Is Hubpages Ripping us off???

Jump to Last Post 1-6 of 6 discussions (35 posts)
  1. caninecrtitics profile image62
    caninecrtiticsposted 11 years ago

    I want everyone who is reading this to click your amazon links or the amazon links of other hubbers and notice how the hubpages-20 always shows up and not your affiliate code.

    I have done another test and the 67 times i clicked different amazon hubs it showed hubpages-20.  I have noticed no sales in 4 months thru hubpages on amazon and my traffic is still steady. 

    I went from 20-40 items being bought to nothing from hubpages.

    Anyone have any idea whats going on or is hubpages screwing up?

    1. Haunty profile image74
      Hauntyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have checked one of my Hubs as well as one of yours. It's our token about 60% of the time. I can even tell you your Amazon Associates token if you want me to. smile

    2. Len Cannon profile image88
      Len Cannonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Are you getting paid via Hubpages now? If so, all of the links will be HubPages and they'll just cut you 60% at the end of the month.

      1. wilderness profile image93
        wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        Not so, Len - Amazon still pays direct whether you are using HPads or not.

        eBay comes through HP, but not Amazon.

    3. Dale Hyde profile image81
      Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      To be honest, to the best of my knowledge, we are not to click our own links nor the links on other HP hubs. I could be wrong. I do know that is true for the Google ads.  I simply feel that clicking on the Amazon or Ebay links would create similar issues as clicking on the Google ads.

      As for the main question about HubPages "ripping" us off.  I don't even begin to think so. They make money by being honest. Google makes money by them being honest, and we make money by them being honest.

      There are numerous areas on HP where one can read about how the payouts work with Amazon, Ebay and the HP program.  It is very hard to follow at times, but it makes sense as time goes by and you track things over a period of time.

      As for Amazon.... Amazon is a battleground. I am a seller on Amazon as well as an associate on Amazon.  What I have found over the years is that Amazon is noted for one thing that stands out above everything else from those two perspectives......inconsistent sales.

      Now for Amazon(dot)com...well I love being a Prime Member and getting that free two day shipping on heavy and bulk items. smile

      1. WryLilt profile image89
        WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        If you wave your mouse over the Amazon you can see your ID without clicking.

        And since Amazon is not PPC, you can click them. You can even buy I believe, although you get 0% commission.

  2. wilderness profile image93
    wildernessposted 11 years ago

    Like Haunty I checked several and found the split to be reasonably close to 60/40 given the small sample size.

    You aren't checking each ad in a hub are you?  They are all assigned the same code when the hub opens.  This means that everything on a particular visit will be either yours or HP's, not a mix.  To get a good approximation of the actual split you will have to open 100 (or better, 1000) hubs and check one ad on each hub.  Or open the same hub 100 times.

  3. cfin profile image66
    cfinposted 11 years ago

    I am a little suspicious. I attempted to sign up to adsense. I was not approved. They said to reapply to adsense when I have sufficient content. So I attempted to. The email suggested I log into ad sense and reapply. When I attempt to log in it says that I have not been approved. To be approved please refer to the instructions in the email. So I am going in a circle.

    I cannot contact adsense as their is no customer service email. All the while, google are advertising on my hubs and hubpages get money for those ads. Odd. What should I do?

    1. wilderness profile image93
      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I can't really help you with adsense - you might contact HP for help.  I know that others have had similar problems, but it is solvable.

      As far as the ads go, though - as long as you do not have an adsense account and cannot make use of those ads yourself HP will put them on and collect any income.  Why not?  It does you no harm and helps them.

    2. Bedbugabscond profile image93
      Bedbugabscondposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      This circle happens to a lot of people, search the forums. There are tons of forum posts about it, and some suggestions on what to do.

    3. galleryofgrace profile image72
      galleryofgraceposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      cfin,
      Your poems are great but they don't  have much clout with google. Try adding a few more hubs or even make the hubs a little longer. For  a hub to be picked up it should have 4 to 500 words at least.

    4. solardoll24 profile image59
      solardoll24posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am having this same problem! I have been going in circles and modifying and adding content... still disapproved. I have traffic coming in and when I view my Hub, Google has ads on my page. How is this possible if I was denied due to "insufficient content"? Time IS being wasted and opportunities are being missed!

      1. MyWebs profile image78
        MyWebsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        You asked how is it possible that Google has AdSense ads on your hub if you have not yet been approved? It's because HubPages.com has to pay their bills and they are showing their own ads 100% of the time. When you get approved then 60% of the time those ads and any clicks will be credited to you with the other 40% of those ads going to HubPages.com.

        Making money on this or any other writing website isn't going to happen over night. Best to focus on creating some great content that will get you approved and make you some money long term. Think long term, not so short term.

  4. Sawfishlagoon profile image61
    Sawfishlagoonposted 11 years ago

    Am I wasting my time here? I can't afford to.

    1. Bard of Ely profile image80
      Bard of Elyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You are probably not wasting your time if you are prepared to put a lot of work in because that in my experience is what you have to do here. All the high-earners work hard as well as knowing what they are doing. I have been on the site for four years and still haven't found the secret to making good money but I do make some on a regular basis. Before the changes caused by the Panda update I was making more so I know it is possible, but as I say you need to work at it.

