- How HubPages Works
- Finding Success on HubPages
- How do I build readership on HubPages?
There are three primary means by which most Hubbers build a strong readership on HubPages:
- They publish in-depth, high-quality, search-friendly articles on subjects about which they are particularly knowledgeable and passionate.
- They publish these articles regularly.
- They actively engage with the HubPages community by commenting on others' work, getting involved in special programs like contests, and sharing their tips and findings in the Forums.
- How can I get more traffic from search engines?
An article's title plays an incredibly important role in determining whether or not that article will rank well (or appear at all) in search engine results. Successful titles...
- Are short and descriptive (fewer than 65 characters)
- Mirror common search terms / keywords (things people would type into Google when conducting searches on your article's subject)
- Provide information that cannot easily be found elsewhere online (admit it—you're not the only one to publish an apple pie recipe)
- Are bolstered by content provided by someone who is passionate or knowledgeable about the subject at hand
For more detail, stop by our Learning Center guide to crafting successful, search-friendly titles.
The quality and informational value of an article will also determine how well it ranks in search engine results. Generally speaking, we recommend composing articles that...
- Are at least 800 words long, although we suggest shooting for 1,150-1,500 words for a better chance of success.
- Contain at least three related, high-resolution, properly used and attributed images
- Contain a custom summary (which can be entered in the HubTool under the title)
- Are formatted in an attractive manner
- Are easy to skip around (Online readers who arrive at articles from search engines tend to have short attention spans.)
You may also want to consider whether any of these are appropriate for your particular article:
- A Video Capsule (ideally with a video you made yourself)
- A Map or Table Capsule
- A Poll Capsule
For more information on creating super high-quality articles, review Elements of a Stellar Article in the Learning Center.
Permalink - What makes an article good and successful?
Successful articles are often written by people who are truly passionate and uniquely knowledgeable about the subjects they address. They are rich, in-depth, and bolstered with useful media, concrete facts, and reader-friendly formatting (which is to say, they're easy to skip around, and it is easy to quickly find important facts).
With regard to specific elements, we have found that the most successful articles contain…
- Unique utility (they add something new and valuable to the internet)
- At least 800 words, though we suggest shooting for 1,150-1,500 for a better chance of success.
- A minimum of three substantial, properly used and attributed images
- A custom summary (that is succinct, alluring, and polished)
- Attractive formatting (text broken into multiple Text Capsules with descriptive subheaders, lots of attractive, high-quality images and media, etc.)
- Information that is easy to find and skip around (avoid long sentences, dense paragraphs, and big, uninterrupted blocks of text, and keep in mind that most of your readers will be on mobile devices)
For more information on writing successful articles, stop by our Learning Center guide outlining the elements of a Stellar Article.
Permalink - How can I make money on HubPages?
By serving ads on your articles, HubPages gives Hubbers the opportunity to earn from their published work. To earn from your writing, you must first sign up with one (or more) of the affiliate and earnings programs we have available.
Being set up with HubPages affiliate and earnings programs does not mean that you will be guaranteed earnings. Your income from HubPages is contingent on your success as an author—specifically, your success in driving traffic to your articles.
For more advice on creating and cultivating high traffic articles, stop by the following Learning Center guides:
In short, to make money, you need to sign up with our affiliate partners while also regularly publishing high-quality articles on not-already-extensively-covered subjects about which you are both knowledgeable and passionate.
Finally, you must be patient. Most Hubbers, even very talented and active ones, do not see significant earnings (or even make their first payout) for at least six months. HubPages is not a 'get rich quick' scheme but can certainly pay off for those who are willing to put in the time and effort required to create a robust, truly valuable, search-friendly portfolio of articles.
Permalink - How can I build a strong online brand?
To build a robust online brand, you must go above and beyond basic activities on HubPages. We recommend:
- Regularly publishing high-quality articles
- Creating a polished, succinct bio that shares the same general message you present on your other online profiles (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
- Using the same excellent profile image (an attractive photo of you is ideal) on all of your (public) online profiles
- Establishing a presence on several major social media sites (as a responsible citizen who actively communicates and contributes content of real value)
- Linking to your other online profiles from your HubPages Profile page
- How can I improve my HubScore and Hubber Score?
To improve your HubScores (scores associated with individual articles) and your Hubber Score (the collective score of your entire HubPages profile), we recommend that you:
- Regularly publish high-quality articles
- Be active and contribute to the HubPages community in a positive way
- Avoid publishing a large number of articles all at once (even if they were just drafted elsewhere ahead of time and are already of good standing)
- Avoid following large numbers of Hubbers over a short period of time and following Hubbers of dubious merit. You should only follow people who you have a genuine interest in keeping up with.
Please keep in mind that it is natural for HubScores and Hubber Scores to fluctuate up and down in unpredictable ways. It is best not to put too much emphasis on them.
Do not worry when your Hubber Score dips a bit. So long as you are behaving in a reasonable manner within the HubPages community your Hubber Score should eventually increase over time.
Permalink - Which subjects are most successful on HubPages?
While there is no single subject that can guarantee the success of an article, we have found that some of the most successful subjects Hubbers discover and explore share the following common characteristics:
- The subjects address issues that are not already extensively covered online (e.g. they are guides to constructing tents using found materials in a forest, not apple pie recipes)
- Searches run on the subject do not yield an adequate answer in any one place (searchers have to piece an answer together from several different websites and searches)
- The subjects address a relevant and growing interest (hence more and more people will be conducting searches about this subject in the future)
- The subjects have to do with real-world problems, solutions, and issues; they are not fiction, they are not poetry, and they are not political or religious commentary
- What is the best way for me to promote my articles on social media?
When it comes to promoting your writing on social media, we recommend only doing so when:
- You are already an active participant on the social media platform in question (which is to say that you engage in regular dialogue and do more than just share your own work)
- You honestly believe that those with whom you share one of your articles will be interested in it
- The articles you share (very, very occasionally) stand out as your best work (you don't want to ruin your reputation by sharing poor work)
- The article you are sharing is Featured
NOTES- Be aware that Facebook and other sites cache the state of a URL when it is first shared. You should share an article on social media (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.) or via email only once it has been evaluated by the site QAP and Featured. If you share a URL while it is pending evaluation then sites like Facebook cannot view the article and will cache the state of the article when it was shared. You can see the status of all of your articles in My Account.
- If you would like to check or fix the way a link shows on Facebook you can use the Facebook debugger tool.
- What does it take to be a successful fiction writer or poet on HubPages?
HubPages has a robust and talented community of fiction writers and poets. To gain and learn as much from these Hubbers as possible, we recommend:
- Regularly publishing your own work and taking time to make it polished (edit your work to remove errors) and attractive (consider adding relevant, original, and high-quality images and media)
- Leaving honest, insightful comments on others' poetry and fiction articles
- Contacting your favorite HubPages poets and fiction writers (through the email option available at the top right of the Fan Mail tab on a Hubber's Profile Page) to ask for advice and feedback
- Can I cover more than one subject on my account?
One of the perks of writing on HubPages (as opposed to publishing on a blog or independent website) is that it is perfectly natural to cover a broad range of subjects. Though many Hubbers choose to specialize in one or more subjects, just as many (if not more) jump all over the place.
In short, feel free to write on whatever subject suits your fancy! Just be sure that you're genuinely passionate about the subjects you cover. If you're writing an article just because you think it will earn you a lot of money, it probably won't get the care and dedication necessary to make it a truly useful (and successful) online resource.
Permalink - What is the proper way to use images on HubPages?
To ensure that you do not violate copyright law when using others’ images, we recommend:
- Using your own images whenever possible
- Only using others' images that (a) you purchased rights to, (b) are in the Public Domain and are available under another attribution and royalty-free license, or (c) are given a Creative Commons license that permits commercial use
- ALWAYS attributing others' images (whether legally required, as is the case with almost all Creative Commons-licensed images and many royalty-free stock images, or not); this makes it easy for HubPages staff to verify that you have properly attributed your images
- Including author/owner name, license type, and source in the attribution box of the Photo Capsule (abbreviations are fine)
- Linking back to the URL at which the image can be found in the URL box of the Photo Capsule
For more information on proper image use, stop by the official Learning Center guide.
Permalink - How should I attract readers to my articles?
Once you've published your article, you can promote it. Using social bookmarking and networking services, your own blogs, and a variety of other social media sites can expose your article to a human audience. Attention from people on these sites can help search engines find and index your page more quickly and may help your visibility in search results.
We don't recommend spending a lot of time promoting your writing. If you write a great piece of content, hopefully others will link to your site and promote it for you. However, a small amount of promotion at the beginning can help.
The main thing to remember when promoting your website is to be a good online citizen. Follow the rules and guidelines of the sites to which you post. Promoting content on sites where you are not an active participant can get you in trouble. Also, if you only share your own work, it will raise red flags. Think about how you would like someone to share their work and go by those guidelines.
You may also share your articles with family, friends, and co-workers, but do so with caution.
Don't ever have friends or family members click on your ads, and don't ever click on your own ads or those of people you know. This will quickly get you banned from the Earning Program.
Share your articles in moderation. Hitting a website with too many links to the same domain or sending out too many emails inviting people to read your writing is considered spamming and can result in being banned from a community or ignored by your friends.
A great way to gain readership is to become a strong member of the HubPages Community. Follow other Hubbers and leave insightful comments on their work, and they might follow you back and read your work!
Permalink - What should I do if an article or my account experiences a sudden drop in traffic?
Traffic Fluctuations Are Normal
Traffic fluctuations are a normal occurrence, even if you are getting the majority of your visitors from search engines like Google. For example, summer is usually a time of dipping traffic as many people are on vacation; if you write seasonal content, your traffic will increase during different seasons and wane during others.
In many cases, traffic fluctuations are normal and shouldn't worry you too much. However, there are instances when a sudden large traffic drop can occur.
Steps to Take if Your Traffic Has Dropped
- Take a good hard look at your content. Poorly written or outdated articles could be influencing your traffic. Many of us have written pieces years ago that are no longer relevant or comparable to more recent work. We all grow as writers, and our recent writings are probably better than our older writings.
- If you have keywords that are repeated in your article in a way that sounds stilted or awkward, remove some of the keywords. Make an effort to make your writing sound as natural as possible.
- We recommend that you continue to write high-quality content to help create trust with Google. Most Hubbers that have seen large dips in traffic, whose articles are not keyword-stuffed, gateway pages for Amazon, etc., have eventually seen a traffic recovery. We have seen very few cases of excellent content that hasn't done well over time, a few temporary traffic drops notwithstanding. We recommend continuing to write and be a positive part of the HubPages ecosystem.
- How should I be using keywords in my work?
Once you have chosen something to write about, we recommend considering several different keywords (common words or phrases) people might use when conducting searches on the subject.
By considering what words people are using to search for your topic, you will be able to include them in your article, thus making it more likely to show up in search results when people conduct queries using those terms.
Here's an example: Say you love bitter chocolate and write a great piece on the differences between making bitter chocolate treats with Dutched cocoa and unprocessed cocoa. Though you might initially assume people would be searching for "bitter chocolate," it may actually be the case that a lot of people are searching instead for "dark chocolate." Dark chocolate and bitter chocolate are pretty much the same thing—you just called it something different—but knowing what most people call something helps because then you can write something that more people are likely to be searching for.
The gist is this: Knowing keywords for your subject and including them in your article helps.
This is why we so strongly recommend thoroughly researching your title before starting to write. For more on the subject, visit our Learning Center guide to creating a successful, search-friendly title.
Remember Not to Go Too Far
Though it is helpful, there is always the possibility of misusing keywords or having too much of a good thing. Here is a quick overview of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to using keywords:
The Good
Good use of keywords involves using keywords in your title (e.g., Whether to Use Dutched or Unprocessed Cocoa to Make Dark Chocolate Treats) and in your text.
When using keywords in your text, only include them where it makes sense—do not force it or interrupt flow.
The Bad
In some cases, people abuse the use of keywords in order to get more traffic than they rightfully deserve. If, for example, one were to include keywords in one's article that have nothing to do with the content, they would be misleading people searching for information on that topic.
An example would be including keywords like "chocolate gift basket," "chocolate hampers," and "chocolate covered strawberries" in an article that is only about discussing the use of Dutched vs. unprocessed cocoa for baking and cooking purposes. Your content is not about chocolate gift baskets, and by "stuffing" it with keywords that suggest otherwise, the author would be essentially engaging in false advertising. Doing this sort of misleading tagging and keyword stuffing could lead to being moderated ... plus, it is obnoxious to searchers.
The Ugly
Another misuse of keywords involves overusing keywords—even legitimate ones—to such an extent that they actually interrupt the flow of the article. Repeating keywords so much that they look obviously repetitive or make your work look spammy will neutralize the value of your writing, distract readers, and cheapen your content—all of this could hurt its long-term potential for both garnering traffic and earning money. Over-use of keyword-heavy words or phrases may also result in moderation, as it falls under the category of being deceptive to searchers.
The Most Important Point
Keywords are very important when it comes to being found online, but what matters most is that you offer well-written, original, and useful information. Do feel free to use keywords to ensure that people who are searching for information covered in your article will find it, but do not go overboard. As a general rule of thumb, if you find yourself adding keywords just for the sake of adding keywords, you should probably stop.
Permalink - How can I improve the quality of my article?
As soon as they are published, articles are submitted to our Quality Assessment Process, which combines both moderator review and algorithmic analyses to determine whether or not a piece will be Featured on the site.
