INCOME At The HUB Possibilities?

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60
Beth LKposted 13 years ago
I have posted several questions recently as I try to decide if I will write "for" the HUB or write and post on my own domain site.
I can see pros and cons for both. Hence my reason for asking several questions the past few days.

I have also been trying to answer a lot of my questions on my own by reading other posts in the forum. Which leads me to my next question.

With the recent changes here at hub is the income potential still here that I read about in 2011?

I used caps for the word INCOME in my subject line, as I am seeking ways to create income not fun money

When I heard about the hub in 2011 and came over and did a lot of reading it seemed to be a possible source for that goal. However now I am questioning it as of everything I am reading from members since the changes have been put into practice.

Opinions & Thoughts Please
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Will Apseposted 13 years ago
Most people just say hubpages. The HUB sounds like some centre of evil in a sci fi novel.

But yes you can make money. And the various changes over the last year favor good writers.
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LeanManposted 13 years ago
The term paralysis by analysis comes to mind, we all spend too long trying to decide what is the best decision rather than getting on and actually doing something.. You can make money on HP, your own sites and a host of other sites; all have their pros and cons but the best thing to do is just jump in and start somewhere rather than worrying for weeks over which will be the best...

Write everywhere!!
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Dame Scribeposted 13 years ago
A lot of the income is derived from having multiple sites You can use your adsense on other sites too for extra $$ and link juice there is no real wrong method. HP offers their own sources of income and it does work
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WryLiltposted 13 years ago
I only wrote on Hubpages for the first year. In early 2011, the Panda slap decimated my earnings, just when I quit my job to work at home full time.

I learnt my lesson. Now I don't depend on one site to give me income - it can be taken away in a day, rules can change or you can get banned.

Now I write on a half dozen revenue sharing sites (for "loose" articles, backlinks and to see how topics do) but also have a good handful of my own sites.

Spread out, see what works - but try and write in more than one location.
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1. 89
  Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  +1
  
  If you want to make a living online, it will take much more than just one site. Reading your profile, you've already chosen a particular topic: with that in mind, I would suggest the following strategy:
  
  1. Create a blog or website about your chosen topic. Choose a domain name for it that reflects the subject (i.e.not your name!). If you're really serious, get hosting and use Wordpress software right from the start - there's a big learning curve, but hosts like Hostgator have excellent live support. Later, you'll be glad you made the effort.
  
  2. Also write on HubPages and other revenue-sharing sites (Infobarrel, Wizzley, Xobba, PubWages, ThisisFreelance, Excerptz - there are lots). Write articles on your chosen topic. Link back to your blog in these articles, as well as linking them to each other across platforms. That way, you get a network of links promoting your blog and your articles - these are all valuable in Google's eyes. Plus you're raising your profile as an authority on the subject on the net.
  
  On that score - I suggest you either use a full name (first name and surname). It doesn't have to be your real name if you'd prefer to protect your privacy - you can use a pen name, as I do. It just looks more professional.
  
  I've written a few Hubs about getting started. My Hub about monetizing a blog would be useful - I wrote it for people using Blogger, but it's just as relevant for Wordpress.
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2. 42
  Ashish Dadgaaposted 8 years agoin reply to this
  Hey Susannah,
  
  If you don't mind, can you please share which is the others revenue generating sites?
  
  Blessings,
  
  Regards,
  Ashish
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Hypersapienposted 13 years ago
I'm relatively new here and only recently became somewhat active, but I would advise against putting all your eggs in one basket. I think you'll want to have several sources of income, so don't view it as an either/or choice. Personally, I'm doing Hubpages, Squidoo, and a few others, but I also have my own niche sites and am working on affiliate sales.
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86
mistyhorizon2003posted 13 years ago
Yes you can make a reasonable income.

No, don't rely on this one site for your only source of online income.

The changes over the last year or so have impacted on many writers, whether they were excellent or below average writers.

Write a lot and very often if you want to make money.

Don't expect any significant income until most of your hubs have been published for at least 12-18 months. By then if they are any good they will have climbed up Google's Search Engine Rankings (providing no more weird algorithms muck that up).