      1. Sawfishlagoon profile image61
        Sawfishlagoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        1. I am always prepared to work hard. I am a waterman.

        2. I know what I am doing. I think.

        3. Are you a slow learner, or what?

        4. I assume you are referring to a cataclysmic event of some sort.

    2. WryLilt profile image89
      WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Can't afford to? You realise the average hubber only makes payout at 9 months or so? I only earned $5 in my first six months. It is passive income, not a get rich scheme.

      1. Sawfishlagoon profile image61
        Sawfishlagoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        Whose talking about getting rich? You answered my question. That much income for that much work is not passive, it is dormant.

        1. WryLilt profile image89
          WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Money comes off people clicking adverts and/or buying things. How many adverts do YOU click when you visit websites?

          Statistically only 1-5% of visitors will click an advert which means you need hundreds of daily visitors to make a few $$.

          I made $5 in my first six months. But made over $600 last month. The older content gets, the more traffic Google will send.

    3. relache profile image72
      relacheposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      If you are serious about trying to make money here, there are a few things you might want to realize.

      1) It takes serious work, as much as with a full-time day job.  To think otherwise is just deluding yourself.

      2) Writing hubs where you openly state that the title is just an attention getting ploy and which don't have focused content and are primarily personal is you wasting your own time.  I recommend a read through HubPages' Learning Center to understand what sorts of things have a tendency to be moderated/unpublished.

      3) You might want to look up the difference between spade (a shovel) and spayed (a cat being rendered unable to reproduce).  That sort of thing can really undermine authorial credibility.  (also, the difference between "whose" (implying ownership) and "who's" (the contraction for "who is")

      1. Sawfishlagoon profile image61
        Sawfishlagoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

        Thank you so much for taking the time to help me along. I know the difference. You can't always trust spell check. I thought I was being clever with the title. I am appealing to cat people, and I thought that might pull people in. SEO is not an exact science. Apparently it did not work well. I am stumped for a title. Should I change it to "I love cats."? Any suggestions?

        I can't work it full time. I am just hoping to try my hand at writing. I will be happy to supplement my income.

        1. relache profile image72
          relacheposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Something that clearly says what the topic of your Hub is about.



          Trying your hand at writing here is easy.  Supplementing your income takes genuine and persistent hard work, which for the average site user is several dozen to a couple hundred Hubs (depending on how good a writer you are and what you write about) and two to three years (to build traffic and for the Hubs to mature in audience reach).

          1. Sawfishlagoon profile image61
            Sawfishlagoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I appreciate your straight talk. I like to keep things reality based. I will not buy the new Mercedes yet.

            I just realized that you did something clever. You did not suggest a title. You suggested how to come up with one. Kudos. Thanks again.

            If I change the title, do I need to re-do the hub, or is it okay to just change the title?

            I read everything before I started, but it was a lot of information to absorb at one sitting.

            1. relache profile image72
              relacheposted 11 years agoin reply to this

              The only part of a Hub that can't be edited once created is the URL.  Everything else is edit at will.

              1. Sawfishlagoon profile image61
                Sawfishlagoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                But, will it effect a search to have a title that doesn't match the URL?

                1. relache profile image72
                  relacheposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Of course, but what makes you assume that effect will be negative? 

                  You probably haven't noticed this yet, but there is a feature on this site, a title tuner, which gives you suggestions for improving the title of your Hubs.  It only works several weeks to months after a hub is created, when there is enough of a search history for it to analyze.

                  1. Sawfishlagoon profile image61
                    Sawfishlagoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                    I am not assuming, I am asking because I don't know.

                    I saw the feature, but my eyes were glazing over by then. I was wondering if it would be worth the trouble to start a new hub so the new title and the URL matched. I assume it isn't negative if there is a feature that suggests a more optimized title. The search engine goes by that, not the URL (I think).

                    Again, I appreciate that you are giving me a leg up. You are very generous with your time.

            2. Glenn Stok profile image97
              Glenn Stokposted 11 years agoin reply to this

              "If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. If you teach him to fish, he eats for a lifetime." (Chinese Proverb)



              I'm still absorbing now after two and a half years. I never stop learning.

              1. Sawfishlagoon profile image61
                Sawfishlagoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                That's a good thing. You will never get bored.

  5. melbel profile image93
    melbelposted 11 years ago

    Are you doing a hard refresh to do your testing? I am not seeing an issue with my own hubs.

  6. tamron profile image66
    tamronposted 11 years ago

    The average Hubber makes payout 9mths to a year with just running adsense.  I suggest you use the HP program until you get at least 50 articles under your belt.

    Whatever you do don't think about joining other writing sites.  I can tell you I belong to just about every writing site and none of them pay as well as Hubpages especially if your a beginner.

    I am in the process of moving all my articles from those sites to my blog.

    1. Kangaroo_Jase profile image75
      Kangaroo_Jaseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Not quite true Tamron. I know a few people whom make better income at Squidoo than here.

      One should never limit oneself to where one writes for any sort of income.

    2. relache profile image72
      relacheposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I most sincerely disagree with the above statement.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)