all of this a breeze to you?

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      Tolovajposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Same here. It took me a year to understand why my articles are not getting traffic and another six month to understand why they don't earn money. But the good part is I like to learn new things. So here I am:)

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      Organised Kaosposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, I hear you! Have just spent the last few months learning about SEO, backlinks etc and implemented them also.
      There has been a steady increase, nothing to write home about, but I do see results.
      But by goodness it's hard work and takes absolutely hours! I am looking forward to the "passive income" part of writing hubs!
      Good luck - and Content is King in the long run!

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      donotfearposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed!!!  Yes, and I don't understand a bit of it.

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      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I have gone through the same thing, Joe, and I know it is not easy. I have been writing on the internet for over six years and there are still many things I do not understand. I just keep on keeping on and learn as I can. I write what I feel is quality and let Google take care of the traffic for me. If I see things that will help with traffic then I will revise a hub -- usually, I just write, submit and watch. I also depend a lot on the tips HP offers as I am creating a new hub or editing an old one.

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      ChitrangadaSharanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Same with me!
      When I started writing Online, all these terms were new to me. My children helped me understand these terminologies a lot. I agree with you that writing is enjoyable, but after that the real test begins. I am still not very good at promoting my work. Still learning everyday!

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      kevinfreamposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think anyone finds it easy. And of course in lightning speed everything has changed and the buzz is now "content marketing" or "digital marketing".
      
      Having Google Authorship setup is huge. URLs with keywords separated by dashes is next. After that, it really is good writing, along with formatting for reading online and compelling images or other media.

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   psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

   My approach to content is to write it and let Google traffic come in.  Not spend hours trying to drive traffic.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      JoeYoung22   I felt exactly as you do when I first started writing online, but what I've learned is that the rules keep changing and it is impossible to keep up.  It is very hard to earn much writing on sites like this or even on blogs, so it is not worth worrying about.  Write well and write what you know, tweak where you can and then move on.  This venue just is not what it used to be.

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         IntimatEvolutionposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         So is there a new type of venue to get  into?

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            No, no new venues other than Bubblews, which apparently has many caveats and is no place for serious writers who want real and continuing passive income.

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         Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         "Write well and write what you know, tweak where you can and then move on." Excellent advice TIMETRAVER2. Very simple and very true.

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      wildernessposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm with Psyche - I write it and leave it alone.
      
      I DID "go to school" for quite a while, learning about SEO and the rest of the marketing/jargon stuff though, and find it beneficial.  When I write, I write with that in mind.

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   NateB11posted 9 years ago

   I know what you mean. It took me awhile to get used to the non-writing part of Internet writing. It truly is more difficult; because it's not my forte. Of course, that's not saying I'm totally used to it; just a little more comfortable with it.

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      donotfearposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I hear ya!!!

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4. 87

   IzzyMposted 9 years ago

   You don't need to backlink or do any of that offsite stuff.
   
   If you pay close attention to SEO and find a topic which doesn't have a lot of competition, your hub can do well.
   
   If you choose to add backlinks, your hub possibly could do even better, but there is always the risk that Google might decide to penalise your subdomain and kill your traffic.
   
   Better to just write the best hub you can and fingers crossed that it will beat out the higher-ranked competition.
   
   Hubpages is a powerful platform, you should be able to achieve page 1 status  for a lot of topics. This should bring you a steady stream of traffic and earnings which add up over time.
   
   All the more reason to choose evergreen topics.

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      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, evergreen topics are the best way to go for me. I agree Izzy, HP is a powerful platform and well worth the effort to hang in here. I love HP and enjoy the community.

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   The Examiner-1posted 9 years ago

   At first it is brand new, then you take it one step at a time and get used to each as you go along. Find out what you are having the most problems with and search for answers. Then practice, practice, practice.
   As you are improving on everything it is always new because there are constantly changes on the Internet which you have to get used to. You must take it all in stride.

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6. 85

   JoeYoung22posted 9 years ago

   Thanks for your replies everyone - much appreciated. I guess the thing to do is to keep driving the car and learn what the road signs mean along the way.
   
