How have people’s earnings been during the pandemic?

1. 92

   SerenityHaloposted 3 years ago

   Mine still haven’t gone back to the level they were at before the pandemic.
   
   My views lately have been trailing down. For the past couple of months things have been somewhat stagnant.
   
   I think overall earnings for 2021 will be better than 2020.

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   1. 72

      Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      It's likely.                                   During the pandamic, many freelancing, or magazine writing websites had a down side. HubPages, was not excempt.

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         Nyamweyaposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         really? but my site received some level of increase

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   2. 68

      OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      My earnings are way up compared to prior years.  I had more time to write during the pandemic so I published lots of new articles.

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      1. 72

         Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Lots of new articles? I wrote some. And try publishing at most four.                                               The others are yet to see the light of the computer keyboard.

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      2. 60

         Nyamweyaposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         this was actually the same case with me

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   3. 85

      Sherry Hewinsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Mine did great during the pandemic, especially before Amazon cut our earnings. Now my stats are on the downslide.

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   4. 92

      SerenityHaloposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Reading all these comments has been enlightening. Thank you.

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   5. 93

      Thelma Albertsposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      My earning is getting better this year compared to last year 2020.

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2. 96

   PaulGoodman67posted 3 years ago

   2018 and to an extent 2019 were two of the best years I've had.
   
   2020 was truly awful, despite me putting in lots of work. Amazon halving their commission percentages was also a body blow.
   
   2021, we got a benevolent algo update which made things good until the end of May, when Google dropped us down again.
   
   I don't think pandemic has had much effect really, it's all been about Google and Amazon.

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   1. 92

      SerenityHaloposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      This is close to my experience. 2018 and 2019 were great. Things were in good shape until March 2020.
      
      Things slowly climbed up in 2020 and then have stayed stagnant for the most part. The slow climb never reached the earnings I had in 2018 and 2019.
      
      What exactly did Google do?

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         Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         'What exactly did Google do?' I''m just curious as well.

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      2. 96

         PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Google regularly changes its algorithm. That affects where articles appear in the rankings. Google effectively controls the amount of traffic that a site gets. If you want more info, go to a site like SEO Roundtable which focuses on this area.

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            Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you, PaulGoodman. You're a goodman for updating us on what's happening  in the Gongle closet. Thank you, again.

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   2. 59

      TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      ++++++ That's really interesting to know. On Medium, I'm currently earning $80 to $100 per day.

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      1. 72

         Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         Tess, you made that? That's fantastic! Congratulations!

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      2. 92

         SerenityHaloposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         That is awesome. I’ve only written a couple of articles on Medium. I’m not sure how to write for it yet. I’ve made zero so far.

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         1. 59

            TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            It's really hard. Despite what all the successful gurus tell you, there is an element of luck in that you write what the editors are looking for on a particular day, and if they like it, and it goes viral, you make money. I made $2200 on one article, and it's still earning - although nowhere near as much.
            
            Formating is important. The algorithm kicks you off if you don't format to Medium's style. And best articles are about IT, politics, self-improvement, and business/money. Also about how to write.
            
            I wrote about politics.

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         2. 72

            Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            I've heard about Medium thrice by now this year 2021.                                                   Twice I migrated to Medium's website. But it seems that my small TECNO phone is too outdated to access the site fully.                                                                                  A laptop or computer will do. Mine has a motherboard issue.

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            1. 59

               TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Unfortunately, if you really want to get serious about writing, you do need a laptop. A phone simply cannot do what a laptop can.

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               1. 72

                  Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  Tess, yes I agree with you. I'm even earger to get the motherboard issue resolve. Much thanks again.

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               2. 60

                  Nyamweyaposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  exactly, this is very true

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      3. 96

         PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I plan to try medium soon. I am wary of it though, because it's not passive earning, you're stepping onto a treadmill, and secondly, they keep changing their business plan and traffic seems to be in freefall there. But I could do with some extra bucks to make up for what Google have taken away. I'm still hopeful that we might get back some HP traffic as this ongoing algo change progresses, but it's unpredictable.

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         1. 59

            TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            A while back, I started several streams of income - Amazon affiliates, ebooks (Amazon, and Smashwords which sells at all online bookstores), and Medium. I am now also investigating low content books, and I'm planning on uploading ebooks to Google Play shortly.
            
            As you have pointed out, all these things come and go. I've been doing it since 1999, and I do not have one bit of belief that at some point they all fade.
            
            Medium has been changing its payment plans. That's because everybody was gaming the system. You were paid according to the number of claps you received. So everybody clapped for everybody else and nobody read anything.
            
