Which Topics Earn the Most?

1. 60

   page1articlesposted 11 years ago

   Writers are offered many choices in how to place their artice into a topic here at hubpages. I am curious what the community thinks are the best paying topics to write about. For example, does a recipe topic have more earning potential than the gardening topic?
   
   Obviously, some of this comes down to article quality, etc, but lets try to focus on just the topic as a topic.

   replyreport
   1. 87

      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Some Topics earn more than others, but the highest earning ones (e.g. business and personal finance) often have the most competition (it's harder to break out and actually get traffic).
      
      For this reason, we recommend writing about that which interests you most- or the things in which you have a lot of expertise.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         yes, but imagine the challenge and knowledge one might gain by trying and improving....

         replyreport
   2. 76

      VVanNessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think that's going to be a really hard question to answer. Off the top of my head, between those two specific topics, I think gardening is going to get more traffic than recipes.
      
      I've discovered that different topics are going to be more popular at different times of the year, and even during different periods in the country's life and Hubbers' particular lives. For example, around Thanksgiving and Christmas, recipes, decorating and family are going to be extremely popular, whereas gardening, not so much.
      
      You might consider writing articles that would interest those searching at this time. Being Springtime, gardening is a go!

      replyreport
      1. 60

         page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         This brings up a really good question about keyword... how often should they be refreshed? do they have a shelf-live?

         replyreport
   3. 95

      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Mostly the ones you can write about the best. 
      
      Beyond that, though, the ones with higher paying keywords coupled with low competition; information that can be found in the keyword tool and google searches.
      
      And no, I won't tell you which topics work the best for me; I don't particularly need additional competition.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks wilderness... couldn't I just look at your profile and find that out? besides I am just trying to stimulate good conversation in the forums...

         replyreport
2. 0

   Beth37posted 11 years ago

   I can tell you which topics earn the least, but I've cornered that market. I think I may have even depleted it.

   replyreport
   1. 91

      Gcrhoads64posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What!?! You wrote about goats and squash, too?

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         No, no... goats and zucchini. Surely squash made more of an impact?

         replyreport
         1. 91

            Gcrhoads64posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Nope. It wasn't a "specialized" enough topic.

            replyreport
   2. 93

      FatFreddysCatposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Same here. My advice to new Hubbers is "You wanna earn money on this site? Watch what I do, then do the exact opposite."

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Oh! I thought you said do *the same. No wonder!

         replyreport
      2. 77

         Cantuhearmescreamposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         But who needs money when you have friends? :-)
         On second thought, I don't have much of either...

         replyreport
   3. 60

      page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      hahaha yall are funny!!!!

      replyreport
3. 77

   Cantuhearmescreamposted 11 years ago

   This is really good; Marcy breaks it down in numbers:
   
   http://marcygoodfleisch.hubpages.com/hu … -this-site

   replyreport
   1. 83

      Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wow - thanks for the kind comments and the attention here!

      replyreport
      1. 76

         VVanNessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         What an amazing Hub! You really nailed what Hubbers were going to be interested in. I noticed the LONG list of comments you received.
         
         This is really going to help me choose a topic to write along with the rest of us. Your numbers and stats were an eye opener! Where did you get all of that info?

         replyreport
      2. 77

         Cantuhearmescreamposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Marcy,
         I actually ran into this the other day and thought it was great; "thumbed it up"

         replyreport
      3. 60

         page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         It is a very well written hub. I was sad that not one photograph had a citation....

         replyreport
4. 74

   brakel2posted 11 years ago

   I think technology does well,if you have the expertise. If you have solved an unusual computer issue, you may get a lot of traffic

   replyreport
   1. 95

      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I did do that one - a known glitch in windows Vista that prevents hooking up to WIFI - and you're right; it has done reasonably well.
      
      Unfortunately, Vista is going the way of the dodo bird.

      replyreport
      1. 91

         Gcrhoads64posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Take heart, wilderness. With technology there will always be glitches.

         replyreport
         1. 95

            wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Yeah, but that means you have to keep up with technology, and this old brain is just too worn and tired to do that.  Heck, we just got our first smart phone and haven't a clue how to actually use it beyond a simple telephone!
            