A minimum quality rating is required for your article to be Featured so we recommend playing it safe and publishing articles that are certain to be Featured.
To do so, visit the rating scale utilized by our moderators and try to create content that meets the criteria associated with content that would get a rating of eight and above for substance, organization, and grammar and mechanics.
Should your article not be Featured, you can boost its quality (and odds of being Featured) by:
- Making sure that your title is short and descriptive
- Presenting information that cannot be found elsewhere online
- Presenting concrete facts, figures, and data
- Providing a pleasant reading experience via attractive, easy-to-skip around formatting
- Utilizing a wide variety of capsules
- Making an effort to include many superb images
- Editing your text (or having someone else edit it)
- Avoiding spammy elements
For more detailed tips on improving your article (plus some before and after examples), visit our Learning Center guide to improving article quality.
Permalink
- HubPages Features and Functions
- What is HubPages?
HubPages is an online community that provides everyday experts like you with the tools to share your knowledge and experiences through in-depth, media-rich articles. We provide you with an innovative platform to share your knowledge in a way that will help you build a readership and earn you money from ads strategically placed on your articles.
HubPages is the best place online to express your interests and passions, develop your personal brand, and earn money from your writing.
Permalink - How did HubPages start?
HubPages was launched in August of 2006, literally off the floor of a garage in Berkeley, California, by three guys who love tech, business, and most of all, coffee. Their names are (in no particular order) Paul Edmondson, Paul Deeds and Jay Reitz. This trio had plenty of SEO, business, engineering, and technology expertise and HubPages was the culmination of their newfound goal of creating not only the best place to write online, but the best place to earn money doing it.
They would ultimately achieve this goal with the knowledge gained from their past adventures including working together at MongoMusic, a predictive, searchable music platform that was later acquired by Microsoft in 2000. After the acquisition, they continued to work at Microsoft until they decided to launch their own startup together. This small but powerful team then came up with the initial idea for what you now know as HubPages.
A lot has happened since HubPages' first days in Berkeley. For one, with 35+ million unique visitors a month, the HubPages Network is one of the most trafficked network of sites on the web today. In our most recent iteration of HubPages, in 2016 we launched 25 topical sites. We are now known as the HubPages Network and continue to grow and thrive under this model. Our growing traffic, the changes to our overall site structure, and our intense focus on content quality is a true testament to the hard work, vision, and initiatives that have been carried out by the initial team at HubPages, our phenomenal community, and the current team of engineers, editors, and moderators that keeps HubPages running on a daily basis.
Speaking of new team members, HubPages has grown over the past couple of years. Paul Deeds is still involved on a day-to-day basis as the general manager of HubPages, while Paul Edmondson remains CEO. Jay Reitz has moved on to be part of an exciting new startup, but still helps out from time to time. New additions have since joined the HubPages team, and in 2018, HubPages merged with Maven and Say Media. Spanning across the three platforms, we are now a team of over 100 employees, all with diverse backgrounds and expertise.
To see who is currently a member of the HubPages team, feel free to check out the official team page and for the most current HubPages news be sure to stop by the HubPages Blog for recent updates.
Permalink - What does HubPages offer?
Many people join HubPages in order to publish written work online, but our site and community also offer much more!
- Articles: Topical articles act as the building blocks of our community. Each article is a one-page topical resource created by a Hubber (our name for writers). Articles are easy to make and can include anything from videos and maps to polls and quizzes.
- Earnings: HubPages splits revenue with Hubbers on an impressions basis from online advertisements. HubPages offers several different ways for you to earn from your content, ranging from contextually-placed ads to Amazon products. We also host contests in which you can win anything from $10 to $500 in cash prizes. HubPages disburses earnings via the Earnings Program.
- Community interaction: While many people join HubPages hoping only to make money, even more stay because of the amazing community present on the site. We have a great group of supportive, passionate publishers who comment on each other's work and offer valuable feedback and encouragement.
- Educational Resources: Our FAQ, Learning Center, and Forums are great places to learn about online writing. Whether you are just getting started or looking to sharpen already strong online writing skills, we have a guide for you!
- Topical Communities: We have over 6,000 different Topic Communities on HubPages, complete with their own dedicated Forums.
- Article Q&A: Our Article Q&A feature allows readers to ask a question of interest on articles for authors to answer.
- Forums: With over 6,000 Forums, we offer plenty of places to chat with other Hubbers. Want some feedback on your work? Check out the Improving Your Article Forum!
- Where can I find help on HubPages?
If your question isn't answered in this FAQ, consult our handy Help Wizard or the Learning Center, which should answer most of your questions regarding signing up, publishing your first article, getting traffic and making money, and interacting with our community.
If you still have questions, feel free to post in the Getting Help from HubPages Forum to get community support quickly. You can also utilize our Help Wizard to find quick answers and get help from staff and Hubbers if you're experiencing technical problems. We'll respond as soon as we can.Many Hubbers have also posted publishing advice in articles of their own. Please note that we do not review these, so if you choose to follow the advice given in them, you do so at your own risk.
Permalink - What is a Hubber?
A Hubber is our term for HubPages members and users. It refers to anyone engaging with HubPages—reading, commenting, or writing articles.
Permalink - How do I create an article?
There are four simple steps.
- Start: You’ll need to create an account (it only takes a minute or two), and click the button in the top right of the header.
- Define: Pick a title for your article, categorize it, and choose a starting layout from among the options.
- Create: Insert the content capsules of your choice (text, photo, video, map, table, ratings, comments, etc.) and fill them with whatever you like.
- Publish: Click at the top of the article.
- How do I delete an article?
- Go to My Account
- Click the title to of the article to select it.
- Click the button. (3rd from left on the top of the article after and )
- Confirm delete by clicking OK in the popup.
- The top of the page will indicate the article was deleted.
- Click the button.
- After you delete the article it should show a line through the title in My Account.
- How do I choose a title for my latest article?
Think of each piece as an individual article. What you name it should be germane to the content. We recommend using the main phrase in the title for how a person would search for the information you are providing. For best results, keep the title short and simple—save any clever turn of phrase for the body of your work. Short, simple, to-the-point titles will vastly increase the traffic to your content.
Things to consider when picking a title and URL:
- The URL is created from the title and cannot be changed once the article is created.
- HubPages URLs must be unique. So if hubpages.com/autos/title-url already exists, you cannot have a new article hubpages.com/autos/title-url as it will be a duplicate.
- There is a warning that displays if you select a URL already in use.
- Titles can be duplicate, but the URL must be original.
- Where can I find the short (Hub.me) URL for my article?
The Hub.me short URL for your articles can be found on the metrics page of each.
- Go to My Account.
- Click the title of the article (not the edit button).
- Click at top of the page.
- Click the Overview tab.
- The short URL is displayed in the format hub.me/linkhere.
- What is a capsule?
When you create a new article, you’ll be working with capsules—the building blocks of your article. Any kind of content you want to enter into an article requires a capsule. There are Text Capsules, Photo Capsules, Map Capsules, Video Capsules, and more. You can adjust where each capsule appears in your article by using the directional arrow controls in the upper-right corner of each capsule.
Permalink - How do I add or edit a capsule?
Start by putting your article into edit mode. Click the
button at the top. There are two ways to add capsules to an article:- By bringing your mouse to the left side of the main body, you will see a blue "insert capsule" button pop up. Move the blue button to the place in your article where you want to add content; click the button and select the appropriate capsule type; only the most popular capsules are available with this method.
- On the right-hand side of the page, you’ll see a box titled “Add More Capsules". These are the capsules you can add. Click on a type of capsule. It will automatically be added to the bottom of the page, where you can edit or move it.
- How do I move a capsule?
Use the directional arrows on your capsule to move it up or down. If you want to quickly reorder your capsules, click "organize your content" located in the right sidebar to arrange the capsules accordingly by dragging and dropping with your mouse.
Permalink - How do I recover saved drafts in the HubTool?
The HubTool and Text Capsule have an autosave feature that will save your work every 2 minutes as long as you have a connection to the HubPages servers. It allows you to recover edits that may otherwise be lost. You may need to refresh for your saved draft to show up.
You can find more information in the Text Capsule entry in the Learning Center article about the HubTool here.
Permalink - How can I embed links in my articles?
If you want your article to link to other HubPages articles or an external webpage, you have two options:
Option 1: Insert a hyperlink directly into text in a Text Capsule:
- To do this, open the editing window of your Text Capsule.
- Highlight the portion of your text you would like to turn into a hyperlink.
- Click on the chain icon.
- Enter the URL of the webpage or article you would like the text to link to. You also have the option to select one of your own articles, an Amazon product, or someone else's article from one of the available tabs- this saves you the trouble of cutting and pasting the URL from another page into this window.
- Click and the text will be hyperlinked.
- When you are finished adding links to your text in the Text Capsule, simply click
Option 2: Use the Links Capsule: This capsule consists only of links and allows you to share a series of titled links in list form:
- To use the Link Capsule, click on its icon.
- Click "edit" on the capsule.
- Give it an optional subtitle.
- Add links by cutting and pasting unique URLs into the text bar and clicking .
- Every time you select a link, you have the option to edit the link’s URL, title, and description. When you are finished editing, click "done." If you want to edit these details at a later time, you can do so by clicking "edit link."
- If you want to change the order of your links, drag and drop them with your mouse.
- When you are finished entering everything, click
- What are HubScore and Hubber Score?
We use HubScore to designate the quality of individual articles, much like Google ranks popular pages. Many factors contribute to our rating scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being our top score.
Hubber Score, on the other hand, is a collective measure of your contribution to the HubPages community and therefore takes into account the collective quality and success of your articles as well as being a positive contributing member.
Permalink - How is HubScore and Hubber Score computed?
HubScore takes into account many factors and will change over time as data continues to stream in. It will also fluctuate quite a bit, seemingly at random, and that is nothing to worry about. The most important HubScore components that you should be concerned with include:
The quality of the article - as measured through the Quality Assessment Process as well as reader consumption of and interaction with the article
Whether the article is Featured - as well as whether the article has succeeded in moving to a Network Site
Hubber reputation - a Hubber's overall Hubber Score and positive contribution to the community.
Article engagement - including the number of comments the article receives as well as reader engagement with interactive elements such as article Q&A, polls, quizzes, etc.
Hubber Score is the score that is associated with your profile and can be considered to be somewhat of a composite of your HubScores as well as measurements of your general behavior on HubPages. The most important Hubber Score components that you should be concerned with include:
HubScores - the collective HubScores of your articles
Passing the Quality Assessment Process - how successful your articles have been at passing the Quality Assessment Process
HubPages Network Sites - how often your articles have been chosen for HubPages Network Sites
Publishing articles - how often you actively publish new articles.
We reserve the right to change the factors used to assess HubScore and Hubber Score as we continue to determine the factors that indicate great content. The bottom line is if you write original, useful content, your HubScores and Hubber Score will eventually reflect the quality and work you've put into your articles. Please try to avoid getting too hung up on HubScores and Hubber Score.
Permalink - Where can I find my HubScores and Hubber Score?
You can see the HubScore for each of your articles by visiting My Account > Statistics. They are private; other authors will never see them. You can click on "Score" to sort your articles from highest to lowest scored and vice versa. Your lowest-scored articles have the most room for improvement, so when you are ready to edit and update your work, focus on these first.
Your Hubber Score is located in the lower left corner of your profile photo on your profile page. Unlike your HubScores, your Hubber Score is visible to the public and others will be able to see it when they visit your profile.
Permalink - What are Followers?
Followers are Hubbers who have chosen to receive regular updates on your HubPages activity, including when you publish new articles.
By following someone on HubPages, you receive:
The option to get email notifications and updates in the Feed whenever someone you follow publishes a new article or creates a Forum thread, etc.
The ability to leave Fan Mail—a public endorsement of the Hubber. When you follow another Hubber, you are immediately given the option to leave Fan Mail. Should you choose to leave Fan Mail later, visit the Hubber's Profile. Once you’ve approved the Fan Mail, it will be displayed on My Profile.
You should only follow people who you have a genuine interest in keeping up with. By following a Hubber you are saying that their activity on HubPages is noteworthy or interesting to you. Following excessively or indiscriminately may lower your Hubber Score.
The Benefits of Having Followers
There are definitely some benefits to being followed and following others. First of all, because your followers may receive an email each time you publish a new article, they are more likely to visit your work. Your followers are also more inclined to comment on your articles and may share your content with their friends, which can help you expand your readership even more. Your followers may also be more likely to submit your article to social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, which could potentially send your traffic through the roof.
If you prefer to stand alone and publish articles while keeping your distance from other Hubbers, that’s perfectly welcome! That said, following Hubbers who actively interest you and leaving meaningful Fan Mail can help you meet new people, learn from others' best practices, and get your name out. Following is an important part of being an active HubPages citizen, and can greatly improve the Hubbing experience.
Permalink - How do I follow a Hubber or specific Topic?
To follow a Hubber, visit their profile page and click
. Be mindful, following people indiscriminately can negatively affect your Hubber Score.To follow a Topic, click "feed settings" located at the top right of the HubPages Feed and select topics you would like to follow. You can also visit the Topic page and click located at the top of the page. In My Account > Following > Topics You Follow, you can see which Topics you're following. You can also remove yourself from following a Topic on this page.
Permalink - What is Fan Mail?
When you follow a new Hubber, it's a good idea to let them know exactly why you decided to follow what they're doing on HubPages. This lets them know a little bit more about who you are and why you're interested in what they're writing, and can also make their day!