            Then Ev Williams changed it to read time. So now you only get paid if people read you. This is great if you write good stuff. It is not great if you write rubbish. A lot of people saw their income vanish into fresh air - because they weren't actually been read.
            
            If you set up, and you need help, let me know. I'll let you have the details.

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            1. 72

               Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

               Tess, thanks for all these detail information. I will get in touch with you if ever I register.

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3. 93

   eugbugposted 3 years ago

   Earnings are up on last years amounts. I wish Google would index my Medium articles. 6 months since I published and still only 3 or 4 views. There isn't much point writing anything more there if that doesn't happen.

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   1. 60

      Nyamweyaposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I think this essentially depends on the quality and niche of your article

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4. 89

   Jodahposted 3 years ago

   My income has been rising slowly over the last three months.

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      Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Congratulations!!!

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5. 85

   NateB11posted 3 years ago

   Earnings much better than last year and better than it was a month or so ago. I feel HP is doing something right in that department for sure.

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6. 96

   viryaboposted 3 years ago

   I can’t really complain. During the pandemic months - 2020 till about a month ago, I saw good earnings. This month so far, not great like the previous months.

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7. 84

   FatFreddysCatposted 3 years ago

   It's been the same ol' same ol' for me, pandemic or no pandemic. Some months are good, other months suck.  This current month happens to be one that sucks.

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   1. 84

      FatFreddysCatposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I have to amend that "this current month happens to be one that sucks" comment, because after a dismal start, the last two weeks of June suddenly picked up big time for me. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm certainly not complaining either.

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      1. 92

         SerenityHaloposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         For me May and June were about the same. They were, however, better than previous months.

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8. 72

   Miebakagh57posted 3 years ago

   It seems luck plays a part in the generic sense.

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9. 72

   Miebakagh57posted 3 years ago

   That I agree. No one person or two has the key or knowledge to all the issues.                                      Seriously, we have to learn from one another. This proves the point that two heads are better than one. I also learn many things from this discussion, which I could not get from elsewhere.

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   1. 96

      PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

      The questions like "When do we get paid?", "Why is my author score not higher?" and "Can we only get paid by PayPal?" get a bit tedious after a few years though.
      
      In my humble opinion, aside from knowing/learning how to write, which is obviously crucial, the other thing that's important is to have an overall grasp of how the search engines work. You really don't have to understand all the ins and outs, but you do need to have some understanding of things like keywords, ranking, etc. if you're going to succeed on here and that takes a bit of time.

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      1. 59

         TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         ++++++++ And I have to say that when I initially joined Hubpages in 2010, there was an incredibly active forum with a lot of people teaching about SEO. I learnt a lot from that. I was, however, totally flabbergasted when, after putting that all in written form so that everybody had access to it, one of the people on the forum totally climbed into me for sharing that knowledge.
         
         It appeared that he enjoyed the power of sharing all the information on the forum but didn't want want anyone else to be able to read it on hubpages. After all these years I still remember that.
         
         Hubpages has changed a lot since those days. It is, actually, not the same place, and I miss Marisa and a lot of other people.

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         1. 72

            Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

            When I join HubPages, I  had no knowledge of  SEO or the Learning Center. Nor knowledge of the various forums.                                        Search terms, long tail or key words had no place in my mind. Nor SERP. But I was writing very specific. I was taugh that in my English composition class. I think that help me pass Boot Camp.                                      My very first article was about making passive income. I think it got 1000 views within a week. Not so bad for a novice.                                          Then I met Mary Norton, James Moore, and many others. Some now drift out of HubPages.                                           Interestly, discussions in the forums and comments has help me gain an understanding of the hubpages writing school.                                      Merisa? That balleting lady from Australia? I think she now lives at Medium.com/ She's a very terrific person here.  She and me would augue and would hardly  come to an understanting. Miss her.

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10. 92

    SerenityHaloposted 3 years ago

    I haven't used the forums too often while on Hubpages. I haven't been very focused on the building community aspects of this site. It probably could have been helpful for me and prevented some silliness. Writing isn't meant to be a solitary act or done in a vacuum. 
    
    I decided to see how others were fairing with the pandemic and if their issues were similar to mine. It's clear to me now that everyone is dealing with something different. Some people have had gains, some losses, some people didn't see much change at all. For me... the pandemic has been rough.
    
    I may have had a big negative setback because most of my hubs have been about socialization, dating, etc. Those things were not as high of concerns for people as they were in the past. I also haven't gone back to edit many things, which would probably be helpful... however, at the moment I'm focused on putting up new content.
    
    Until I've reached a certain number of hubs, I'm delaying doing a giant editing / scrub.
    
    2021 has been the most I've ever paid attention to my numbers and tracked them. My hope is to bring my numbers back and then some. 
    