            (Still proud of that phone, though - at least we look intelligent even if we struggle to turn it on)

            replyreport
            1. 91

               Gcrhoads64posted 11 years agoin reply to this

               There you go. A how to hub for smart phone newbies. I'm  still learning to use mine after 6 months.

               replyreport
            2. 77

               Cantuhearmescreamposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Don't feel bad, my father only learned how to turn a computer on a couple of years ago and my mother still doesn't know. They both just got new phones too and the only way my mother actually makes any calls is when she "ass dials". :-)

               replyreport
               1. 95

                  wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  My mom, 90, can't turn a computer on, either.  I try to keep up reasonably well with the tech I want and use, but the the rest of it - absolutely not.  For me, no interest = no knowledge.  I haven't a clue, for instance, how to use an ipod - they are of no interest to me.

                  replyreport
                  1. 77

                     Cantuhearmescreamposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     Cat, 30, can't do much more than "Google" info and send/receive emails. What's an Ipod?
                     If it was just small advancements at a time I would attempt to keep up, but people are doing things that I don't even know exist and there's something new every day. Too overwhelming for me, I'll just stick to the simple life :-)

                     replyreport
      2. 60

         page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         How many of you do keyword research?

         replyreport
         1. 77

            Cantuhearmescreamposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            pfttt, I barely understand it.

            replyreport
   2. 74

      Barbara Kayposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      How to get rid of specific viruses is another hot topic.

      replyreport
5. 73

   wayne barrettposted 11 years ago

   I write about squashed goats and am doing just fine...I'm almost up to a dollar  =-O

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Oh sure *Squashed goats. Cause that's a niche. You ppl who write on popular subjects just to make money, make me sick!

      replyreport
   2. 91

      Gcrhoads64posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Dangit, wayne, you made me look.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I saw a video once on youtube about fainting goats... they were funny...

         replyreport
         1. 0

            Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            they are good.

            replyreport
         2. 91

            Gcrhoads64posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            i have that video on my goat hub, wink, wink.

            replyreport
            1. 0

               Beth37posted 11 years agoin reply to this

               You know that hub was pulled. Too controversial.

               replyreport
   3. 0

      summerberrieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What type of plant will a goat not eat?
      Nuclear Plant

      replyreport
6. 65

   Parallelsposted 11 years ago

   Maybe I'm going too philosophical here, but you need to strike a balance between what sells and what you actually enjoy writing. You could write a bunch of hubs about HDTVs to try and get affiliate sales, but if you absolutely hated it, you wouldn't write the same quality as a topic you genuinely care about.
   
   Not to mention, it's really a game of numbers. More hubs = more money, so write about something you at least have a mild interest in so it isn't torture. You won't burn out and will earn more in the long haul.

   replyreport
   1. 76

      VVanNessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Absolutely! I even wrote about a topic I am extremely familiar with, which was weddings on a budget, and I quickly burned out and had to switch over to recipes, which I love.
      I'll then move on to gardening and home-making because I can't wait to get started. lol I plan on going back and writing another wedding article here and there because I have a specific request for them from certain followers, but in the meantime, I will write what I love.

      replyreport
   2. 60

      page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Parallels: you bring up interesting concpets for writers, but there are so many different types of writers that your answer gets a bit vague if I apply it to all writers. Copy Writers for example write articles that sell "something", though sometimes what they sell might just be an idea; whereas poets do something totally different....

      replyreport
7. 75

   rumanasaiyedposted 11 years ago

   That's an interesting topic! I enjoyed reading it

   replyreport
8. 61

   John Jason Hosacposted 11 years ago

   If you join other websites like http://www.webanswers.com/_Andlag/
   You can use your adsense account on there and not only monetize a bit but also track which topics earn you the most money. However little or much it may be depends on your activity on the site but you will quickly develop patterns to learn which topics either have the most click throughs or which topics have the higher cost per click. If nothing else it a good means of researching what you are asking about. People would be hard pressed to tell you the best categories to post in because that only provides more competition for them. Your best bet is to write hubs on what you like and know well.

   replyreport
   1. 60

      page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      An excellent answer John Jason Hosac!

      replyreport
   2. 74

      Barbara Kayposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I got a few good ideas for hubs at Webanswers. I didn't use there answers, but saw the questions and thought it would be a cool subject to write a hub about.

      replyreport
9. 66

   MountainManJakeposted 11 years ago

   I feel like the topics that earn the most are the ones that are most up to date with pop culture.  Stuff that people are commonly searching for today.

   replyreport
   1. 60

      page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That is probably a good analysis of it MountainManJake. Especially when we consider what the motivation is behind search engines... that is to help people find what they are looking for... and that would be swayed by popular culture.

      replyreport
10. 81

    Spongy0llamaposted 11 years ago

    I have noticed a surprisingly high yield for history and English lit essays I wrote in college and then made into hubs. I plan on writing more essays on commonly read high school and college literature in order to become self employed based purely on my university education.
    