The best way to tell Hubbers you're a fan of them is by leaving some Fan Mail, which appears on their profile page. You can only leave one piece of Fan Mail for each Hubber, so choose your words carefully.
There are two ways to leave Fan Mail:
- After you follow someone, you'll be presented with a window into which you can type and submit your Fan Mail immediately.
- If you're a Fan of a particular Hubber, but have not yet sent them some Fan Mail, you can go directly to their profile page, click the Fan Mail tab, write a message and click .
- Who owns the content that I post on HubPages?
The content is entirely yours. We simply provide the technology to support it. You may include a copyright notice using the dropdown menu under the Comment Capsule in edit mode of an article, or you can add a Creative Commons License to your work if you feel it’s necessary.
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If someone on HubPages has used your copyrighted content without permission you may file a DMCA complaint. - What do those little red and blue triangles mean?
In My Account > Hubs > Statistics, you might have noticed small red and/or blue triangles next to the titles of some of your articles. These mean that traffic to this particular article is trending upwards (red) or downwards (blue). They give you a quick visual indication of how an article's traffic patterns are changing.
Permalink - What is the Feed?
The Feed shows activity by Hubbers, articles, Topics and Forum threads that you follow.
You can change your settings to show exactly the types of site actions that you care to track by clicking the feed settings link located at the top right of the page.
If your Feed is empty or you would like to see more HubPages activity, we suggest following Hubbers or Categories that interest you.
Some Accolades are displayed in the Feed as a way to signify and recognize specific levels of accomplishment that are achieved by hard-working Hubbers.
Permalink - Where can I read old Newsletters?
HubPages Newsletters going back to December 2009 can be viewed in the Newsletter Archive.
Permalink - What are Hub Metrics?
When you click
at the top of one of your articles, you can see some additional information on the Overview tab.Word Count tells you the total number of words included in the Text Capsules and photo captions on that article.
Incoming Links measures on a scale of 1 to 5 the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to the article.
View Duration measures how long visitors spend reading your article, also on a scale of 1 to 5.
First Published is the date you first published this article. This might be useful if you ever have to file a DMCA complaint against a site that has copied your content without permission.
Short URL is an abbreviated URL that expands to the full link for those who would like to use it on Twitter or other sites that demand short link URLs.
- Where can I learn more about the different capsules?
The easiest way to learn more about each HubTool Capsule is by clicking on the HubPages Learning Center.
icon on each capsule when you’re in edit mode. Another great resource for finding out more information on the different capsules is the Permalink - Why is the thumbnail pic not the first image from my article?
Usually, we use the first image as the thumbnail picture which is displayed next to the article's title. However, an image has to be at least 80 pixels high and 80 pixels wide before it will be used as the thumbnail. If the first image does not meet these requirements, we revert to the second image, and so on. If you have no eligible photos, the thumbnail will automatically be assigned a random image.
Permalink - What are Accolades?
Accolades are badges that appear on your Profile and Feed that share many different achievements you can reach on HubPages. Some show certain Milestone achievements (threshold figures in parentheses):
Views for currently published articles (1,000, 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000, 10,000,000, and 100,000,000) Followers (100, 300, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000) Articles (10, 50, 100, 300, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000) Featured articles (5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000) Years on HubPages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10) Questions made (50, 100, 300, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000) Questions answered (10, 50, 100, 300, 500, and 1,000) Best Answers (10, 50, 100, 300, 500, and 1,000) Other Accolades celebrate different ways people contribute to the site. These Accolades come and go depending on how active you (and your articles) are on the site and include:
Great Commenter: Leaves engaging and insightful comments on others' articles, as well as responding to others' comments on their own content. Hubbers can achieve a level of I to VIII depending on the amount they contribute. Popular: Recent articles published are very popular with readers. Great Discussion Starter: Has articles with great discussions in the comments. Great HubPages Citizen: Contributes to the community by helping our new users in the Forums, voting and/or reporting inappropriate content for our moderators. Engaging Writer: Writes particularly engaging articles which visitors love to read from start to finish. Still more Accolades are awarded to those who have won awards through our various special programs:
Hub of the Day Winner: Had an exemplary article presented before the HubPages community and featured on the HubPages homepage before Hub of the Day was retired. All Hubs of the Day were chosen from our body of highest-quality content. Hubbie Award Winner: Has won a Hubbie Award, selected by our community annually and given to Hubbers worthy of acclaim and infamy! Please note: Accolades are not awarded immediately upon reaching a Milestone. There may be a short delay (up to 24 hours or so) before a new Accolade appears on your profile.
If you don't want these particular stats publicly (or privately) displayed, visit the bottom of My Account > Profile > Edit Profile where you can opt to show the Accolades to everyone, just to you, or to nobody at all.
Permalink - What is the Map Capsule?
The Map Capsule allows you to embed maps into your articles to give an all-encompassing view of a particular area with markers highlighting spots you mention. With the Map Capsule, you can present readers with a traditional map, a satellite image, or a view of the terrain. Each map gives readers the option to view additional walking, biking, or driving directions. Depending on the location mapped, viewers may also have the ability to view your location via Google Street View, which allows them to amble along the very streets you describe in your article.
The Map Capsule is a great way to add an attractive, useful dimension to articles on travel, shopping, restaurants, historical events, sports, and pretty much anything else.
To read specific directions on how to use the Map Capsule, visit the Learning Center!
Permalink - How do I change the Topic of an article after it's been published?
To change the Topic of a published article:
Put the article into edit mode by clicking the
button at the top.Click the category above the article title.
Select your desired category and subcategory by browsing or searching and click
.Click
to save changes.A full category list is available here.
- What is the purpose of the HubPages Blog?
The HubPages Blog is an avenue we use to...
- Make announcements about new programs and features
- Share community news
- Post interviews with notable Hubbers
- Share helpful writing tips
- Keep the community updated on our major goals and projects
Stop by the blog regularly to stay abreast of HubPages’ latest developments!
Permalink - Where can I view the Stats (Statistics) of my Hubpages account?
You can view your statistics on HubPages by visiting the My Account page. To locate your My Account page, click the "MORE" menu in the upper left corner while on HubPages.
In the Statistics category, you can scroll through all your articles and view your HubScore, total comments, publication date, content change date, and the page views for the last day (a rolling 24 hour window), week, month, and for all time. The last column shows your article's Featured status.
For more detailed stats you will need to visit the live article (not while in edit mode) and click on the "Stats" button in the Author Center at the top. Here you can see metrics, total views, and keywords used by readers who have found your article via search engines. You can also view the top traffic sources by day, week, month, and the lifetime of the article.
Permalink - How often do Stats (Statistics) on My Account Update?
Stats are updated regularly, generally every two hours, but not always. Delays may happen from time to time. Should you encounter a delay on your Statistics page (by noticing that the numbers have not been updated recently), we recommend referring to Google Analytics, which provides far more functionality and responsiveness (the Statistics page on HubPages is more of a quick reference point, providing easy access to articles, important notices, and basic stats).
When stats are delayed, rest assured that your views are being counted and you are not losing out on revenue.
Permalink - What are HubPages Style Tips?
HubPages Style Tips are formatting and design recommendations that appear in the top right corner of the HubTool. The tips are intended to encourage best practices for structuring and formatting articles. Style Tips are helpful guidelines that individuals Hubbers can choose to follow and not every piece necessarily needs Style Tips. Please check out HubPages' official Style Guide for a detailed review of each of the tips and how to address them.
Permalink - What is HubPro?What is HubPro?
HubPro is a free professional editing service provided by HubPages. It is designed to help create magazine-like articles that are the best on the web for their topic. Our editors do extensive research on the article topic to help make the content more robust. Only a small percentage of articles qualify for HubPro—we select them based on their traffic.
HubPro includes the following services:
- Editing for spelling and grammar.
- Editing for formatting that reflects the HubPages Style Guide, e.g., providing a consistent style free of broken videos, low-quality photos, and elements that take away from the authority of the article.
- Assuring that all links and products are relevant and beneficial to the reader.
- Adding creative commons images or videos to enhance the reader experience.
- Updating keywords in titles and subtitles to make them more reader and search engine friendly.
- Researching the topic to enhance content with additional information that should drive readership.
- Reorganizing the article’s layout.
- Fact checking and researching to add content.
HubPro Editing is a mandatory service, and authors do not have the option to opt out of the service should their article(s) be selected. Authors selected to participate will receive an email notification before editing will begin and a second notice on the day that editing begins. Editing is done on a piece-by-piece basis. Authors may be selected to participate multiple times.
How does HubPro work?Authors that are selected to participate in HubPro can expect to:
- Receive an email notice before editing will begin. This notice will also be displayed in My Account > Hubs > Statistics.
- Receive a second email notice on the day that editing will begin.
- Have their articles locked while they are being edited. HubPro articles may be locked anywhere from 1–2 days to a couple of weeks.
- Receive a final notice when the editor is finished working.
We believe that editing is an integral element of success in the online writing world and an important part of the overall success of the HubPages Network Sites. Therefore we do not permit writers to opt out of our editing services.
Do I still own the rights to my article after it is edited?Yes, absolutely. You still retain the rights to your articles after they are edited.
If I am selected to participate in HubPro, will all of my articles be edited?Editing is done on a piece-by-piece basis. Not all of the articles in your account will be edited at the same time, but you may have more than one article selected over time. We are trying to make the largest positive impact for readers, so we are starting with the highest-traffic articles. The number of pieces edited will vary by account.
Will I be notified when an article has been edited?Yes. If you are selected to participate in HubPro, you will be notified twice before editing will begin. You will also be notified after the editor is done editing the eligible articles in your account. Please read more about how HubPro works in the entries above.
How does locking work?Your article will be locked while it is being edited. This allows only one person to edit at a time and ensures that the changes that we make can be recorded. Locking does not interfere with traffic or user experience; anyone visiting the page will see the current version, including any edits up to that moment. Only articles that are actively being edited will be locked; all of your other articles will be open for you to edit.
How long will my article(s) be locked?HubPro articles will normally be locked anywhere from a day or two to a couple of weeks, depending on factors like conducting research or consulting experts.
How will I know what changes have been made to my article(s)?You will be provided access to a version of the article that will highlight the changes that were made (pink highlighting indicates text that was removed/edited, blue indicates text that was moved to a different location within the article, and green shows text that was added/moved).
Who is doing the editing?HubPages has a team of experienced and talented editors who work with authors on improving their content. Visit our About Us page to read a little more about each editor's background.
Will the editors check for plagiarism?No. Plagiarism and duplicate content are handled through moderation, not editing.
Can I revert changes that were made by the editor?We do not recommend reverting edits done by your editor, as we have put extensive thought and research into our edits. However, if we made a mistake please feel free to update and improve your article once it is unlocked.
Will the editors provide SEO services?Editors will identify the important keywords in your articles and will make an effort to preserve them so that you do not lose traffic. Editors will also research topics related to your main keywords where content can be added and may add content that drives readership. Editors will be very careful if/when editing titles.
Will editors really have the time to fact check everything in my article?Editors will focus their fact-checking efforts on things like: numbers and math, names, titles, locations, and definitions. More obscure topics, such as paranormal activity, will likely not be fact checked. Despite these general guidelines, editors will use their discretion when determining whether or not to fact check a piece of information. For topics that can affect readers’ lives or livelihoods, such as health and finance, we may consult an expert in the field to review the article.
Will the edits be applied in real-time or do I get to approve them first?Edits will be made live each time a capsule is saved—the same way other edits are applied when using the HubTool. Your article will be locked while it is actively being worked on by an editor to prevent two people from editing at the same time. When the editor is finished with an article, it will be unlocked and considered "done." Some articles may be edited over a longer period of time, and editors will ensure that articles are left in a presentable state each time they save changes to a capsule.
Permalink - What is Snip Editing?
Snip Editing is a process that allows moderators and editors to remove problematic elements (like excessive products, titles that are not in APA format, unnecessary capsules or inappropriate links) from articles without changing content.
Why did HubPages introduce Snip Editing?We often see otherwise great articles that deserve to be Featured but can't be because of links, products, or other issues that don’t meet our publishing standards. Rather than Defeature these articles, we wanted a way to remove specific problems rather than penalizing the whole article. Articles are also snipped if they contain elements that are not part of our editorial standards on Network Sites. To remain on the Network Site, the article needs to have a snip edit applied.
Does Snip Editing include anything else?Yes, Snip Editing also allows for moderators and editors to fix glaring typos and misspellings in an article's title. If an article lives on a Network Site, editors may update titles so that they better reflect the content of the article. However, for articles that live on HubPages, moderators will not change the wording. The title is the only part of an article he/she will be able to apply spelling corrections to.
Can I add Snipped elements back to an article?Yes, but we strongly recommend against it. Replacing Snipped elements will likely result in your article being removed from a Network Site, Defeatured, or unpublished.
How will I know if my article has been Snipped?If your article has been Snipped you will receive an email notification with before and after versions of your article.
Permalink - What are About the Author Biographies?
About the Author Biographies are short (60-140 characters) bios that you can place on articles to demonstrate your expertise and/or passion for a particular subject. You can manage a collection of 100 bios per account, and choose to display your bios in whatever way makes the most sense to you.
For more information (including guidelines, tips, and policies), please visit the following Learning Center guides:
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- Finding Success on HubPages
- Technical Matters
- How can I report a technical problem on HubPages?
