Better to Put Amazon Capsules at the end, or within hub?

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   prairieprincessposted 13 years ago

   I have a question for those of you who use Amazon in your hubs. Let's say that you are writing a hub with a list of different products. Do you think it's better to put all the amazon stuff at the bottom of the hub, all in one place, or to spread the ads throughout the hub, with one ad per product?
   
   I can see advantages to both methods, and have done both. I think having it at the end, makes it seem less obtrusive, and perhaps less offensive? But having it throughout the hub might make people more likely to see it, especially if they do not bother to read through to the end. Any opinions on this one??
   
   Thanks!

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      wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      What is your goal?  To produce an unobtrusive hub that people will read all the way through or to promote an Amazon sale for money?
      
      If the latter, then I would suggest that the capsule be placed as high as possible, preferably above the fold.
      
      If the latter, I would suggest that the capsule be removed entirely as they are obtrusive and offensive, interfering with a readers enjoyment of your writing.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think you've proved this for yourself already.  If you put them at the bottom, most of your readers won't scroll far enough down to see them. 
      
      Your ad for a product needs to be as close as possible to the text about that product.  No question.
      
      Bear in mind the rules about Amazon ads - you must have at least 50 words per product (that's an average, so you could have 25 words for one product and 75 for another). 
      
      If you only want to show one product, don't leave the capsule set at 3, it will count as 3 products in calculating the word count even if 2 are blank.

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2. 93

   prairieprincessposted 13 years ago

   Wilderness, interesting answer! I would like to have both ... to have people buy through Amazon, and to have them enjoy and benefit from my writing. I tend to try to non-obtrusive, but then hardly ever get Amazon sales. I would like to try to increase Amazon sales but don't want to be offensive. What to do, what to do ...

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      wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You want your cake and eat it too!
      
      The problem with that is that you are dealing with internet readers.  They are a different breed, with different concentration levels.  If the capsule is not shoved in their face they won't see it as they skim by.  If they have to scroll past the end they won't find it.  They don't read; they skim.
      
      You just have to write differently for sales hubs and concentrate on income rather than true quality.  The information must still be there and presented well, but the emphasis must be on sales if you want any.

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         Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I really cannot agree with this, Wilderness.  I write many informative hubs-how tos for the most part-which also offer the products required to do the job correctly.  They do well with Adsense and Amazon sales.  Or at least they did! 
         
         But I realize this may not be the experience of many other hubbers here.  It depends on the niche I suppose.

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   WryLiltposted 13 years ago

   If you're writing information articles, only 1 in 1,000 visitors will buy, where ever the capsules are.
   
   If you're writing sales, products or review articles, 1 in 50 or 25 will buy.

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   BRIAN SLATERposted 13 years ago

   I would agree with Marissa's answer. But also float a picture of the product to the right of your text with the link directly below.
   See any of my bike hubs, http://hubpages.com/hub/Five-Best-Mount … -Bar-Ends,  for an example.
   
   This method works well for me but I also agree with Randy when he says it depends on your niche.

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   Stacie Lposted 13 years ago

   I always put he product next to the description..

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6. 96

   PaulGoodman67posted 13 years ago

   What Wrylit is saying is the most important thing.  Whether your hub is geared towards selling the specific item is the key thing.  That is the way to make Amazon sales.  Randy's Amazon has success for the same reason - he points out how important a product is.
   
   If the reader finds your promotion of the product interesting and useful, they will find your Amazon link whether it is at the side or the bottom of the page.

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      Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Paul.  I agree Wilderness and Wry Lit are giving good advice for the majority of writers here, but there are different methods of making sales other than using the "hard sell" technique.
      
      My best selling hubs are those which give easy to understand advice to those with very little technical knowledge concerning making certain types of repairs. 
      
      By offering, and occasionally recommending, certain repair parts and products for sale, I help them save money and time.  Many trust my advice and therefore the products offered.  I would never recommend a product I would not purchase myself.
      
      I do realize my situation is not typical, but there it is!

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         PaulGoodman67posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, I understand that, Randy.  Your approach is more subtle than many people's, but you are clearly a specialist in your field and know about the equipment that you write about.  A lot of people just stick in a few vaguely related amazon books and think they'll sell a lot!  :-)

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   prairieprincessposted 13 years ago

   Thanks for the input, everyone. It is an interesting discussion. I guess I will continue to just figure it out on an hub to hub basis. I don't want to sacrifice my credibility, in order to put Amazon capsules in that look unattractive. So, a reasonable compromise is, I think, to put them in between the text capsules. This is a little less obtrusive than right beside it. But it does depend on what you are writing about, and what your style for the hub is.
   