Basically (being honest) it is a gamble, and personally I have articles over six sites including this one. Yes I make most of my money here, (90% of my articles are here), but also my earnings here have dropped a huge amount since Google brought out one of the recent 'Panda' updates (about 40% +). It is definitely making me think more about writing less here and more on the other sites I already have stuff on (including my own site). Google don't seem to like HP much anymore

Hope this helps
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1. 61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  You're seeing less traffic now? Are you 100% sure about that?
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  67
  relacheposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  According to my Google Analytics I'm seeing less traffic.
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  61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I was talking about mistyhorizon2003. Every person's traffic is different, although, as a site altogether, you can see traffic figures at quantcast.com.
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  Will Apseposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  The slip in views is apparent at quantcast now. Something is happening. Recent Google tweaks have been going against us. Or maybe a change at Hubpages is responsible.
  
  This is looking less and less like the little temporary downturn I assumed it was last week.
  
  http://www.quantcast.com/hubpages.com
  
  It seems to be the established writers with older accounts who are suffering most. Perhaps the Google freshness update is kicking in.
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  61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Maybe. Maybe not.
  
  I tend to open up the Quantcast period to Aug 2011 (post-Panda recovery). There was a peak in mid-February that we've dropped from. A Panda-like plunge? No.
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  Will Apseposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I was just looking at quantcast when you replied, lol. Then I amended my comment above.
  
  It does seem to be the people who have been here a long time who are reporting the worst losses. I have lost 20 percent in the last week, myself.
  
  The site as a whole isn't slipping disastrously but the peaks and troughs are lower over the last month.
  
  Of course, if it is a Google thing, they could tweak the algo again next month if it isn't delivering the results that they want.
  
  And I agree it is not Panda, by the way. It is some other update.
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  71
  WryLiltposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Hate to be the devil's advocate (I'm sure most people know my views on HP and I'm still stinging from last year's lesson) but in this case it could just be the post-Christmas slump.
  
  Generally it keeps dropping towards summer. And then it may just be things like trends, weather and people's changing use of the internet.
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  Will Apseposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I'm not given to hasty gloom myself so I hope that you are right.
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  61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  And your traffic has also never been higher. Three times as high as it was before Panda.
  
  What exactly are you stinging from?
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  Will Apseposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I am doing a lot better now than pre-panda but a sudden downward trend deserves some attention. For one thing, you never know where things will bottom out.
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  IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Of course you don't. You could end up like me, a forum regular, always ready to help out new hubbers, but not really part of the site because your traffic doesn't bring in enough earnings.
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  61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Sure. My theory is that the nofollowing of Pinterest links had an effect. But it's just a theory, because it could just be things settling after the surge in February.
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  71
  WryLiltposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Yes, it is now higher. Probably also due to the content ageing nicely.
  
  I'm stinging from not only the slap but the team's attitude following it.
  
  It's kinda like dating someone who cheats on you and then turns into the perfect partner. Once you've got that distrust it's hard to get rid of.
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  61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Hmm... well, we had a lot of griping about our policies post-Panda, and our traffic recovery seems to have vindicated the measures we took.
  
  I seem to remember you among the voices that said that HubPages would never recover. Not only were you wrong about that as a whole, you were wrong with respect to your own account (a tripling of traffic is not the result of aging).
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  71
  WryLiltposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Yes, I was wrong in saying that Hubpages would never recover. From memory the main change that brought back the traffic was the subdomains NOT the many changes to the rules.
  
  From memory, Hubpages have said themselves that articles can take up to three years to reach their peak. Pre-panda my articles were continuing to increase and they are still doing that, now the site is more stable once again. Yes it's probably partly due to subdomains but quite likely also due to ageing.
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  61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Not quite. Look at Suite101. Their lift from a move to subdomains was short lived.
  
  The stricter content standards were very much part of the recovery in traffic. It's just odd to see protestations from those who were beneficiaries of our policy changes.
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  75
  IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I am here longer than you, therefore my hubs have aged more than yours,agreed?
  Your traffic is three times pre-Panda levels, mine is pre-Panda minus 80%.
  
  Now, you are not a better writer than me. I have un-SEO'd hubs, probably you have too. Some hubs can't be saved that way.
  
  A fellow writer cmhypno, is in the same boat. Even if you think my hubs are crap, are hers too? I don't think so.
  
  There are other forces at work.
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  71
  WryLiltposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  (Wouldn't let me reply to your post probably because it's too far right?)
  
  I think we'll have to agree to disagree.
  
  And I've had too many "The end justifies the means" situations in my life to appreciate that being used as justification, whether the ends were actually what were aimed for or not. (Yes I think there is bad grammar in that sentence somewhere!)
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  71
  WryLiltposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I see your point Izzy.
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  75
  IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Have you read your hubs aloud, Will? You may find they don't read as well as you thought they did!
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  Will Apseposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I have written some crap in my money grubbing efforts but I let the readers vote with their feet then bend to their will and delete.
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  75
  IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  You know I was just joking...
  