   I've posted 17 hubs, and not earned much - but money isn't my motivation. I enjoy coming on here and I'll continue to keep on posting and learning.
   
   Cheers

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7. 61

   Claire Roachposted 9 years ago

   Joe, honestly, it all just takes time.
   
   It took me years and years to get my knowledge of SEO  etc up to scratch, it simply comes from asking questions and a loads of Googling!!
   
   You will pick it all up in time, Google is your friend...
   
   In the mean time, just keep writing good quality articles, then compare the difference between your highly scored hubs and low scoring hubs.
   
   The main part to focus on is your title, this is what draws people in, think what YOU would put in a search bar.....most often titles are for instance:
   
   10 ways to make your flowers last longer
   
   but if you wanted your flowers to last longer what would you type in? probably something like...
   
   How can I make my flowers last longer?
   
   So for the title I would use the latter and then you can add the "10 ways" part in the subheading, which will also get shown in the search results but won't be the main focus.
   
   Hope this helps

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      JoeYoung22posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It does help, Claire - especially that about the headings. I'll look at my existing hubs and maybe see if I can improve them that way. Thanks for taking the time to reply 

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         Claire Roachposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         You're welcome

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   writerlillyposted 9 years ago

   I work in digital marketing so backlinks and SEO are what I deal with on a daily basis. Here's my advice: FOCUS on writing good content. Don't worry too much about the SEO.
   
   Google is catching on and within the last two years has made two three algorithm adjustments as well as completely altered the algorithms. Google is giving penalties to sites that are getting their links from sites that used to be allowed to be used to gain backlinks like certain article directory-type places. Those might have been legit int he past but no longer today Thankfully, Hubpages is not in the category. They got hit long ago and have learned their lesson.
   
   Focus on writing good quality content. Think about social places where you can promote it like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or other places you think people might be interested in reading about it.
   
   It'll take some time, a few months, for you to gather traffic, but just keep at it.

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      JoeYoung22posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your encouraging comments, writerlilly. I shall indeed keep at it

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      writerlily:  Yours is the best advice I have seen.  When you get so buried in SEO, etc. you lose your focus.  Yes, there are a few simple things you can do such as good titles, etc...but the real focus should be on good quality...which means well organized, well written hubs on articles that may be of interest.  Even then, making much money for most will be limited, but at least your work will be read and appreciated.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         ClaireRoache:  Your advice is excellent and has caused me to go back through every hub to make some corrections that I think will improve things for me.  Thank you.

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9. 93

   Room of My Ownposted 9 years ago

   One of the things I learned about writing online is that there's a big difference between writing for a print reading audience and writing for a web reading audience. Snappy headlines, rich language and clever puns aren't always conducive to writing for SEO.
   Good luck with your online writing adventures! I know I've had a lot of fun being a part of this and many other online writing communities!

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   1. 85

      JoeYoung22posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      This is a good point - and one I didn't pick up on immediately. I used to edit a magazine for a local business forum, and I was fortunate enough to get an interview with Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio. For the magazine's purposes, the headline 'Clever Trevor' was ideal, but this would be useless if I reproduced the interview online. In that case, a more informative 'Trevor Baylis Interview' would be better.
      
      Thanks for commenting.

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    Vik Belusoposted 9 years ago

    I totally agree with this.  What attracted me to writing was precisely not having to mess with marketing etc..., but there you go.

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    web-toolsposted 9 years ago

    Writing has become easy when you have researched a lot and full of information on particular topic.
    
    Everyone is expert in their field, one more thing, people always think their work hard in comparison to other work.
    
    Creating Backlinks, SEO, URLs and writing are different activities.
    
    Here is the hierarchy:
    
    SEO > URLs>Creating Backlinks
    
    SEO> Content Marketing> Writing

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    magictrickshqposted 9 years ago

    Traffic is a hard thing to generate overnight.
    
    I try to comment on lots of other blogs in my niche, especially if they have comment luv.
    
    Also becoming well known in your niche will earn you backlinks because the people know and trust what you write.
    
    It takes time.
    
    I also use google keyword planner to see what words get traffic and market samurai to see if I can get on page one off google.
    
    If you are interested, I have written a few posts on my blog on this.
    
    <link snipped>

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