There are a few things you can do to help make the process of reporting technical problems as quick and efficient as possible:
- The Technical Problems on HubPages Forum is only for reporting technical (but not ad- or traffic-related) bugs on HubPages. If you want to report an ad-related or traffic problem, or suggest a new feature, please post a thread in the appropriate Forum.
- Please check the Technical Problem Forum's stickied posts (those highlighted in blue at the top) for any known issues before posting a new thread.
- If you have a moderation-related issue (an article has been unpublished, your account has been moderated, etc.) contact our moderation team instead.
- Page (URL) where you saw the problem.
- Web browser and version you are using. (Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Chrome, etc.)
- Operating system you are using. (Windows 95/NT/XP/7/Vista, OS X, Linux, iOS, Android, etc.)
- You can quickly determine the browser, operating system, and other system information by pointing your web browser to System Details
- What action or task were you performing when the issue occurred?
- Does the issue persist with a different browser and/or computer?
- If an issues is related to an image, please include the problematic image as an attachment.
- Please post a screenshot. A screenshot goes a long way towards getting to the root of the problem. This makes it much easier to see the issue you are describing and can save many email messages back and forth.
How to take a screenshot:
IMPORTANT: Lastly, before submitting a potential issue, see if these steps resolve the issue.
Upgrade your browser to the latest available version stable available for your operating system (Please do NOT report bugs for beta or development versions of browsers).
- Firefox
- Chrome
- Safari
- Internet Explorer For Internet Explorer, you want to upgrade to the latest version supported by your operating system.
Clear the browser cache and/or cookies.
You should also check you are using the latest version of Adobe Flash: Check Flash version.
After you post your problem, please be patient. A moderator will address each post as soon as they can.
Permalink - Do you have any banners or widgets for HubPages that I can embed in my blog or website?
We do! We have a nice assortment on our Banners and Badges page. Pick whichever you like, and simply copy and paste the code below it into your blog or Website. You can even embed them into your Facebook or other social community site profile.
Remember, you can also insert your Referral Tracker into the embed link in order to earn a lifetime referral bonus.
Permalink - What is Facebook Connect and how does it work with HubPages?
Facebook Connect allows you to log in to your HubPages account when you're signed in to your Facebook account, and log out of either in order to log out of both. Using Facebook Connect to sign up with a new account on HubPages can also simplify the process by supplying your Facebook name, profile photo, and email address as defaults for these in your new HubPages account.
Associating your HubPages account with Facebook Connect is a reversible process, and you can disconnect just as easily as you connected.
To manage your Facebook Connect association, go to My Account > Profile > Facebook Connect.
Permalink - What are the requirements for images I upload?
You can upload photos to Your Photos, so you can use them later in an article or a forum post.
- Only JPG, GIF, and PNG formats are allowed.
- Animated GIFs are allowed in articles and Forums, but they must be no wider than 520 pixels.
- Each image can be no larger than 8 megabytes.
- Adult content is not allowed in photos.
- Pixelated images are not allowed.
- Your images will look the best if you upload original photos in their highest resolution, and that are preferably 1000 pixels wide or wider.
- You can only upload 20 images at a time.
If you're using a photo from another site, make sure it's properly attributed.
Permalink - Why are ads not appearing on my article?
There are a few reasons why ads may not appear:
- Articles published on HubPages.com will not display ads. Articles published on Discover.HubPages.com and the Network Sites will display ads.
- You have a web browser extension that is blocking ads. Please disable all browser extensions or try another web browser to see if the ads are visible.
- You have just published your article and it is still "Pending" as it is reviewed by our Quality Assessment Process (which may take up to 48 hours).
- You have turned the Ads setting to "off". To check this, navigate to the article, click , and click 'Display Options' in the right-hand toolbar. Use the drop down bar to turn Ads on or off.
- Ads were disabled on your article, based on HubPages’ automatic content filters or moderator review. If this occurs, a warning will appear at the top of your article.
- An advertising partner may have evaluated your article, and feels the content may be in violation of their policy. Permalink
- How many words are required for each Amazon Capsule in an article?
We recommend at least 300 words of original text for every product featured. Please be aware that products must relate directly to the subject of the article and should contain your personal experience, including significant, useful information or your own opinion about it, beyond what could be found on Amazon's site. Please also keep in mind that an article with only 300 words total is very unlikely to pass the bar to become published and Featured, especially if it contains a product. We recommend shooting for articles that contain around 800-1,500 words each.
Permalink - Why were ads disabled on my article?
In order to protect both your and our relationships with advertising partners, we have put in place filters that automatically disable advertising on articles containing content that may not meet with the HubPages Terms of Use or with advertising partners content policies. Although your content may not fit into any of these prohibited categories, the emphasis of some sensitive subject matter in an article may still trigger the disabling of ads.
If one of your articles has been identified, a warning will appear on the article itself and in the Hubs section of My Account. We periodically review articles that have been caught by the filter and do one of three things:
- For clear-cut policy violations, we will unpublish the article. Repeated violations may result in the closing of your HubPages account.
- For articles that are not clear violations but that contain sensitive content that is not advertiser-friendly, we may leave ads disabled but allow the article to remain published
- For articles identified in error, we may override the filter, allowing ads to appear again.
If you agree with the assessment or so choose, you can remove the warning that appears on your article by turning ads off.
We recognize that the rules may change from time to time and are subject to some speculation and interpretation. The policy of disabling ads on borderline and sensitive content gives us the leeway to allow quality articles to remain published without ads.
In partnership with our advertising partners, we've identified below some areas that are not suitable for advertising but that, at our discretion, we may allow to remain published without ads:
- Reproductive medical content (including vaginal and penile issues and sexually transmitted diseases)
- Content about sexuality, including losing your virginity or fetish content
- Content about abortion, circumcision, genital mutilation, rape, incest, pedophilia, and molestation
- Content describing violent crimes, gruesome accidents, or self mutilation
- Lewd or profane humor, including provocative double entendre
- Restrained journalistic or fine art nudity
- Discriminating or derogatory content
- Dishonst behavior (Fake ID, hacking, cracking, college essay services
If the content of your article falls into one of these areas, please turn ads off.
Ads can also not appear even when they are enabled in these circumstances.
- You have just published your article and it is still "Pending" as it is reviewed by our Quality Assessment Process (which may take up to 48 hours).
- Advertisers have evaluated your article and feel that it violates their advertising policy.
If you have specific questions, please Contact Us.
Permalink - Can I opt out of ads altogether?
Yes, you have the option of turning off ads completely. To do this:
Navigate to the article
Click
Click Display Options in the right-hand side of the HubTool
Under the Ads section, you can use the drop down to change your ads settings to "Off"
click
The single article will have ads disabled
- I can't get past the security questions. What should I do?
If you are trying to activate the Earnings Program and are having trouble with the security questions, please contact us so that we can reset the questions if need be.
Permalink - What can cause links in an article to be nofollow?
An external link (not hubpages.com) will have a nofollow tag if at least one of the following is true:
- Your Hubber Score is below 85
- The link is in an article that has a HubScore below 40
- You've specifically designated the link as an affiliate link, a paid link, or to untrusted content in the Text Capsule linking tool
- The link is in the comments of your article
- The link is in the photo caption of your article.
- How can I transfer content to HubPages from another website?
In some cases, you may want to move content that you have created on another website over to HubPages. While we do not allow duplicate content on our site, we do allow content that is no longer published on another site to be redirected or moved to HubPages. Below you will find step-by-step directions for moving your content.
How to Move Content to HubPages from Another Website
If you aren't given the option to redirect a piece of your content from another website to HubPages, we recommend moving the content by doing the following:
- Copy your content from the online source
- Unpublish the content
- Wait at least a few hours to see if the content is no longer indexed by Google and Yahoo. (You can also login to Google Webmaster Tools and request a removal of your article from Google's search results.)
- Copy your content onto HubPages and publish
How to Address Duplicate Content Problems
When transferring your content to HubPages, it is possible that you will receive a warning for duplicate content, which means your article may not be eligible for publication. If this occurs we can help you. If you have followed the above steps and you are still seeing the warning, please email us at team@hubpages.com and provide the following:
- The URL of your article that has been flagged as duplicate, and
- The URL of the old page where you removed the content.
- How do I start an embedded YouTube video at a certain timestamp?
There are two ways to start an embedded YouTube video at a specific timestamp:
- When viewing the video you wish to embed on YouTube, pause the video at the time you want to start, navigate to Share, check the box for "Start at" time, and copy the link.
- Add "&t=time" at the end of any YouTube URL, where time is in the format hours, minutes, and seconds. For example, to start a video at 1:45, add &t=1m45s.
- Why aren't edits to my article reflected in the Changed column in My Account?
Edits made to capsules—e.g., adding or removing capsules, making edits to existing capsules, and rearranging capsules—should be reflected in the Changed column in My Account > Hubs > Statistics immediately after they are made. Editing an article's title should also result in an immediate update to the content change date. If you made one or more of these types of edits and your content change date did not get updated, please report the bug in the Technical Problems Forum.
Certain changes to an article are not intended to be reflected in the content change date column. This includes: adding, removing or editing a summary, editing the category, or changing display option settings. This is because the content change date is primarily used for deciding when an article should be reevaluated by the Quality Assessment Process. Permalink
- Account Administration - Publishing
- Why am I being asked to verify my telephone number to publish an article?
If you are prompted to verify your account via a text message (SMS) or phone call, this is to confirm that you are a real person and not an automated spammer. We use this method to make sure only real people publish on HubPages.
Enter your phone number and choose either a text message (SMS) or phone call. Within a minute or so, you should receive a text message or phone call with a verification code. Enter this into the field in the prompt window, and your article will be published promptly.
This is a one-time requirement per account—once you've phone-verified your account, you will not have to do so again to publish.
NOTE: Be aware that some mobile carriers block the service we use to verify phone numbers via SMS. If you are not receiving SMS verification codes. Try using voice verification instead of SMS.
Permalink - How can I change the phone number for verification purposes?
If you are having trouble receiving phone verification calls or messages, think you may have entered the wrong number, or would like to try another phone number, you can enter it here.
Be aware that if you attempt multiple numbers and codes without success, then the ability to try again could be locked for 24 hours.
Permalink - I'm not getting HubPages emails. How do I fix that?
You can go to My Account > Profile > Account Settings to configure your email preferences. Make sure to check "Allow HubPages to contact you" in order to receive regular emails from HubPages, including the Newsletter.
In the Notification Settings tab, use the "always" setting for messages you want to make sure you receive.
Occasionally some email systems mark HubPages email as spam
If you aren't receiving email messages about your account, you can safelist correspondence from HubPages. This means you designate HubPages as a trusted sender in your email program or service. This will help make sure that future messages from HubPages avoid your SPAM filter or junk mail folder. You can safelist by following these instructions.
Another good way to make sure that the HubPages emails get delivered would be to add the email addresses: editor@hubpages.com, comment@hubpages.com, and email@hubpages.com into your email account's contacts (just set the name associated with this email address to 'HubPages Editor', 'HubPages Comment, and 'HubPages Email' or similar).
Permalink - How can I adjust my notification settings or stop getting emails from HubPages?
If you do not want to receive email communication from HubPages or other HubPages users, it is simple to adjust your email preferences. There are two options:
- Allow HubPages to contact you? - uncheck this if you do not want to receive the HubPages newsletter, or other non-essential communications from HubPages.
- Allow other users to contact you? - uncheck this if you do not want other HubPages users to contact you. This will remove the "Contact [your username]" link in Your Profile page and in articles.
In addition to the settings above there are a couple of other places where you may have indicated an email preference:
- Notification of new articles by favorite authors- you have the option within Your Profile to choose to be notified about new articles by the Hubbers you follow never, immediately, or in a daily digest.
- Comment Capsules - you can configure whether you want to receive an email notification when you get a new comment. By default, the capsule is set to email you for each new comment, though you can change those settings (to never receive comments, receive them as configured in your capsule, or always) by visiting Your Profile to choose to be notified about new articles by the Hubbers you follow never, immediately, or in a daily digest.
Please note that you may still receive an email notice if an administrative action has been applied to one of your articles or Forum posts. There is no way to turn off these critical communications.
Permalink - How do I close or delete my account?
If you would like to close your HubPages account, please sign in to the account that you would like to close, navigate to the Close Account page, and follow the instructions.
Please note that:
- Account closure is permanent and unrecoverable
- The username of a closed account will not be made available again
- If you close your account, your Earnings Program balance is subject to forfeiture. Please review your balance amount and the payment timing guidelines, and do not close your account if you do not want to forfeit your current balance
- How do I change my username?
Unfortunately, you cannot change your username. If you need to change your username, please close your account and create a new one. If you choose to do this, please be aware that you will not be able to transfer your articles to the new account.
Usernames that are vulgar, trademarked, or encourage/incite violence are not permitted.
Depending on the severity, this can result in an automatic ban from HubPages.
Please keep in mind that while you cannot change your username, you can always change the Real Name that displays prominently on your profile by changing the text that appears in the Real Name field when you edit your HubPages profile page. Be sure that any real name you include complies with our guidelines.
Permalink - What happens to my account when I die?
The ownership of a HubPages account is established by:
- Access to the account email associated with the HubPages profile
- Knowledge of the username and password
- Knowledge of the answers to the account security questions.
If you are concerned about succession, make sure to share that information with whomever you would like to have control of your account upon your passing.
Permalink - Can I have multiple HubPages accounts?
You may have more than one account, as long as they are used in the spirit of contribution to the community. Creating large numbers of accounts primarily for promotional purposes may result in all of them being banned. Creating a new account after being banned is also prohibited. Please stick to a single persona in the Forums; using more the one account to post in the same Forum thread is not allowed.