  But on a serious note, when Google sticks the boot in, the readers don't get a chance to read and vote.
  And there is some real crap at the top these days.
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  86
  mistyhorizon2003posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Yes, I am 100% sure about that. I was on over 10,000 views a day after Oct 14th, for the last few weeks I have been struggling to hit 7000. Look at my figures, you have them! (don't forget to factor in that crazy skylancers.net incident the other day of course, as this artificially upped my views by nearly 18,000 in one day, and I reported this to you and have the emails exchanged between HP and me as proof). Is it possible you forgot to check (or allow for) this Jason???
  
  In the last few days since Panda was run again it has been even more of a struggle and in spite of publishing a new hub every day in March my figures are barely staying the same as they were beforehand. Hubs that were on well over 1200+ views a day are now under 700. Something is very wrong here!
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  61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Your traffic pre-Panda was in the 2000 views/day range, and now in the 7000+ views/day range. You might see some fluctuations now, but you are clearly getting a lot more traffic now after the Panda recovery than even before Panda.
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  86
  mistyhorizon2003posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Read my post again Jason, I said the 'recent' Panda update, not the original Panda release, (note the date Oct 14th quoted in my recent post). I did not say Feb 2011 anywhere that I can see! (original Panda release into the wild).
  
  Edit, and where are the other 3400 viewings a day I was getting up until a month or so back? My views have most definitely dropped by about 40% recently, as I was getting 10400 + a day as you will see if you check back on my views in recent months.
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  61
  Jason Menayanposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I don't know, Mistyhorizon2003. That 3400 views you are missing now you didn't have just a few months ago. It seems like since September, your traffic has been bouncing around between 7000-10000 daily. That you're in a relative lull doesn't mean Google has taken all your traffic away; in fact, they are sending you more than three times the traffic they were sending you before Panda.
  
  So your statement that Google doesn't seem to like HubPages anymore is apparently untrue, even with respect to your account.
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  86
  mistyhorizon2003posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  In Oct 2011 my viewings went up a great deal, and I posted in forums saying as much, whilst updating my figures every half hour or so. I know (as you do) that in the last few weeks those viewings have dropped off from over 10,000 to barely 7000. Daily right now they appear to be dropping lots of views (since the last couple of Panda runs). To illustrate this point one of my top two performing articles was on around 1400 views a day, this article has dropped to under 500 per day since the last Panda run. Another article was on 1700 views a day most days, this is now on about 900 per day since the recent Panda run. That is a whole lot more than 'a lull' in my book!
  
  I am not trying to make a complaint about my traffic here anyway, (which seems to be how my original comment has been taken). I simply answered a question posed by a new hubber honestly as opposed to misleading them. I would only ask the same if the position was reversed (as I am sure you would).
  
  (only at weekends were my views dropping as low as you imply. Most days they were well over 10,000 and dropped to 8000-9000 over Fri-Sun, now I look at today and I am on 6846 right now, and no doubt this will drop to under 6000 this weekend).
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  73
  KeithTaxposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  They made up for it with mine. So the universe is in balance.
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  73
  KeithTaxposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Yes.
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2. 0
  kelleywardposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Mistyhorizon thanks for answering many questions I have had! I love the detail you gave!
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  86
  mistyhorizon2003posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  You are very welcome kelleyward, I prefer to tell it as it is, and wish you all the best here.
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75
IzzyMposted 13 years ago
What would these girls be like if they dropped that much traffic since Panda? They don't seem to know they are born!
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1. 86
  mistyhorizon2003posted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Izzy, you know I like you a whole lot, right? This is not me having a whinge about my earnings dropping in the recent times, or 'not knowing I am born'. This is about answering the original poster's question on the income possibilities from HP. I answered this honestly with the following text:
  
  "Yes you can make a reasonable income.
  
  No, don't rely on this one site for your only source of online income.
  
  The changes over the last year or so have impacted on many writers, whether they were excellent or below average writers.
  
  Write a lot and very often if you want to make money.
  
  Don't expect any significant income until most of your hubs have been published for at least 12-18 months. By then if they are any good they will have climbed up Google's Search Engine Rankings (providing no more weird algorithms muck that up).
  