   Wrylit, I like your advice about people buying from Amazon, if they are motivated to buy, no matter where the ads are. That really puts it into perspective. Thanks!

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It's funny how different people view things!  To my mind, putting a capsule under the text is more intrusive than having the ad to the right - because the full-width capsule breaks the flow of the text and forces the reader to look at it.
      
      You'll notice that although we've all given slightly different advice, we ALL say the product has to be right next to the related text - whether beside or below is a matter of personal taste.  So I hope that's the message you'll take away with you.
      
      Wry isn't saying motivated people will buy regardless of where the ads are.  What WryLilt is saying is that Hubs written specifically about the product (which is then featured in the Amazon ads) get more sales than informational articles which just mention the product.

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   prairieprincessposted 13 years ago

   Marisa, I have seen a number of hubs where the Amazon capsules are in a line at the bottom of the hub. Do you think that these hubs probably don't get sales?

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Probably.  I see it a lot, and usually it's written by a "green" Hubber who hasn't yet discovered how to split their text up into capsules! 
      
      In the days when we were allowed unlimited Amazon capsules, I would often finish my Hub off with them - but I always had the most important ones in the text.

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         prairieprincessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you. I really value this input. I'm trying to optimize my hubs the best that I can.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I wrote a Hub about optimizing Hubs, you sound like the kind of Hubber I wrote it for.
            
            There are some Hubbers who just want to write - and some Hubbers who see writing as a means to an end, to make money.
            
            Those in the first camp spend all their time writing and wonder why they don't make any money.  Those in the second camp spend 10% of their time writing, and 90% of their time learning, researching, promoting, building sites...and earning money.
            
            I wish I had the mentality to be in the second camp, but I find all that stuff frankly tedious!  However I'm not naive enough to be in the first camp, either.   It is possible, I think, to strike a balance between writing about what you love and being businesslike about how you approach writing online.  Good luck!

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               Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Perhaps we are residing in the 3rd camp, Marisa.  I hate the tedious stuff too and tend to write for my own enjoyment.  Of course, the money is pretty good too! 

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                  Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Yes, I'm definitely in the third camp!  I'm lucky that I'm not dependent on my online income to make a living, so I can afford to have scruples and (let's be honest) allow myself to be lazy and not spend my life doing all that SEO/keyword analysis/promotion stuff.  I prefer to write about stuff I enjoy, even if they're not the best possible money-making opportunities!

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                     Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I think we 3rd campsters have the best of both worlds, actually.  It must be awful to have to try and game the system to actually get someone to read one's work. 
                     
                     I still think writing hubs which actually offer the best information for those searching for answers or enjoyment is the main point of the Panda slap.  Many seem to still think this isn't good enough and feel spinning one article into many is really offering worthwhile info.

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                        Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Some people seem to get a kick out of the "Google dance".  I'm thinking of Lissie, for instance - she's not a black hatter but she seems to enjoy all the analytical/backlinking stuff more than the writing.  They're the kind of people who love using software like Market Samurai.  I just don't have that kind of mind, wish I did - I'd be doing a lot better,I'm sure!

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                           Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           I suppose it depends on one's own goals, Marisa.  I enjoy writing and don't wish it to become merely a money making job.  Sure, I have hubs designed to make money, but even those are subjects I enjoy writing about.

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                  EmpressFelicityposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Put me in the third camp as well. I'd been business-like enough to have started earning a nice little side income before Panda, but there was no way I was going to spend hours and hours a week backlinking.
                  
                  Post-Panda, the online passive income thingy has all gone pear-shaped for me, so it's been on to plan B.

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   PaulGoodman67posted 13 years ago

   Placement of ads definitely has an effect in terms of appearance, usability and sales.  There are entire websites devoted to the topic.  The info on the Google Adsense page about ad placement is fascinating.  Is there nothing by HubPages on the topic?

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    Multimanposted 13 years ago

    For sales next to the write up on that whihc you want to sell.

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    prairieprincessposted 13 years ago

    Marisa, I will definitely check out anything you write on the topic.
    
    I'm in the third camp, too. I love writing, and that's first, but definitely am learning the business side of it, too. I want to make money at it, so I can do it more!

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    wolf40901posted 13 years ago

    i definitely do the same thing. i quickly browse Amazon to see what products i can list. i look for relevance, good ratings, and a decent price. if i don't see all of those elements i don't list it. yes it takes a couple minutes but it's worth it if you ask me. i too recommend things i've bought or people i've bought from with no issues. my best advice is to become familiar with amazon and your searches to do it quicker. i've been buying and selling from there for years to make extra money. when you practise this it's easier to do over time.

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