Optimization for Amazon?

1. 85

   Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years ago

   First of all: I know that I'm new here. I'm not expecting to make great monetary strides at Hubpages for at least a year. I am doing okay in Adsense and am surprised to be making money every single day. Some days it's copper money, but regardless, it's money.
   
   I am not doing as well in Amazon (and am virtually ignoring Ebay at the moment). Again, I don't expect anything huge. I have two hubs that are very Amazon related, including one that is battery-free toys for toddlers with Amazon references for every recommended toy. The other is a how-to-use guide for Amazon, but that one doesn't actually have any Amazon capsules. I will be creating a "sister" hub to that one this week some time.
   
   At any rate, I was wondering if there are any ideas for optimizing a hub for Amazon traffic. I'm not worried about purchases right now but I'm not even getting very many clicks through on Amazon, which surprises me and makes me think that it might have something to do with optimization.
   
   I am *usually* putting in product codes rather than keywords.

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2. 80

   LondonGirlposted 15 years ago

   Even more than adsense, I find that clicks (and purchases) on Amazon are either loads or none for a particular hub.
   
   And they come in bursts, too. For example, by 3rd April I had 5 purchases on Amazon, all in one day (and one for a video game that had nothing to do with a hub, but cost someone a lot of money!)
   
   Since 3rd April, not a single purchase, but lots more clicks.

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3. 84

   kerrygposted 15 years ago

   For some reason I've tended to do better with Amazon on Squidoo than HubPages, and better with ebay on HubPages than Squidoo. I don't know why this is, but if you don't already have a Squidoo account, you could consider signing up and experimenting with Amazon there. Doesn't hurt to spread your eggs out among different baskets whatever the result.

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4. 85

   Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years ago

   LG, I will have a look at your hubs as well and see how you are laying them out with Amazon and what type of hubs you're writing. I might just not be writing the "right" material for Amazon! Thanks for the encouragement!
   
   kerryg, I will check out Squidoo. I'm not sure what I'll do about that since I am trying to write an article a day here and that would bump me up to attempting two a day (more than I can handle, honestly).
   
   Thanks!

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5. 65

   Trekkiemelissaposted 15 years ago

   Squidoo does take work.  Honestly I have had a tad bit more luck in people buying through my lenses and I alot more there than hubs I have here. Regardless of going with hubpages or squidoo, it can be hit or miss.  Over there you can promote more about a product if that is what you are trying to do. I always prefer in having things in multiple baskets for a backup plan.

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   1. 85

      Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I'm trying to figure that out. Hubpages was initially meant to be the backup plan and then, darnit, I started to enjoy writing again. Writing for my forum is still something of a chore (hard when you've only got two members and one of them is a man on a women's forum!).
      
      I can't get the hang of Squidoo. I can't make a lens look the way I want it to as I feel I can with Hubpages. There are more options there but it seems more versatility here.
      
      When I'm done with the Wordpress series I'm going to convert that blog into my personal blog (before I do the MU tut).

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6. 65

   Trekkiemelissaposted 15 years ago

   Yeah squidoo is a lot more work and a lot more to learn, but it can be valueable in time.  Just take one step at a time and you will learn the system there.  You can even link back to your hubs without being penalized for it. 
   
   Some people like squidoo and some people don't.  I have a real good niche there that really works but would be almost impossible to do over here.
   
   The thing is, don't force it.  Take your time even if its 5 minutes everyday by adding something new to the lens.  For most people it takes a lot longer to write a lens than it does to write a hub.  I can probably write one lens in a day, but I can write 2 or more hubs in a day if I work it right.

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   1. 85

      Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I can't do that, Melissa, at least not any more. If I put any real effort into doing a hub it's going to take me about four hours. I am also, of course, a stay at home mom and am still tweaking older hubs, so I just don't have the time to do more than one. But I also try to do a lot more with my hubs than I used to (when I was doing five of them a day). Fiction takes me far less time, poetry a lot more time (than an article). It really just depends I guess on specifically what I'm writing!

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   2. 81

      Janet21posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I work slower. It takes me about a day to complete a Hub and close to a week to complete a lens.  This includes working a here and there between everything else going on during the day.  I am a stay at home mom.  How many actual hours it takes is hard to say because I work sporadically, ten minutes here, 20 minutes there.  But, most of my hubs and lenses are involved and take a bit of research as well.
      
