What I have learned my first two weeks here

1. 57

   yoshi97posted 14 years ago

   First off, don't expect a profit instantly. I've made $.58 in two weeks - not dollars, but cents. Is that reason to quit? Not by a long shot. Actually, I think it shows promise.
   
   You see, it takes time for your hubs to filter into the search engines and that's what generates most of the traffic. Oh, you will get some clicks from your fellow hubbers, but they are only 72,000 or so strong, whereas the world is a much bigger place. Hang onto the tree branch and wait for the ground to grow closer. In time, it will.
   
   As for 'what is the best hub to write', I can now answer that ... write the one you know the best. If you write about things you don't know about, then you make yourself appear aloof (and perhaps a pariah). If you write what you know (and write it only in your own words) then you have a good chance of scoring with the crowd.
   
   Which brings me to another topic ... hub scores. I have watched the scores on my hubs roll down to a 40, only to see them bounce back up to the 70s and 80s. Don't take your hub scores seriously unless they roll down to the basement and root themselves into the concrete floor. At that point, it is best to pull out the weed and grow something new.
   
   I also see hubbers struggling over 'what will make them the best profit'. If you're looking to start out with a $500 a month income then you will receive nothing but disappointment. I have analyzed the successful hubbers to death (is that considered therapy, murder, or voyeurism?) and I have discovered that the secret is to write a series of original and informative hubs and then leave them up to gather fruit over time. Patience is the game ... and I know this already at just two weeks ... hmmm ...
   
   The final say on things I would like to have is that those who write solely with the intent to profit will almost inevitably fail.
   
   There is an old saying in the writing business ... starving writers write the worst books. This is made true by the fact that starving writers are desperate to overpopulate the world with half-ready articles, in the hope of finding a hidden audience. There's millions of eyes out there (none of them are hiding) and if you write the best darned hub you can, then in time they will come to visit you - I promise.
   
   Write well, be original (meaning you write solely what's in you mind - not what you can copy from another page), and present your  hub as if it were being judged by the masses, as it most certainly is.
   
   Finally (wasn't I at my finale a moment ago?), interact with the community. I can't say this enough, as it will help you understand everything around you. Tons of people are here, willing to lend a hand (I'm one of them, though my knowledge of this place is still somewhat limited). There's no need to struggle to learn it all on your own when so many have paved the road for you.
   
   So, that's what I have learned in two weeks, and I invite anyone else to join in with their own experiences. In particular, it would be nice to hear how those first two weeks went by for other hubbers - old and new alike.

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   1. 62

      Drew Breezzyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      good advice! wow 58 cents I only made a penny haha chump change

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      anjalichughposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent summary but pay attention to Lissie's advice. She's right too. I can vouch for that in 6 months experience as a hubber.

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   LondonGirlposted 14 years ago

   Wonderful summary! BEst of luck here, I'm sure you'll do well

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3. 59

   TaylorGrahamposted 14 years ago

   This makes pretty good sense to me.  This is a place to write, and yes we all wanna make money writing, but wouldn't it be even better to write because that's what we want to do? 
   
   I have been here about a week now, and find that biding my time is the best way so far, make a certain committment to yourself and build a decent fan base who will be committed to you as well. 
   
   It's a great community though, and it's great to have so much support, I will say that!

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      TaylorGrahamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oh and I've officially made $0.42... hha, love it

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4. 57

   yoshi97posted 14 years ago

   Between us, we could almost buy a $1 sundae at Mcdonalds!
   
   mmm ... sundae

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   1. 59

      TaylorGrahamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I promise with my first payout I will buy a McDonald's sundae just for you!

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5. 68

   lafentyposted 14 years ago

   I have been here four months now and the snowball is slowly starting to roll.

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6. 65

   darksideposted 14 years ago

   Excellent advice!

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7. 76

   Lissieposted 14 years ago

   Its reasonable advice on the face of it yoshi - but your earnings are typical too - less than $1/2 weeks.
   
   I started a new ID at hubpages less than 1 month ago. To date that ID has earned over $60 from Adsense. Here are my conclusions:
   - particpating in the community makes no difference at all
   - you need a lot of hubs - my new ID has 49 hubs - only about 10 have made any money
   - keyword research is everything - if you don't have the right keyword you won't make any money
   = you need to get backlinks to your hubs - ezinearticles.com is a good place to start
   - the content is the least important part of the equation but it should be useful enough to the reader and to Google
   - tag your hub well

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      beautyroseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      By saying new ID means you reapply to hubpages again using a new username? and start from the beginning?

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      1. 76

         Lissieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Yes - HP doesn't mind if you have multiple usernames here but each one has to have a new email and you have to start from scratch -remember to add your affiliate settings etc.

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8. 57

   yoshi97posted 14 years ago

   Awesome info Lissie! thanks!

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9. 80

   earnestshubposted 14 years ago

   You have learn't a lot in two weeks, but listen to Lissie, she knows the game.

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10. 0

    Janettaposted 14 years ago

    You've obviously been paying attention yoshi
    Great advice. Everything you say rings true.
    You seem to be off on the right foot. Keep it up and glad to have you here!

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11. 85

    Jen's Solitudeposted 14 years ago

    That was a great read! Going to your profile page now, thanks for expressing yourself so well.
    
    ~Jen

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12. 59

    sweigandposted 14 years ago

    Good info, I've been here less than a week and am still waiting for my Adsense account to be approved. Just trying to get the feel for it right now.

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