Permalink - How do I reset or change my password?
If you have forgotten your password and cannot sign in, click here. If you are signed in, and would like to change your password, you can do so in My Account > Profile > Account Settings.
Permalink - I never received a verification email.
To have a new verification email sent to you, go to My Account > Profile > Account Settings. Check that your email address is correctly entered. If it is not, correct it and hit . Then (or if it is correct) click the blue verification link under the email field to have a new verification email sent to you. Be sure to check your spam and bulk folders in case your email provider mistakenly filtered out the message.
Permalink - I have forgotten my log in information and can't sign in.
You can sign in using either your username or the email address you used to sign up for your account. If you have forgotten one, you can always use the other.
If you cannot remember the email address you used to sign up, then search for emails from HubPages in your email accounts.
If you cannot remember either your username or the email you used to sign up, check your browser history to see if you can locate your HubPages Profile page. You can then see your username and use that information to sign in.
Permalink - How do I change my email address for HubPages message and notifications?
You can change your email address associated with your HubPages account in My Account > Profile > Account Settings. You will need to answer a security question in order to make an email address change (or you may be asked to set up security questions if you haven't already done so).
Permalink - Why have my articles been unpublished?
Your articles may be unpublished for rules violations, but they are still available to you in My Account. Sometimes, if we notice a pattern of violations, all of your articles may be unpublished at once. Once you bring your content into compliance with our policies, you can resubmit them for publication individually.
Your articles may also not be published if they do not meet the minimum quality standards required to be Featured. To see if this is the case, open your article while logged in. There should be an alert in the Author Center at the top of the article notifying you that your article is not published because it currently rests below HubPages threshold for quality. You can rectify this by improving it and once again submitting it to the Quality Assessment Process.
Permalink - Why can't I publish articles?
If you find yourself unable to publish articles, this means your account has been banned. There can be multiple reasons for a banning, including (but not limited to) chronic rules violations, abusing the Forums, and harassing other members of the site.
Permalink - How do I file a copyright complaint with HubPages?
We take copyright violations very seriously, and are bound by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to remove content upon receipt of an official complaint. Our users agree when they sign up for our service to take all responsibility for the content they post, so you can try contacting the user through the 'Fan Mail' link on their profile. Alternatively, or if the user does not respond, you can find instructions to file a DMCA complaint, including how to email it to us.
Permalink - How do I report trademark and other legal infringements to HubPages?
We take trademark and other legal issues surrounding content published on HubPages very seriously. Our users agree when they sign up for our service to take all responsibility for the content they post, so we recommend that you first try contacting the author directly. Unless they have opted out, there will be a "Contact Author" beneath the author's name at the top of each article.
Alternatively, or if the user does not respond, you may use this link to contact us about trademark and other legal issues.
Permalink - How do I report rules violations or inappropriate content?
To report an article you believe violates our rules, look for the grey flag button in the top left hand corner of the article. Once you click it, you can choose the reason you are reporting and write a short explanation. This doesn't change the publication status of the article, but rather alerts our moderation team to take a look.
We manually review every reported article and will take the appropriate action when there is, in fact, a violation of rules. Only the moderation team has the ability to unpublish content.
Permalink - My article was copied without my permission. What can I do?
It's understandable to feel frustrated when someone copies your articles without your permission. However, since HubPages does not own the copyright to your content—you do—you must assert your copyright under the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). We suggest following these best practices.
- See if there is a way to contact the site and file a DMCA (a formal copyright infringement complaint) claim by email or form. Be sure to follow the DMCA format we share in the FAQ. (Any mistake in the format of your DMCA complaint will mean it will be ignored.)
- If you can't find a way to contact the site, then use WHOIS to find an email address for the site. You can also check with the United States Copyright Office to see if the site hosting your stolen content has a designated copyright agent. If you cannot find a site's owner or a designated copyright agent, you may be able to find a site's hosting service and file a DMCA with the hosting service directly.
- If you do not receive a reply within a few days that the offending content has been taken down, then you can file a DMCA complaint with Google (select Web Search) and Bing (email dmcaagnt@microsoft.com). This will not get the copied content taken down, but it will prevent it from appearing in Google and Bing search results.
As the copyright owner, you may also consider bringing legal action against the infringing party.
Permalink - What is the format of a DMCA takedown notice?
If you find that some or all of the content of one of your articles has been copied and republished without your permission, you may file a DMCA complaint with the person who posted the content or the site hosting that content.
To file a notice of infringement with a person or site, you must provide a written communication, by mail/post, email, or fax, that sets forth the items specified below. Please note that you will be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees) if you materially misrepresent that a product or activity is infringing your copyrights.
To expedite the site's ability to process your request, please use the following format (including section numbers):
- Identify in sufficient detail the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed upon (for example, "The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://username.hubpages.com/hub/your-hub").
- Identify the material that you claim is infringing the copyrighted work listed in item #1 above (for example, “The following page infringes on my copyrighted work: http://theirsite.com/Infringing_content”).
- Provide information reasonably sufficient to allow the person or website to contact you (email address is preferred).
- Include the following statement: "I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law."
- Include the following statement: "I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed."
- Sign the paper.
- Send the written communication to the person or website's mailing address, fax number, or email, with the subject line "DMCA Complaint." If sending an email, it is best to include the complaint in the body of the email and not an attachment, as many do not open attachments due to security concerns. Permalink
- How do I check if someone copied my article?
If you want to check to see if one of your articles has been copied somewhere online, you can use a site like Copyscape to find online duplicates. To use these services, all you typically have to do is enter the article's URL, and if its content has been copied and republished on other sites, they should show up in your query. You can also take a sentence or two of your article, copy it, and paste it into a Google search bar. Be sure to bookend your excerpt with quotes so Google does an exact search.
The directions above also apply to photos and videos. To monitor the use of your photos online:
- Go to Google Images, click on the camera icon inside the search bar, and paste a URL or upload an image to see where else it may have been used online
- Go to www.tineye.com and upload the photo or file URL and see where else on the web the photo is being used.
- Go to www.digimarc.com to add digital watermarks to your photos before you upload them to HubPages. This service will report to you if your images have been used elsewhere online (keep in mind that visible watermarks on photos go against HubPages' publishing policy). Keep in mind that ingredients lists for recipes cannot be copyrighted, but the directions for recipes, as well as curated recipe collections, can. Permalink
- Why doesn't HubPages disable copy and paste for articles to prevent them from being copied?
While it is possible to eliminate a users ability to copy text via JavaScript, this most impacts readers and has the effect of breaking the reader experience. Consider if a reader wanted to copy a sentence from your article and then share it on Twitter or Facebook with a link. If copy was disabled, then they would be unable to do this. A more technically proficient person could simply disable JavaScript or view the page source.
Permalink - I have fixed my articles and want to republish.
If your article has been moderated for a rule violation, and you have taken the necessary steps to bring it into compliance, you can submit it for publication using the button on the article itself. It may take up to 72 hours for your article to be reviewed for publication. Please be patient.
If you get an error message stating that you no longer have permission to publish, this is because your account has been banned.
Permalink - I am having technical problems with my article.
If you are experiencing technical problems with your article, try refreshing your browser. If this does not help, check the Technical Questions Discussions Forum to see if anyone else is having or has had the same problem. If nobody else has posted about it, start a new thread explaining the problem, including any error messages you may be getting, screenshots of issues, as well as what browser you are using. Please use these guidelines in order to report all necessary specifications for your computer.
Permalink - Why are some articles not showing up on my Profile page?
In order to let each Hubber’s best articles really shine, only Featured articles are displayed on Profile pages. Should you choose, you can showcase articles that are not Featured in the “In the Spotlight” carousel on your Profile. You also have the option to display all published articles on your profile by visiting My Account > Profile > Edit Profile, and selecting the radio button at the bottom of the page that enables all articles to show on the Profile.
In addition, in order for an article to be available to be displayed in the “In the Spotlight” section on Profile pages it must also contain an image that has an original size of at least 200 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall. This means an article with an image 192x192 pixels, for example, would not be available via the drop-down. The photo requirement applies to all articles, whether Featured or not.
Articles with a Pending status (which are in the midst of being analyzed) will also not appear on the Profile page (articles will be Pending for up to 48 hours, though this timeframe is re-set every time an edit is made).
Learn more in the Learning Center entry on the Quality Assessment Process.
Permalink - How often can I submit an article to a Network Site?
If your newly published article passes the Quality Assessment Process it will automatically be reviewed for a Network Site. There is no need to submit it yourself. If you would like to manually submit an older article or an article that was previously rejected from a Network Site then you may do so every 2 weeks.
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- Publishing Rules & Policies
- Generally speaking, what am I allowed to put into an article?
All articles have to meet the site content guidelines set forth in the Quality Assessment Process, the HubPages moderation policy, and in the HubPages Terms of Use, and summarized below.
Our objective with HubPages is to support authors that have the desire and intent to develop a readership on the HubPages site, and to contribute in a positive way to the HubPages community. If your intended use runs counter to this objective—for instance, if your sole purpose is to get backlinks for other sites or to promote or sell dubious products through your articles—then please stop using HubPages.
If your articles are identified as in violation, we generally will give you an opportunity to correct the problem and republish. However, repeated violations will result in your account being closed and all your articles being unpublished. If you are unsure whether or not your content meets our policies, we will be far more sympathetic if you contact us for clarification before publishing.
Permalink - At the top of my article in a black box, I see a "content warning". What does that mean?
This is an automated notification that only you and HubPages administrators can see; other Hubbers and readers cannot see it. It is triggered by certain words that are in your article, and is simply a notification that, if it is indeed on the topic it states, the article needs to comply with certain standards. Be sure to click on the link to read more relevant information.
Specifically, some subjects are not permitted within the HubPages rules or terms of use and the content warning serves as notice of that. In those cases, if your article has been incorrectly identified you can safely ignore the warning, though you may also email us incorrectly identified articles (please include a link to the article in question). We may use your example to fine tune the filter that identifies articles in that area.
Other subjects have become saturated with low-quality articles published by affiliate marketers. In these topic areas, articles written must be of exceptional quality and can not contain affiliate links. The content warnings serve as notice of this restriction. If we believe that your article does contain affiliate or promotional links, an additional warning will appear and the article will be blocked from publication.
Permalink - I want to publish articles about adult topics. What is allowed?
Articles on HubPages are not allowed to contain adult content. Below are some examples of prohibited adult content; this should not be interpreted as exhaustive list of what is prohibited.
The following are not allowed:
- Inappropriate language, including excessive profanity
- Content on sexual aids, toys, or enhancements
- Fetish content or content with sexual intent
- Sexually explicit content, including descriptions of sexual acts, tips, or practices
- Mail order brides, escort services, adult or sexual dating
- Nudity and lewd, obscene, or provocative images (including strategically covered nudity, see-through or sheer clothing, and close-ups of breasts, butts, or crotches)
- Or, links to sites that contain any of the above
Articles that are produced in a professional style, that use medical terms rather than slang, and that are not attempting to sell dubious treatments or products are more likely to be evaluated favorably (though it is no guarantee). If you are unsure if your content is allowed, please contact us for a clarification before attempting to publish.
You should also be aware that advertising may automatically be disabled on potentially adult content, and on content that touches on certain sensitive topic areas.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - My article was moderated for mature content; what does that mean?
Mature content includes graphic violent or medical images, videos, or text, and the excessive use of profanity. All articles must be suitable for a general audience. If you are unsure if your mature themed article is ok, please contact us for clarification before publishing.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - Am I allowed to create articles about gambling?
Articles that promote or link to sites that offer or promote gambling for money are not allowed. Discussions of gambling rules, strategies, or events are generally acceptable. If you are unsure if your gambling-related article is ok, please contact us for clarification before publishing.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - Am I allowed to create articles about weapons?
Articles may not contain content that link to sites that promote the sales of weapons or ammunition. This includes firearms, firearm components, BB and stun guns, fighting knives, explosives, and fireworks. This prohibition includes products listed in Amazon Capsules.
However, you may write articles about hunting and any other weapon-related sporting activities.
If you are unsure if your weapons-related article is ok, please contact us for clarification before publishing your article.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - Am I allowed to create articles about beer, wine, or alcohol?
You may not create articles that sell, or link to sites that sell beer, hard alcohol and liqueurs. Further, links to alcohol related sites that require visitors to verify their age are prohibited.
However, you are free to publish reviews of a particular libation, brewery, winery, or distiller. Cocktail recipes are also fair game. On the subject of home brewing, you can share recipes and techniques, and you can sell related equipment.
If you are unsure if your alcohol-related article is ok, please contact us for clarification before publishing your article.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - Am I allowed to create articles about drugs?
You may not publish articles that:
- Depict illegal drug use
- Promote drug abuse
- Sell, promote the sale, or link to sites that promote the sale of herbal, prescription or illegal drugs, or drug paraphernalia
This prohibition may include drugs that have medicinal purposes, or are decriminalized or legal in some jurisdictions. Articles that provide instructional information about illegal activities are also prohibited. Articles about Marijuana are allowed, but will likely result in ads being disabled.
If you are unsure if your drug-related article is ok, please contact us for clarification before publishing your article.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - May I publish articles about cigarettes or other tobacco products?
Articles that sell, promote the sale, or link to sites that promote the sale of tobacco products are prohibited. Tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, rolling papers, chewing and pipe tobacco, pipes and other smoking devices, and electronic cigarettes.