      As far as sales go, I can't really compare Squidoo to Hubpages since I have more than four times as many lenses as I have hubs.  But, overall, a great deal of my online earnings come from eBay.

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7. 59

   packerpackposted 15 years ago

   The only optimization that comes in my mind is to write Hubs where we can place such Amazon ads that will attract visitors. For example ads for video games attracts lot of visitors (as LG said she too earned some bucks from the same). After you are done with your Hub put Amazon ads by choosing proper keywords.

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8. 58

   Mark Knowlesposted 15 years ago

   These are my best performing Amazon hubs
   
   iphone bluetooth headsets
   iphone headphones
   iphone cases
   
   They make around $200-300 a month, but made about 3x that the 3 months around Christmas.

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   1. 59

      packerpackposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      O wow. For me Amazon has not performed yet. I think I should take your Hubs as example. I need to think about the kind of Hubs I write.

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      1. 63

         Lisa HWposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         packerpack, I'm in a similar situation as you seem to be.  For examples of what NOT to do (when it comes to Amazon), look at my Hubs. 
         
         Mark, this is, I know, a really stupid question; but when you're preparing the kind of Hubs you've shown as examples, where do you (or anyone else) get the images to go with it (for example, in the headsets Hub)?  I'm so paranoid about images and don't know too much about where people get them (if they don't take the pictures themselves).

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         1. 58

            Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Amazon. From the specific product pages. Click "see larger image" and Bob's your uncle.
            
            I cannot imagine any company would be upset if you used one of their promotional photos on a hub reviewing and selling their products so I think you might be being just a little too paranoid there.

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   2. 85

      Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I had to read this twice before I "got it." I hate it when I go through one of these phases where I just don't understand anything.Ugh!
      
      Do consumer hubs always do well in terms of purchases or is it more related to technology hubs?
      
      I am a computer gamer. I'm going to get on writing some of those and see what happens. I'm still just trying to track where things are going so that I can figure out what to write about. I have a couple of areas that I simply *enjoy* (and will keep writing on) but I'm not looking to make money on those particular hubs.
      
      Thanks for the info, Mark! I'll be checking those hubs out!

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9. 82

   Whitney05posted 15 years ago

   It's best to hand pick ASIN numbers. Write hubs promoting products. Pick topics that are bound to get purchases, such as technology, gaming, books. Pick items that you would buy- typically things that aren't extremely pricey.
   
   Most of my sales are from hubs that don't necessarily promote products but have products of interest related to the hub topic.

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   1. 85

      Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      How do books do? I generally am hand-picking the ASIN numbers so apparently I'm doing something right!
      
      Sorry for the triple post. I normally try to avoid this but I can't multi-quote as easily when my contact lens is out of place and I can't see well enough to concentrate on the page! Good thing I can tough-type!

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10. 63

    Lisa HWposted 15 years ago

    Mark, thanks.
    
    Whitney, thanks.

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    1. 59

       packerpackposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Me too

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11. 80

    LondonGirlposted 15 years ago

    Depends on the hub - I've sold books on my historical ones (and only on those)

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12. 85

    Everyday Miraclesposted 15 years ago

    Ebay? Really? I don't have Ebay on very many of my hubs but that's mainly because I'm not getting clicks through Ebay and am not sure how to use it effectively (I get how to use the capsules, just not how to make it work for hubs).

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    1. 81

       Janet21posted 15 years agoin reply to this

       There are a lot of eBay items you can add to your hubs.  I do best with custom/personalized items.  I took a quick peek at your hubs and here are some thoughts off the top of my head:
       
       cloth diaper hub-there are eBay sellers that sell boutique and handmade cloth diapers.  Throw a capsule on your hub for these
       
       Texas hold'em hub-do a search for 'custom texas hold'em' and you will find some cool items including custom tables, jewelry, chip guards, t-shirts, etc.
       
       Those are just some examples, but I am sure there is lots you can add.  Plus, if someone clicks through your eBay link, it saves the cookie for 7 days.  So, whatever they bid on/win in that time, you receive a commission.  Therefore, it doesn't hurt to add an eBay capsule to your hubs.  And, if you include some unique items in your eBay capsules related to your hub, you may entice a click.  And, all clicks have the potential to lead to a sale!
       
       Hope this helps!

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13. 72

    Research Analystposted 15 years ago

    Amazon works if you pick a item that people are ready to buy, which happens to be products more than actual books.

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