  Basically (being honest) it is a gamble, and personally I have articles over six sites including this one. Yes I make most of my money here, (90% of my articles are here), but also my earnings here have dropped a huge amount since Google brought out one of the recent 'Panda' updates (about 40% +). It is definitely making me think more about writing less here and more on the other sites I already have stuff on (including my own site). Google don't seem to like HP much anymore"
  
  *******
  
  What I didn't expect was my comment to be incorrectly interpreted and to be virtually accused of lying because it hadn't been read properly!! I was not complaining about a drop in income, even though it is my ONLY personal income. I was attempting to pass on the realities of writing here to someone asking a question.
  
  I am genuinely sorry that both you and Randy have been particularly unfortunate in your post Panda experiences, and I wish I could reverse this somehow for you. I really hope things get better for both of you soon and something changes that will help your figures go up.
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  60
  Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Thanks for your good wishes, Misty. I've been reading this thread and been tempted to post, but you know what position I'm in now!
  
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Wesman Todd Shawposted 13 years ago
I don't make a lot here - but my niches are not high paying niches. I only try to kick A$$ in what I choose to write about, and for the most part, Google agrees.

I DO increase my earnings here most months. I've continually learned how to make a "good hub" though, and it's DEFINITELY a learning process, and a game of patience.

Yes, you can make money here, but your expectations are not something I'm familiar with. What are your expectations, and what kinds of things do you write about? Knowing the answers to those two questions would lead me, personally, to be able to give you some sort of general answer, but then I'd still need to see your work to assess my opinion of it's quality.
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sunforgedposted 13 years ago

Looks like a drink and post issue, lol
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1. 75
  IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Totally missed your point, but that looks like a boring party!
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Will Apseposted 13 years ago
There are some people in this thread who would probably get more satisfaction pulling the wings off flies. So I am heading back to my new Kindle- my favorite toy ever. Goodnight all.
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1. 75
  IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  In a chatroom, your comment would probably carry more weight,Will.
  
  This is a forum. Your comment tomorrow is irrelevant.
  
  Nobody pulls the wings of flies, neither here nor wherever your imagination takes you, on this thread.
  
  Traffic loss to any of us, is a serious matter.
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  71
  WryLiltposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  Izzy and Will you both have a point.
  
  Will - no matter how we dissect it, some things can't be explained unless we befriend the algorithm programming team at G headquarters.
  
  Izzy - Yes. It is. And I keep hoping to see a thread from you with "OMG my traffic just increased by 2500%!" as the title.
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2. 78
  Wesman Todd Shawposted 13 years agoin reply to this
  I was born with better toys than a kindle..... :;
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Will Apseposted 8 years ago
This thread is 4 years old. HP is pretty much the only viable revenue sharing site left.
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1. 42
  Ashish Dadgaaposted 8 years agoin reply to this
  @Will,
  
  You are right Will. I was going through your 4 years old comments and comparing it with today's situation and scenario.
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  Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this
  I must admit it, I just took a look at this thread and it is pretty illustrative of the doom and gloom that seized the site as Panda gradually gobbled it up. And the doom-sayers were proven right, unfortunately.
  
  I am fairly optimistic about the future of the niche sites, though.
  
  They have some issues,of course.
  
  1. The link loops between the network sites are the main worry (maybe try getting rid of them from a test niche, see how much traffic, if any, you lose). When the best pages have gone to the niches, the link juice will be heading in the direction of the main domain. The poor quality of the pages on the main domain will forever doom it to Panda slaps, why waste that link juice?
  
  2. HP might be tempted to fill up the niches with stocking fillers.
  
  3. Writers need to earn money to get the kind of good quality content HP require. HP are not responsible for the tough online earning environment but they could look at maximizing revenue.
  
  4. HP have shown no real sign that they understand the possibilities of the niche sites. There are so many ways to develop them, from social media and new advertising models to unique site features.
  
  They need some creative editors to give them direction and get the best from them.
  
  edit: one thing that annoys me these days is just how tedious the forums have become. Unbanning a few people would help. These lifetime bans are just insane. If someone cares enough about your site to lose it now and again, you do not want to get rid of them.
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  89
  Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this
  +1
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  71
  WryLiltposted 8 years agoin reply to this
  I agree about the social media promotion. Social promotion for each site could build up huge traffic for each niche.
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  Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this
  As long as someone else is doing it, fine by me. It's one of those areas of capitalism that makes me think that Marx had a point.
  reply report

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