    I think these literature essay hubs do so well because students today are all over the internet researching for their school papers and essays. I have found the formula for the most effective title is Theme + Author Name + Work Title
    
    For example: Honor in Shakespeare's Hamlet, or Existentialism in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
    
    These are both hubs that I have written and they receive regular traffic. They don't do incredibly well, but the traffic is still regular, which is all that matters to me.

    replyreport
    1. 60

       page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Spongy0llama: If I were to guess I would say most of the traffic to those topics is from Google?

       replyreport
       1. 81

          Spongy0llamaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, they are. Is that not the goal?

          replyreport
          1. 60

             page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

             that should be very much the goal for anyone working on adsense revenue... some topics do better within hubpages, and others do better on google... an important distinction.

             replyreport
11. 0

    Educateurselfposted 11 years ago

    I agree with simone because I searched and found that most of the people's specially in today's everyone is searching personal finance topics like how to make money, tips to save money etc. And the second topic which is hot in hubpages is getting traffic to your hubbs.
    Hope this help.

    replyreport
    1. 60

       page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Educateurself:  Do you think that will change as the economy improves?

       replyreport
12. 56

    SAM ELDERposted 11 years ago

    Finance topics

    replyreport
13. 61

    Louise Latelyposted 11 years ago

    I believe that a lot of topics are seasonal but I've also noticed that controversial topics can get very popular - although I'm not sure how controversial you are allowed to be on hubpages - I have seen that many hubs about social injustices or hot discussion topics like eg euthenasia or similar get a high response (but maybe that response is mainly from the HP community...). Anyway good question.

    replyreport
14. 74

    Barbara Kayposted 11 years ago

    I've written a lot of gardening articles and the money just isn't there. I've even completed keyword research. There are just too many big sites out there. You might get some good Hubpage traffic, but that is about it.
    
    There are just too many recipes out there too, unless you specialize in a certain type of cooking. Being an expert in a niche helps.
    
    I agree with Randy. He said one time that writing is like the lottery. Sometimes I feel that way too.
    
    Doing keyword research helps though and writing good content etc helps. I've noticed though that sometimes yours can be the best article and it still doesn't rank well on Google.

    replyreport
    1. 60

       page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       One of the things I learned this past summer about article writing is that writing quality is just not enough anymore... there is just too much great stuff out there, especially in topics with lots of competition.

       replyreport
15. 59

    Angela Fritschposted 11 years ago

    Watch for breaking news or search on google adwords for keywords to see what people are looking for.  See what's trending on Twitter. Choose a topic and then write your post in the form of a list.  For example; "5 ways to make money blogging" or "10 ideas for summer fun".  See how that works for you.

    replyreport
    1. 60

       page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       News ideas are usually good, but they tend to have a very short lifespan.

       replyreport
16. 0

    khmohsinposted 11 years ago

    In my opinion and for me study + certification related topics are the best to earn the most.

    replyreport
17. 59

    whatsonmindposted 11 years ago

    It's not that a particular topic can give you more revenue, It depends on the users mood what they search for :-)
    
    Happy mood they go for funny things
    Business mood they go on searching some tips
    Marketing mood they see the suggestions on Market
    
    List goes on, I prefer to search for quotation's, funny stories etc

    replyreport
18. 83

    Maria Ceciliaposted 11 years ago

    I will just based it on my top 15 trending hubs,  my Top 1,2,3,6,12,13 and 15 are hubs about dining-in, so out of 15 trending hubs, 7 are about dining-in  at different places and restaurant, so I think readers always look for  best places to dine in and they usually found my page. My korean related hub also trends, travel hubs,  and pets related hubs too

    replyreport
    1. 60

       page1articlesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       local based informational content with value to the reader... awesome.

       replyreport
19. 0

    delleaposted 11 years ago

    I would think that recipes and gardening would have fairly equal popularity.... if you use TV as a rule of thumb they have channels dedicated to both of those subjects. But I think what would help bring you more success is to write on topics that you know a lot about and enjoy, but that may also be quite popular. For example, write in recipes AND gardening if you like to do both.... don't limit yourself to one topic, as most normal people would write in several topic areas. I've only written a few hubs so far, some are in areas that I lack expertise in, but I went and did my research on those articles first to write some pretty decent hubs, and in the process I learned a lot more about those topics. I enjoy writing but I am limited by time and inspiration, Hubpages helps with the inspiration part if you read their forums and questions. But overall I would say that you shouldn't limit yourself to certain topics based on popularity... if you're a good writer and you know about a topic, writing good hubs in that topic might even get you more attention if it's a less popular topic... so don't focus on the numbers and popularity, focus on the quality of your hubs and you will surely get some attention!

    replyreport
20. 83

    Maria Ceciliaposted 11 years ago

    yeah I agree, write on things that interest you.... on things that you love the most.... obviously I love to eat and experience different food, tastes in a fine-dining restaurant and I want to record the memories but taking photos and shared them to hubpages, and I love to see how many restaurants I have visited and I just wished I did not gain weight each time i posted a hub about dining in LOL....   I also write about dogs, my favorite actress, the places that I have visited or any place in the my country that I think I should share...or at least promote. and you'll be happier to see those hubs trends....

    replyreport