Articles about herbal cigarettes (that contain no nicotine) and quitting or the health effects of smoking are fine, subject to the restrictions above.
If you are unsure if your tobacco-related content is ok, please contact us for clarification before publishing.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - My article was moderated as substandard; what does that mean?
Substandard simply means that the quality of the article does not meet HubPages' standards. Below are some common reasons that an article may be moderated as substandard:
- "Test" or otherwise unfinished articles
- Very little content
- Poorly-formatted content
- Content that contains grammar or spelling mistakes that make it difficult to read or understand
- Links to sites that are parked, or for which the domain is available for sale
- Low quality pictures or video including distorted or low quality audio
- Broken links or videos
- Sites that require the user to login in order to view content. This can include but is not limited to some content on Facebook and YouTube private videos
Remember that you can always spend some time improving your article to meet HubPages standards, and submit it to be evaluated for republication.
You can find more details in the Learning Center. Permalink - My article was moderated for being overly promotional; what does that mean?
Purely promotional offers and articles designed only to promote other sites or businesses are not allowed. In particular, the following actions are likely to get your articles identified as overly promotional:
- Including more than 2 links to any one domain
- Keyword stuffed: repeatedly emphasizes words or phrases (often times with bold or italics)
- Short "teasers" with links to "read more" at another site
- Solely promotes a product, site, program, organization, or service
- Excessive Amazon Capsules
- Including links to a page that contains largely the same content as your article
Please note that promotional links are links that you have any interest in promoting (your blog, your Website, affiliate offers, etc.). Links to well-known Web resources which you don't have any personal interest in (like Wikipedia, news sites, encyclopedias, open directories, etc.) are exempt from this limitation.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - My article was moderated for Deceptive Title or Capsule Use; what does that mean?Deceptive Title
If the content of your article do not deliver on its title, that could be considered deceptive. For instance, an 800 word article titled "All About the Stock Market" is deceptive because it's impossible to cover that subject thoroughly in 800 words. Please choose a title that accurately describes the content of your article.
Deceptive Capsule
Recipe Capsules should only be used in Recipe articles. This includes articles that contain recipes but are not categorized under the Food and Cooking Topic. Rating Capsules should only be used in articles with a single recipe or product review. Articles with multiple recipes or products reviewed may not use the Rating Capsule. Map Capsules should have a location that is directly related to the article content. Make sure you do not leave the default location (San Francisco).You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - My article has been moderated for duplicate content; what does that mean?
Duplicate content is not allowed on HubPages. Your article may also be moderated for duplicate content in cases where we determine there is substantial similarity to another work. This includes close paraphrasing, among other forms of misappropriation.
An article labeled as having duplicate content may have:- Text that appears in whole or large part on another site. Even if you wrote the text or retain the copyright, you may not republish it on HubPages. When content is present on multiple sites, search engines devalue the content that has a later publication date. Thus, if you have already published content on another site and republish it on HubPages, your article and possibly the entire site will be penalized by search engines.
- Text that already appears in whole or large part on HubPages. Copying or paraphrasing another's article or one of your own, is not permitted on HubPages. Truly original content is always required.
- Cutting and pasting content, even from a variety of sites is prohibited. Articles need to be written in your own words, just like academic works.
- Substantial similarity to another work
- My article was moderated for being purely personal; what does that mean?
HubPages is not a traditional blog site, where authors can publish personal journal-like entries. Articles can contain some personal content, but should be interesting, useful, and easily understandable to someone who does not know you personally. In general, HubPages content should be original, in-depth, useful, and media-rich; more like a magazine article than a blog.
If your article has been moderated for purely personal content, we encourage you to make changes to your content that will make it more interesting to a general audience. If that isn't possible, you can always start fresh on a new article.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - My article has been moderated for watermarked or pixelated photos; what does that mean?
Images that are low resolution, grainy, or pixelated detract from the aesthetic appeal of an article and are prohibited. For the same reason, images or videos that contain obtrusive watermarks are also prohibited. Watermarks can include URLs, logos, copyright notices, or other text rendered over the image. This rule applies even if they are your own photos or videos, or photos or videos that you have the legal right to use.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - My article has been moderated for dubious offers; what does that mean?
Articles that promote dubious offers are prohibited on HubPages. Some of the most common dubious offers include:
- "Watch TV/movies on your PC" scams
- Promotion of cell phone spyware
- Promotion of HCG supplements/injections
- Promotion of MLM or network marketing programs
- "Free energy" including, but not limited to "Run your car on water" content
- Promotion of cash gifting schemes
- Promotion of medical treatments that the FDA or FTC have found to be fraudulent.
Non-promotional, medical or scientific, or exposé articles on these subjects may be permitted.
If you are unsure whether or not the subject would be considered dubious, please contact us for clarification before publishing your article.
You can find more details in the Learning Center.
Permalink - My article has been moderated for linking to prohibited sites, what does that mean?
Links to sites that provide a poor experience for readers or reflect badly on HubPages are prohibited. These include:
- Affiliate or promotional links in subject areas containing a high proportion of low quality or promotional content (for example, forex, acai berry, weight loss, etc)
- Links to squeeze pages, thin lead capture forms and/or eBook sales pages
- Sites that contain window confirmation boxes that interfere with site navigation (for example, when clicking the back or close buttons), or redirect users to unwanted websites
- Links to sites that contain links to any of the above
Commonly used affiliate programs are evaluated based on the totality of how they are used on HubPages. While some of the offers or sites promoted may be ok, if a preponderance are not, then they may be prohibited anyway. Clickbank is an example of this.
Sites are evaluated on an ongoing basis, and the classification of a site may change. It is the author's responsibility to ensure that no links in their articles meet the definitions above.
If your article is moderated for this violation, the links that we've currently identified as prohibited will be included in the details of the warning (navigate to the article and click on the text of the warning). If you remove the identified links and any others that fit the definitions above, you can submit your article for publication and it will be republished provided that it is not in violation of any other HubPages rules.
Permalink - Why don't you allow articles in languages other than English?
At our current size we don't have the resources to properly create or administer a HubPages site in other languages.
Permalink - I want permission to use text or an image from an article.
All the users on HubPages agree to only publish content to which they have the necessary rights. If you wish to use text or images that appear in an article, please use the "Contact" link located on the author's HubPages Profile. Do not contact the HubPages Team, we can not help you!
Permalink - Can I use photos, video, and other content from other sites on my articles?
When you sign up for HubPages, you agree to use only content to which you hold the necessary rights. Basically, this means that if you did not create the content yourself (take the picture, create the video, etc.), you must have permission to use it from the person or organization that did create it. In our Learning Center guide on legally using images, you will find information on where you can find photos that are free to legally use in your articles. As with all content on HubPages, it must also meet our terms of service.
Permalink - What can I put in the Real Name field of my profile?
Adding a real name to your HubPages profile is a great way to enhance your personal brand and add to your credibility as a writer. Please be sure to use a real name or a real-sounding pen name. Non-English characters, special characters, brand and business names, and website URLs are prohibited. You may, however, include initials, titles (Dr., Reverend, Rabbi, etc), and professional credentials, such as (MD, M.S., etc).
Failure to comply with the Real Name requirements may result in the loss of your ability to display a real name on your profile, pending moderator review.
Please be aware that while your Real Name can be changed, your username cannot. For more information, please reference the username section of the FAQ. Permalink - Why was a comment on my article admin approved or admin denied?
If the settings on your article require comments to be approved before they appear, you will have 7 days to approve (or reject) each comment. If a decision is not made on a comment after 7 days, a moderator may approve (or reject) the comment for you. All comments left on articles with no comment restrictions by non-signed in visitors may be reviewed by a moderator after 2 days.
Permalink - My article has been moderated for for personal attacks or hate speech, what does that mean?
If you receive an email stating that your article is in violation of our Terms of Use as a result of personal attacks or hate speech, it means that your article contains personal attacks, hate speech, or racist content targeting individuals and/or groups.
Personal attacks and hate speech may come in the form of one or more of the following:
- Something you said within the body of the article
- Something you said in the comments section
- Something said by another user in the comments section
To get your article published and Featured again, remove personal attacks and/or hate speech from the article and/or Comments section.
Permalink - My article was moderated for artificially generated content, what does that mean?
If your article meets one of the following descriptions, it needs to be fixed before it can be published again. Artificially generated content can include:
- Automatically-generated content
- Content created with the aid of a translation tool or an article spinning tool
- Homoglyphs used in place of English language characters
Authors of articles that do not meet these standards may see their account banned or may receive an email from HubPages saying the article was unpublished because it was substandard, unfinished, or unlikely to be useful to readers; possibly generated automatically by a translation or article 'spinning' tool, or an automatic content creator.
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- Making Money on HubPages
- How do I make money on HubPages?
On HubPages you earn money through online advertising via the Earnings Program (which includes the Ad Program and the Amazon Program). Every time someone views one of your articles, we display ads and/or affiliate products. You then make earnings from revenues attributable to your articles (which revenues are shared between you and HubPages). In order to participate in the Ad and Amazon Programs, you must activate the Earnings Program. The Earnings Program provides a way for HubPages to pay you directly for the Ad and Amazon Program earnings, and other things like contest prize winnings. Once you meet the minimum unpaid earnings balance ($50) in the Earnings Program, you will get paid by us via PayPal around the 28th of the following month.
Permalink - How much money can I make on HubPages?
It is certainly possible to earn money on HubPages. However, we are careful not to over-promise results because earnings depend largely on the effort and skill each writer puts in.
Those who approach HubPages with diligence, patience, and the determination to write high-quality articles on what people are searching for can earn a steady side-income. The most important thing to keep in mind is that it takes time to gain the readership that leads to significant earnings. There are many Hubbers who are earning hundreds of dollars every month. In most cases, continuously publishing high-quality articles has been the secret to their success.
Permalink - Can I monitor traffic with Google Analytics?
If you want to dig deeper into the traffic trends on your articles, you can track your pages on HubPages using Google Analytics. Simply sign up for a Google Analytics account (if you don't already have one) and then enter the code they assign you (which starts with UA-) on your HubPages Affiliate Settings for Google Analytics.
These are the settings we recommend that you use when you sign up. You can use a different time zone if you like, but the data we report at HubPages is based on Pacific Time.
Account Name: HubPages Website's URL: http://hubpages.com
Time zone country or territory: United States
Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time
Be warned that the page view and referrer data from analytics is never going to match up precisely with what we report. The method they use to collect data is different, so you should expect small discrepancies. For step-by-step instructions on how to set up and read your Google Analytics account, check out our Learning Center guide.
Permalink - Can I earn by referring new writers to HubPages?
Yes! You can do so through the Affiliate Program, which will allow you to earn up to 10% of the attributable earnings share of articles from users you referred to HubPages. It's a great way to share in the success of good writers in your life.
The program works like this: you'll give people you know a specially-encoded link to the HubPages signup page. If they click on that link and sign up within 30 days, and before they click on someone else's specially-encoded link, then you'll enjoy a lifetime referrer share. Your referrer share comes out of Hubpages’ share, not theirs.
Please refer to our Learning Center entry on Referral Trackers and the HubPages Affiliate Program to learn how to create these Referral Tracker-encoded links, and for more details on how the Program works.
A note on responsible use: Please share your Referral Tracker-encoded links judiciously. It's best to share them with people you know, but if you'd like to share them on other Websites you participate on, make sure you are complying with all relevant rules that that site might have regarding the posting of links (you don't want to be labeled a spammer). Please note that if we receive complaints about the irresponsible use of Referral Tracker-encoded links, this may result in the disabling of your Referral Tracker and the loss of any referred users through that Tracker, and possibly the deactivation of your account.
Additionally, referral trackers are intended for use off of HubPages. Any referral links placed on your HubPages articles will not work.
Please be aware that Referral Trackers will only work with the HubPages.com signup page URL. You will not be able to manually add Referral Trackers to URLs for pages on any of our Network Sites or discover.hubpages.com.
Permalink - If I am in the Ad Program, can I still earn from the Referral Program?
Yes, absolutely! If you have the Ad Program enabled, we will run the Ad Program layout on the referred user's article up to 10% of the time (regardless of what program the referred user is opted into) and you will be credited for the earnings.
Please note: the Referral Program earnings will be included in your aggregate Ad Program earnings totals rather than broken out separately.
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- Account Administration - The Earnings Program
- Earnings Program - General
- How do I join the Earnings Program?
To join the Earnings Program, visit the sign-up page and follow the step-by-step instructions. You will be required to associate a PayPal account.
Permalink - What are the requirements for each program available through the Earnings Program?
These are the requirements for each of the programs currently available through the Earnings Program. Please visit My Account > Earnings > Settings to check the status for each program individually.
Program Requirements Earnings Program (EP) Ad Program EP (PayPal) Amazon Program EP (PayPal), phone verification, one published article Contest Payments EP (PayPal) - How can I see how much money I've made?
Revenue updates from the Ad and Amazon Programs, can be checked via the link below:
- Earnings Program earnings (for the Ad and Amazon Programs) Permalink
- Are all of my articles eligible for the Earnings Program?
If you join the Earnings Program, we will review each of your articles for eligibility. If your articles have advertising-appropriate content (that is within the guidelines of HubPages and our ad network partners), then those pieces can run ads from the Earnings Program.
Permalink - How do payments work for the Earnings Program?