    My fear would be that previous years were the bubble and what I see now is reality.

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11. 81

    bhattucposted 3 years ago

    We all hope so. All the best.

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12. 84

    Ben716posted 3 years ago

    My earnings have returned to the normal level prior to the pandemic, and have slightly increased. 2020 was a terrible year since I was reaching the threshold every two months.
    Things will look better for the remainder of the Year.

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    1. 72

       Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

       I agree with your last sentense.

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       1. 84

          Ben716posted 3 years agoin reply to this

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13. 96

    PaulGoodman67posted 3 years ago

    This latest newsletter confirmed what I already knew, that my views dropped 10 percent in the previous week. That's on top of the 15-20% hit earlier in the month. I home things turn around in July/August. June's been a tough month.

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    1. 59

       TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

       I wonder if there is a trend where people simply aren't searching that much anymore, or if people are doing more writing than reading. Medium started paying prizes of $500 to its top 1000 writers each month (I'm lucky to have received them), and then discovered that the criteria was to have been involved on the site a lot.
       
       Why would they do that?
       
       Newsbreak, Vocal, Club, etc. are all becoming heavy competition. Vocal, in particular, is offering numerous prizes (up to $25,000) to writers, and these are being sponsored by reputable sites. Medium's traffic dropped substantially.
       
       There are other things. A lot of people have died. My ex-husband died of Covid. I know so many people that have had it that I've lost count. A lot of people are left with Long Covid so reading and writing might not be as plentiful as it once was.
       
       In between all this, we have lost focus of an increasing number of natural disasters that have been happening. It's possible that these things are having an impact on people searching on the web. I would love to know if Google's traffic is down in general.

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       1. 92

          SerenityHaloposted 3 years agoin reply to this

          I’m sorry to hear about the loss and sadness you’ve experienced during the pandemic. COVID is no picnic. I do support vaccines and hope more people can get them. I wish vaccines had never been politicized. They should really just be a conversation with health professionals.
          
          
          
          I assume Google’s numbers were very different starting in 2020. More people were working from home, more people without jobs, and a whole new way of socializing. There was likely an uptick from that.
          
          But, as you have noted, there would be several reasons and factors that would contribute to a downturn in numbers. People have serious stuff happening to them. I definitely had negative things happen in my life during all this.
          
          I suppose the best question, which might make for a new forum post, is what would be most helpful for people to read at this time? What exactly is relevant?

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       2. 96

          PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

          There's not been a drop in views on the internet overall, that I'm aware of. If anything, people have been more reliant on the internet during the pandemic. The recent drops in traffic at HP and Medium relate to those sties, not a wider trend, I believe.
          
          The numbers of people searching and visiting websites are widely available via SERush etc. The numbers haven't dropped overall. The trend for traditional commerce and businesses to move online has continued and, if anything, accelerated.
          
          As I understand it, Medium's previous business plan wasn't working, so it was changed and  they're trying to pull in new writers, using incentives. Because the CEO did Twitter, Blogger, they can attract venture capitol and not worry about profitability in the short term. Traffic has been falling there since March, however.
          
          I plan to give Medium a go, so you may hear from me, Tess! Hehe!

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       3. 86

          tsmogposted 3 years agoin reply to this

          You peaked my curiosity and searched "How often do people search on internet". The snippet reads:
          
          "Google doesn't share its search volume data. However, it's estimated Google processes approximately 63,000 search queries every second, translating to 5.6 billion searches per day and approximately 2 trillion global searches per year. The average person conducts between three and four searches each day."
          
          It came from an article by HubSpot and has 2021 information in it. An interesting read. It is titled 25 Google Search Statistics to Bookmark ASAP.

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          1. 92

             SerenityHaloposted 3 years agoin reply to this

             Fascinating. I actually thought more people around the world would have been searching per second.
             
             The number of searches a person does in a day is lower than I thought as well. Three to four searches isn't very many.
             
             I might be an overly curious person based on these findings.

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          2. 72

             Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

             tsmog, thank you for the update on Google and the search trend. It's really enlightening.

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                tsmogposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                Your welcome!

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          3. 59

             TessSchlesingerposted 3 years agoin reply to this

             +++ Thanks. The reason I asked was that if Google searches were down, it might explain that it's a general trend.

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             1. 96

                PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                According to SEMRUSH, Google.com traffic was 3.5 billion two years ago, now it's 4.5 billion. I'd post a screenshot of the graph if I was less lazy!

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          4. 61

             nehanatu86posted 3 years agoin reply to this

             That's really interesting. Thank you for sharing!

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                Miebakagh57posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                That I agreed. Thanks likewise.

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