We provide you with a managed service which includes ad performance reporting and a monthly payment directly via PayPal, once you’ve reached a $50 payout threshold. Earnings from the Ad and Amazon Programs will be added together to help you reach the $50 payout threshold faster. The payment represents your portion of the revenue share associated with the Earnings Program advertising that has run on your share of impressions on your articles. You can view your Earnings Program earnings in My Account > Earnings > Balance History.
Ad Program earnings from month 1 are added to the unpaid balance in month 2. Amazon Program earnings from month 1 are added to the unpaid balance on month 3.
Payments will be disbursed around the 28th of the month for the previous month's earnings.
Permalink - What do the earning dates mean in my Earnings Program reports?
HubPages pays out revenue around the 28th of each month for the previous month's earnings. Your monthly payment is on a 30-day cycle, meaning each month's payout consists of earnings from the previous month. If you earn in a given month, but do not meet the payout limit of $50, that month's earnings will roll over and be added to the next month's earnings until you do reach the limit. At this point, you will be paid the month after you exceeded the limit. "Monthly Earnings" refers to the amount of revenue you generated for that month, specifically.
For more details, please refer to the explanation of Earnings Program payments.
Permalink - What does "Balance History" mean?
My Account > Earnings > Balance History is where you can view past earnings on a monthly basis. The Earnings column reflects how much revenue you generated via the Earnings Program for that particular month. The Payment column reflects how much revenue HubPages paid out to you that month. The Balance column reflects how much unpaid revenue is sitting in your Earnings Program account. Remember, your balance must reach $50 before the first payout.
Permalink - Where can I check my earnings?
You can find your Earnings Program reports in My Account > Earnings > Earnings Reports.
Please note: because we cannot report Ad Program earnings until we have collected data from all of our advertising partners, there tends to be a 24-hour lag in finalized earnings data. During the week, earnings for the previous day should be finalized by noon, Pacific Standard Time. Earnings for the weekend (including Fridays) should be available the following Monday. Until earnings are certified (uncertified earnings have an asterisk next to them), they may be adjusted to correct problems that can arise from ad network reporting problems, or other technical issues. Before sending an email or reporting an issue in the Forums, please double check that the earnings for the date you are looking at are certified and final.
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- Earnings Program - PayPal
- I received an email from HubPages telling me my PayPal account has changed. Did HubPages actually change my PayPal account information?
No. We apologize for the confusion but each first-time association receives this notification.
Permalink - What type of PayPal account do I need to participate in the Earnings Program?
A Personal account is all you need.
Permalink - Can I get paid with a method other than PayPal?
PayPal is the only supported form of payment. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Permalink - What information is required to open a Personal PayPal account?
To open a Personal account, you just need to provide your name, address, phone number, and email address. You will need to create a password for your new account and choose 2 security questions. If you forget your password, PayPal will ask you to answer your security questions to log in to your account. After you sign up for an account, you can start receiving money right away. You’ll need to add a payment method (like a credit card or bank account) to send money.
Please remember that your best resource for PayPal-related inquiries is the PayPal Help Center.
Permalink - Do I have to add funds to my PayPal account to use PayPal?
No. If you link a bank account to your PayPal account, money is taken directly from your bank account when you make purchases or send money.
Please remember that your best resource for PayPal-related inquiries is the PayPal Help Center.
Permalink - What should I do if my PayPal account is locked?
If your account is locked, please contact PayPal directly.
Permalink - Can the name on my bank account and PayPal account be different?
No. The name on your PayPal account should match the name on your bank account. If the name on your bank account differs in any way, check with your bank to make sure that transfers will go through. If they won’t, you’ll need to update the name on your bank account or the name on your PayPal account. To request a name change on your PayPal account, please contact PayPal directly.
Please remember that your best resource for PayPal-related inquiries is the PayPal Help Center.
Permalink - How do I contact PayPal if I have a question about my existing account OR creating a new account?
You can visit the PayPal Contact Us page.
Permalink - How can I check whether or not my PayPal account is successfully linked to HubPages?
You can check (the status of) and edit your PayPal association in My Account > Earnings > Settings >Payment Settings.
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- The Ad Program
- What are the requirements for enrollment in the Ad Program?
To join the Ad Program, visit the sign-up page and follow the step-by-step instructions. You will need to be enrolled in the Earnings Program with an active PayPal account.
Permalink - Upon activating the Ad Program, when will the ads start showing up on my articles?
Upon successfully activating the Ad Program, allow one full hour for advertisements to begin running in the new format.
Permalink - What types of advertisements are considered unacceptable under the HubPages Ad Policy Guidelines?
The following is a list of some of the types of advertising that HubPages will not accept. These types of ads should never appear on your articles:
- General: Advertisements that contain fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading statements or illustrations. Attacks of a personal nature.
- Blinking/Jumping Ads: Advertisements that excessively blink or "jump around" in the ad space to gain attention are not acceptable.
- Autoplay Audio: Ads with audio must be user initiated on click. Must contain visible stop/play and pause or mute functionality.
- Discrimination: Advertisements that fail to comply with the express requirements of US federal and state laws.
- Offensive to Good Taste: Indecent, vulgar, or suggestive. This includes pornography.
- Pop-Ups and Pop-Unders: Pop-ups generally open new web browser windows to display advertisements. Pop-Unders open a new browser window hidden under the active window. Both of these are violate HubPages' ad policy. The only exceptions to this rule are brand study surveys.
If you do come across one or more of these types of advertisements while perusing HubPages, please check out the FAQ entry below for instructions on how to to let us know so that we can track down the offending ad and have it removed ASAP.
Permalink - What should I do if I see an advertisement on HubPages that is in violation of HubPages' Ad Policy?
If you come across one or more of these types of advertisements while perusing HubPages, please contact us as soon as possible to let us know. Within your message, please try to include any or all of the following:
- URL of the exact page where the ad loaded, and the location of the ad on the page.
- Time and day the ad loaded.
- Please try to grab and save a screenshot of the advertisement. It's also helpful to right click on the ad, select "inspect", and save a screenshot of the code. You will not be able to upload along with the "Contact Us" form, but we may email you asking to see it.
- At minimum, a written description of what the ad looked like: what category it belongs in, the brand being advertised, etc.
- Why are my Ad Program impressions lower than my article views?
Ad Program reports are on a calendar day basis, whereas views are based on a moving 24-hour window. However, if you view your report looking at a longer period like "month views," these numbers should be fairly close. Some other things to keep in mind:
- Some of your views could be from people using ad blocking software/plugins, so in that case, ad impressions will not register.
- Some people might click away from your article before all ads are displayed.
- Ads are disabled or you have turned ads off on some of your articles.
- Why was I banned from the Ad Program?
HubPages is unable to provide our users with any information about their account activity, including any web pages, users, or third-party services that might have been involved. We treat invalid traffic and click activity very seriously, analyzing all clicks and impressions to determine whether they fit a pattern of use that might artificially drive up earnings. As covered in our Terms of Use, HubPages will use its sole discretion when determining instances of invalid traffic activity.
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- The Amazon Program
- What is the Amazon Program and how do I sign up?
The Amazon Program is a great way to earn from Amazon products displayed on your articles and is an affiliate program offered as a means of earning via the Earnings Program, the other being the Ad Program. To sign up, please visit My Account > Earnings > Settings, click on the button next to the Amazon Program, and follow the instructions. When participating in the Amazon Program, your earnings reports and payments will be provided by HubPages rather than Amazon.
Permalink - Who is eligible to participate in the Amazon Program?
- Can I participate in the Amazon Program without joining the Earnings Program?
- I have multiple HubPages accounts. Do I need to sign-up separately in each account?
Yes. Each account is treated independently for the purposes of your participation in all available Earnings Programs.
Permalink - Do I have to fill out any forms with Amazon to participate?
- How are earnings from the Amazon Program calculated?
The Amazon Program will track product referrals from your articles. You will accrue into your Earnings Program balance from this activity (via a commission from purchase activity on Amazon based on referrals from your articles).
The Amazon Sales Report will reflect activity that occurred in your articles, as well as your share of the commission from those sales.
Permalink - How will the Amazon earnings look in my Earnings Program reports?
Amazon earnings will be broken out every day into a separate report. If you participate in more than one component of the Earnings Program (the Ad Program and/or the Amazon Program), your total Program earnings will reflect the amount in aggregate across the two programs. That helps you reach $50 payout more quickly.
Permalink - How can I tell if an item purchased though the Amazon Program was returned?
If an item is returned or not shipped it will be reflected as a negative amount in the Amazon earnings report. The information HubPages receives from Amazon for the Amazon Program does not indicate why a product didn't ship or was returned.
Permalink - What reporting is offered?
There are two reports related to the Amazon Program. One will show earnings data on a daily basis, and the other will list the actual items sold and your share of earnings on a separate page.
Please note: because earnings and revenue are both rounded to the nearest cent, the earnings rate column won't match exactly the round numbers in the Amazon’s published commission tiers.
Permalink - May I use my HubPages-assigned Amazon ID outside of HubPages?
No. The ID that HubPages assigns to your Earnings Program account is authorized for use only on HubPages. You are not permitted to use it off of HubPages or to provide it to others as downstream affiliates of you.
Permalink - Can I purchase Amazon products displayed on my own articles and earn a commission?
No. Purchasing products using your own links is strictly prohibited and is grounds for expulsion from the Amazon Program as well as forfeiture of your entire Earnings Program balance.
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- Earnings Program - General
- Forums
- What are the Forums?
The Forums are an online meeting place for Hubbers to connect. Hubbers get to know one another, give each other advice, help each other out, and converse about things that interest them.
Permalink - What are some examples of HubPages Forums?
Forums are primarily focused on discussion between many different people. Here’s a short guide to understanding what sort of conversation should be going where:
- Questions about HubPages (“I’m having trouble publishing”): check this FAQ first; if not there, ask in the Need Help? Ask here Forum
- Notifying staff of a technical or ad problem, or to request a new feature: should be posted in the Technical Problems on HubPages Forum, the Ad Problems on HubPages Forum, or the Suggest a New HubPages Feature Forum, respectively.
- Requests for Feedback on your article: should be posted in the Improving Your Hub Forum
- Discussions of all other sorts: in the various forums, such as Community News, Politics, and Freeform Discussion
- What are the Forums for?
We encourage all Hubbers to use the Forums as an open space to:
- Interact with each other in the spirit of cooperation and fun
- Ask for and respond to calls for help and assistance with publishing on HubPages
- Share advice and tips on how to create better articles and how to draw more visitors
- Come up with ideas to make HubPages work better for everyone
- Discuss your favorite topics
The Forums allow the community to complement each individual Hubber’s own talents and interests, to provide a living and growing repository for shared wisdom, mutual support and inspiration.
Permalink - What are the Forum rules?
We ask that all Hubbers choosing to participate adhere to these guidelines, in order to maintain the kind of resource everyone will love using and feel comfortable participating in:
- Stick to the Topic: Please stay on the thread’s topic when replying to an existing thread. If you don’t see an open thread about something you’d like to discuss, please open a new thread.
- Respect: Please maintain respect for other Hubbers, even if you don’t necessarily agree with them. Keep your language clean and don’t make personal attacks or post hate speech. By choosing to be civil, you make the discussion better for everyone involved.
- Be Helpful and Supportive: We’re all here to learn, so please be constructive when providing feedback. Harassing, threatening, or intimidating other Hubbers is against our Terms of Use.
- Spread the Word: Encourage Hubbers seeking help to visit the Forum to discuss.
- What are we not allowed to do in the Forums?
In order to keep the Forums clean, constructive, and fun, we must maintain high standards of conduct. The following are prohibited in the Forums:
- Promoting your articles or other sites: This includes linking to your own articles or any site that you have a vested interest in promoting. To be on the safe side, we recommend that you establish a presence in the HubPages community before you post any links in the Forums. The only Forums you’re allowed to post links to an article in are the Improving Your Hub Forum and HubChallenges Forum.
- Signatures: Please do not include a signature with your posts. Attempts to post signatures that include links to your articles or another site may result in a permanent account ban. A link to your profile page is included with every post, and you can put information about yourself and a link to a site you'd like to promote on your profile page.
- Making Personal Attacks and Hate Speech: Debate and disagreements on points of substance are all right, but personal attacks, petty bickering, extreme profanity, hate speech and thread hijacking will be dealt with swiftly.
- Cross Posting: Please do not post the same message to more than one Forum thread.
- Multiple Accounts: While we don't prohibit having more than one HubPages account, we ask that you stick to a single persona in the forums. The deceptive use of multiple accounts, especially in a single thread is prohibited. The use of secondary accounts to circumvent a forum ban is also prohibited.
- Report posts just because you don't like them. Only use the report button on posts you think break the forum rules.
- I’ve been banned from the Forums. What do I do?
If you attempt to post in the Forums after being banned for a violation, you will see a link to the thread where the violation occurred, and a notification of when your Forum privileges have been scheduled to be reinstated. Each subsequent violation will incur longer ban durations, and eventually your Forum privileges may be permanently revoked. So please familiarize yourself with our rules before posting again.
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- The Quality Assessment Process
- What is the Quality Assessment Process and how does it work?
It is important that HubPages maintains a reputation for high-quality content. The Quality Assessment Process (QAP) is the process by which we use to determine the general quality level of an article. This assessment is used to determine how and where your content will appear on HubPages.
All articles are evaluated by the QAP after they are published. Published articles are re-evaluated whenever they are updated by the author, but they may also be re-evaluated based on random sampling. After an article is published, one or both of the following can happen:
- A quality assessment review by a HubPages Moderator
- If an article fails to generate or maintain some search traffic over time, an article may be de-Featured
It can take up to 48 hours for an article to be reviewed through the QAP. During that time, it will remain published, it’s just not Featured. A published article is live and viewable on the Internet.
A Featured article has been indexed by search engines, can be seen on HubPages topic pages, may show up in the Related or Popular sections of other articles, and has the chance to be evaluated for acceptance to our one of our Network sites.
Permalink - What is a Featured article?
A Featured article is an article that our Quality Assessment Process (QAP) has identified as being of particularly good standing. A Featured article is given special status on HubPages and enjoys the following benefits:
- It appears on HubPages' Topic pages and in the Related section of other articles.
- It receives increased exposure through external search engines.
- It is prominently displayed on your public HubPages Profile page.
Recently published or updated articles that have not yet been assessed by the QAP will appear as "Pending" in My Account >Statistics. QAP assessment is usually completed within 48 hours, after which the “Pending” status is changed. If an article becomes Featured, a black "H" symbol will appear next to the article’s title in My Account>Statistics.
Permalink - Why are only some articles Featured?
At HubPages, we strive to highlight and promote the best content, and the overall quality of the content that we highlight on our sites and make available to search engines is very important. Instead of presenting every article on our Network sites and in search engines, we carefully analyze each article to determine a curated set that we will showcase.
Featured articles benefit both readers and writers alike. For readers, an article’s Featured status is a mark of quality. For writers, getting an article Featured is an incentive and reward for producing excellent work. Getting an article Featured also gives writers an opportunity to hone their writing skills in a safe, supportive, and informative environment where their work will be displayed beside other articles that are high-quality.
Permalink - What does it take for an article to be Featured?
Once an article has been published, we will determine whether it meets the following standards:
- HubPages’ basic publishing standards
- HubPages’ quality standards, as assessed by the Quality Assessment Process
If an article meets these standards and requirements, it will be Featured.
The Quality Assessment Process is ongoing and dynamic. An article’s Featured status may change and is based on ratings by HubPages Moderators and attention from readers. If one of your Featured articles is de-Featured, edit it to catch previously-missed grammatical errors, add more media, improve its layout or organization, or update it with new information. Once edited, your article will then be re-evaluated, and if your changes were enough to improve its overall quality, it would once again be Featured.
For additional guidance on how you can make your articles as good as they can be, take a look at our Learning Center guide on creating stellar articles.
Permalink - I edited an article that had been Featured for a while, but now it is no longer Featured. What happened?
Whenever an author updates an article, the new content is reviewed. There is no guarantee that edits will improve your article's quality, and this new assessment may determine that the recent edits are not enough to make it Featured.
If this happens to you, do not worry; your efforts to improve your article are not wasted. Consider the change in status as a learning opportunity and try editing again. Trying several different strategies with your edits may help you identify the most effective type of change to focus on. If you get really stuck, post a link to your article in the Improving Your Article Forum. There, other Hubbers are happy to provide feedback and advice. You can also learn more about how to improve your article on our Learning Center.
Permalink - What is the downside of not being Featured?
If your article is not Featured, don’t worry, but remember only highly-rated content is Featured on HubPages.
Though only Featured articles are made available to search engines and highlighted on Related articles and Topic pages, all articles remain viewable and can be shared through email or social media and can be found in the Feeds of your Followers. Regardless of your article's status, you are still very much able to share your work with your friends, Followers, colleagues, and family. For many, this is enough. If you would like your article to enjoy the additional attention that comes with Featured status, we recommend reworking it to improve its quality and make it more attractive to those searching for its topic on a search engine.
Permalink - What are the attributes of a high-quality article?
At HubPages, we think a high-quality article must be engaging, informative, and useful. The best articles come from a place of true enthusiasm and passion, but apart from this, there are practical aspects to consider:
- Solid substance: High-quality, objective, in-depth, relevant content with supportive, high-quality media
- Clear organization: Logically-structured and visually-appealing information that is easy to find when scanning the page (e.g., well-formatted text that it is broken into multiple Text Capsules with descriptive subheadings supplemented by relevant, attractive links and media)
- Above-average grammar and mechanics: An absence of deviations from grammatical standards that give the article credibility and professional polish
For more detailed information on how to write a high-quality article, see this article in the Learning Center.
Permalink - How can I tell if my article is not Featured because of quality or traffic reasons?
You can see which of your articles are not Featured for traffic and which are not Featured for quality by logging into your HubPages account then going to My Account>Statistics. The Legend at the bottom of the page explains why particular articles are not Featured. Articles that are not Featured due to insufficient traffic are identified by a half-filled circle icon. Articles that are not Featured because of quality issues are identified by a white circle icon.
Permalink - How much traffic is needed for an article to stay Featured?
Your article needs to have some search traffic to stay Featured. The amount of traffic it needs and the length of time it has to accrue that traffic is determined by your Hubber Score. In general, a Featured article will have at least one year to generate some traffic before it could be de-Featured because of traffic.
Articles written by Hubbers with very high Hubber Scores will have up to a few years’ worth of traffic. Those with lower Hubber Scores may have as little as one month’s worth of traffic. In this case, we're talking pretty low Hubber Scores.
New Hubbers are given a generous grace period, even if they have relatively low Hubber Scores, as we acknowledge that it can take time for new Hubbers to get their bearings and for their Hubber Scores to normalize.
Permalink - I’m new. My article was unpublished for not meeting quality standards. What do I do?
Your article was unpublished because you are still in Boot Camp. To pass Boot Camp and avoid having your work unpublished for not meeting HubPages' minimum quality standards, you need to have five Featured articles.
A Featured article is an article that our Quality Assessment Process (QAP) has identified as being of particularly good or high-quality. Boot Camp is a program that all new Hubbers must go through to learn about our quality standards. To graduate from Boot Camp, you must publish at least five Featured articles. Until Hubbers graduate from Boot Camp, articles that do not pass the Quality Assessment Process will become unpublished.
Boot Camp grads will earn the five Featured Articles Accolade and all of their future articles that don't pass the QAP will remain published regardless of whether or not they are Featured. To learn more about how to get your article Featured, please see this entry in our FAQ.
Permalink - How does HubPages define spam?
An article might not be Featured because it is obviously spam, for example, spun content, or because it contains spammy elements.
When we think of spammy elements, we think of three broad categories: links, Amazon products, and text.
Links
Articles should be written for readers, not for search engines or backlinks. Even an article that appears high-quality on the surface can still be considered spam.
The following are examples of spammy links:
- Misleading or keyword-rich anchor text (e.g., “We only employ the most qualified and experienced Locksmith Dallas.”)
- Links to pages that are not related to the subject matter of the article
- Links to pages that contain information that is substantially similar to what's in the article
- Links to pages with window confirmation boxes that interfere with site navigation or redirect users to unwanted websites
The following are examples of what are likely spammy links:
- Links to lead form pages or otherwise thin pages that don't offer real information*
- Links to pages that require plug-ins or applications
- Links with reference codes or affiliate links*
- Links that promote a business
- Links to personal or business social media accounts or sites
*Affiliate links and links to lead form pages are not spammy if they go to high-quality sites, are directly related to the subject matter of an article, and benefit the reader.
Products
Every Amazon Capsule and Amazon link in an article should contain useful information beyond what can be found on Amazon, as well as your personal experience and opinion.
Articles about products are acceptable as long as they satisfy the following:
- The product(s) are directly relevant to the article and not mentioned excessively.
- The article provides significant, useful information or an authentic opinion about the products beyond what could be found on Amazon's (or the seller's or manufacturer's) website.
- A product recommendation shows that it is genuine, trustworthy, and unbiased.
- The text of the article could stand on its own and satisfy the reader if the products were removed.
Text
The text of an article can be considered spammy even if there are no links or product mentions. Here are some examples of spammy text:
- Repetitive keywords especially when they are bolded, italicized, or underlined
- Plain text URLs that promote a business, product, or site
- Text that reads more like ad copy and lacks significant personal experience with the business, product, or site mentioned
- Otherwise excessive promotion of a business, product, or site
- What are the criteria for Featured articles?
All of the following points must be satisfied for an article to be Featured:
- The article demonstrates authenticity and trustworthiness. When relevant, it should be obvious that an article was written by an expert or authority in their field or the subject matter.
- The author appears well-intentioned and not purely motivated by potential earnings.
- The article should be free of spammy content.
- The article provides original information or content, including media, original reporting, original research, or original analysis.
- The article passes a basic check for grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation on proofreading sites like Grammarly or through a word processing software like Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
- The body of the article delivers what the title promises. The title of an article should make it clear to the reader what the article is about. The exception, within reason, are opinion pieces, creative writing, entertainment content, and social commentary.
- Supplementary elements in the article, for example, links, media, products, etc., are relevant, complement the content, and improve the reader experience. Links in lists should be created with the Link or Text Capsules for clarity and should be carefully chosen and not excessive.
- The article is substantial and contains helpful and specific information.
The following must also be applied to specific topics:
- "Controversial" topics are fine, but articles on topics that are inherently spammy (i.e., miracle health claims, weight loss scams, pay-to content, etc.) will not be Featured.
- Articles about medical issues, finance, law, and any other topic that may have an impact on a person's well-being or offers advice on one of these topics should meet all of the previous criteria in addition to the following:
- Grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation must be above-average if not excellent.
- The writer should demonstrate enough expertise to be authoritative and trustworthy on the topic.
- The article should provide unique, expert insight and not merely re-word, summarize, or copy information found on other websites.
- Article Q&A
- What is Article Q&A?
Article Q&A is an easy and efficient way for readers to reach out to authors with questions regarding a specific article and its content.
Permalink - How does Article Q&A work?
Once a reader asks a question using the Questions & Answers capsule towards the bottom of the article, it is then sent to the author. After it is answered and reviewed by a Moderator, the Article Q&A is published on its own page. If the question receives traffic, then it will stay on its own page. If the question does not receive traffic, then it is moved onto the correlating article’s page instead.
Permalink - What are the Article Q&A rules?
There are four primary rules that guarantee the best Article Q&A results on HubPages:
- The question and answer must be complete and understandable independent of the article.
- The question and answer must not contain spelling or grammatical errors.
- The question and answer must not be purely personal or unrelatable to other readers.
- The question and answer must not be irrelevant to the article, duplicated, or include any promotional content.
- How can I disable the Article Q&A feature?
The default setting for Article Q&A is “On.” If you would like to turn this feature off on a specific article, simply go to Display Options on the right-hand side of the HubTool and select “Off.” Then, click Q&A section in My Account and click .
. If you would like to disable Article Q&A on all articles, visit the Permalink - How do I hide or edit a question on an article?
If you would like to hide a question from your article, click Q&A section in My Account. If you would like to edit a question or answer, click . Use the filters to search for answered, unanswered and hidden questions.
next to the question you want to hide in the Permalink - Do I earn revenue from Article Q&A?
Article Q&As that have their own page earn the same way that articles do. Answering multiple questions adds to an article’s keyword search success, which can result in better traffic and more earnings.
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- Advertising Terms & Glossary
- What are impressions?
As it relates to online advertising revenue (and the Ad Program), an impression typically means an "ad impression", and occurs whenever an ad appears on an article and is presumably seen by a visitor.
With regards to your Ad Program reports, you are paid based on "page impressions," which are article views. Each page impression can include several individual ad impressions, depending on: whether ads are turned on, the length of the article, and whether a given location has "time" to show an ad in case the viewer navigates away from the article. The CPM for an individual is determined based on the value of individual impressions based on traffic characteristics.
Permalink - What does CPM mean?
One of the online advertising payment models. The acronym means "cost per mille," and advertisers pay for every 1000 impressions of their advertisement. This is a dynamic number based on what advertisers are willing to pay to show their advertisement on a specific page at any given time.
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- Interfacing with HubPages
- How can I contact HubPages as a member of the press to conduct an interview?
Should you wish to interview a member of the HubPages staff, please contact us. Someone will help you arrange for a phone, email, or in-person interview with the HubPages team member of your choice.
If you are trying to reach an individual Hubber for an interview, please contact him or her directly. You can do so by navigating to their Profile Page (by clicking on their name from an article they have authored), click on the 'Fan Mail' tab to the right of their Profile, and then click on the 'Send [Hubber's Username] an email' link.
Permalink - How can I contact HubPages as a member of the press to get more information about the site?
To get more information on HubPages' features, stats, community, projects, and policies for a news story, please contact us.
You might also visit our About Us and Team pages, as well as the HubPages Blog and Newsletter archive to learn more about our site, community, and staff.
Permalink - How can I contact a member of the HubPages staff?
Each member of the HubPages team has a HubPages Profile. By searching his or her name on the site, you can find a particular team member's Profile and contact him or her (should the option be made available) through the "Send [Username] an email" link, which is made available by clicking on the Fan Mail tab.
NOTE: Should you email a HubPages staff member directly, you may not get an email response, as most staff members are overloaded with emails. Though we love hearing from you, we prefer that you utilize our fabulous, vibrant community to get answers and advice, hence posting in the Forums is the best way to go. HubPages team members review initial posts in all HubPages Official Forums, so if you post in the Forums, rest assured, it is likely that one of us will chime in if we think we can help.
Permalink - How can I contact HubPages to discuss advertising?
Should you wish to discuss advertising or sales with a member of the HubPages staff, please contact us. If you are trying to reach an individual user to discuss advertising on their articles, please do not contact them directly. The ads on HubPages are controlled by the admin staff, not individual users.