Why I like Hub Pages

1. 71

   Marie Flintposted 10 years ago

   I've been a little down about not having received a payout for nearly two years of participation here, but I'm looking at Triond, another writing site, and I must say how grateful I am for the amount of control I have about how my article looks here at Hub Pages by comparison. When I delete something here, it's deleted. If I turn the ads off, they're off. I can add my own pictures and tables. There are no capsules at Triond as here at Hub Pages. So, thank you Hub Pages for the versatility. I am grateful.

   replyreport
   1. 82

      RachaelOhalloranposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think Hubpages spoils us with how easy everything is (setup, process, capsules, directions, forum help, FAQs), because if and when we go to tryout or work other sites, we either find they are too hard to use, too many steps to do, little control over how our article is displayed, not enough  traffic or we work too hard to get a similar but not same look to our articles as on Hubpages.  lol
      I haven't got a payout either, but I'm new. I have been moderator of awordlover's HP account since last summer.  I notice her account gets paid every month (or rarely misses). There isn't much new content there, because I'm too busy trying to establish my own account here. So most of her payments come from the hubs that are already in place.  I have been trying to see what the secret is on her hubs so I can carry it over to my hubs and start getting paid too. lol

      replyreport
   2. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Do you have all aspects of the HP Earnings program turned on?   Have you checked it recently to make sure everything is working correctly?   It's always worth doing.
      
      Don't forget to use Amazon capsules to provide your reader with useful resources.  So, for instance, if you're going to put a Credits capsule at the end of your Hub citing books, have a capsule for each book so the reader can buy them.   Likewise, if you're explaining how to fold origami or make a quilt, have capsules showing them the materials they need to create the item (and put those at the point in the Hub where they're needed, not at the end).  You will make sales that way.

      replyreport
      1. 71

         Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you for the tips, Marissa.

         replyreport
   3. 93

      SpaceShantyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I am surprised that with 59 Hubs you have less than 10,000 views.  I think your Hub 'How to Make a Patience Corner Quilt Block' has a good potential to make money from eBay/Amazon sales, as Marisa said, add the Amazon capsules to the right of the text when you talk about it.  To be honest the book you mention is on Amazon for $0.01, even with an 8% commission you are gunna have to sell ALOT to make anything!  Try adding tools/materials that need to make a quilt, find the products with lots of good customer reviews that you would use/like yourself.
      
      Add some nice good quality pictures of quilts and, if you don't already have a Pintrest account create one, make a board there and Pin those nice pictures to it from your Hub.  This will drive traffice from Pintrest to your Hub.

      replyreport
   4. 66

      brutishspoonposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Here at HubPages it is a lot better then Triond where I still have a lot of articles. I love the tools and the layout options and the customer service here is allot better.

      replyreport
   5. 83

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      For a very, and I mean very, long time, I did not understand that using Amazon capsules significantly increases income.  I also did not know how to use them, and found them cumbersome.  Recently, when Amazon upped its payouts, I took interest, and am doing much better financially here now.  Also, I use Pinterest and Google+ some to advertise my work.  This also brings views, and views translate into money.

      replyreport
2. 91

   Thelma Albertsposted 10 years ago

   I like it here, too. We have everything we need for our  writings and our fellow writers are friendly and helpful, too.

   replyreport
3. 61

   JesseHposted 10 years ago

   I was reading a hub earlier about why hubpages is worth the time, and I agreed completely. I am currently new but using my hubpages to stage eBooks for sale. It's great because (although I haven't passed bootcamp yet), I can get paid while making my eBook.

   replyreport
4. 87

   Kathleen Odenthalposted 10 years ago

   so true, that is why I write here, because I can write what I want to write. 100% creative freedom. triond drives me bonkers.

   replyreport
5. 71

   Marie Flintposted 10 years ago

   Thank you, Space Shanty. I'll try to incorporate your suggestions and take another look at Pinterest. I deleted my account there at one point because policies were tightening about copyright issues on pictures.

   replyreport
   1. 96

      sallybeaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think it is good advice to pursue Pinterest and also Twitter.  The Hub about Patchwork is an ideal Hub to pin on Pinterest.  Search for people who share your interests of Pinterest.  Add Amazon or e-Bay ads.  Include some items which are directly related to the creation of a patchwork quilt.  Amazon ads might include fabric,  templates or rulers and cutters, used to create patchwork quilts    Tweet your hubs regularly and pin them onto Pinterest.    I am sure you will see increased traffic.

      replyreport
      1. 71

         Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you, Sally. I did set up a Pinterest account today and began posting pictures with my website address. I had been posting at Twitter, but I'm taking a break from that right now, mainly due to limited computer use until I can get the computer fan fixed. Thank you so much for your kind help.

         replyreport
   2. 93

      SpaceShantyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      To be honest if you add good photos other people will Pin those photos, I have seen some Hubs with hundreds of Pins, effectively other people are promoting your Hubs for you!

      replyreport
6. 67

   cloverleaffarmposted 10 years ago

   No pay out in two years? I would have quit. I got a payout after only a month or so.

   replyreport
   1. 71

      Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Believe me, Clover,  I thought about it a few times, but I do enjoy writing and I do like the Hub Page formatting capsules. I'll have to look your topics over to see if there's anything inspiring. Blessings!

      replyreport
      1. 67

         cloverleaffarmposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I like the formatting also, but I prefer to write on my own blog. I can write what I want, and not get penalized for mentioning body parts in medical terms. That is the one thing I hate about it here. Best of luck to you

         replyreport
         1. 71

            Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            That's too bad about the restriction on medical terms, Clover. Yes, undoubtedly you will have more freedom on your own blog, which I have yet to try to do. Again, thank you for your input.

            replyreport
7. 92

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   Marie Flint, so are you making money each month but just haven't reached $50 yet? It does seem that something is wrong. It's good to hear that you do like Hubpages and enjoy the site. But you're a decent writer and should have been paid by now. I don't get it but I wish you luck and prosperity for your work.

   replyreport
   1. 71

      Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm close to 10K views, Jan. Current earnings show around $18 or so. Probably a couple of things may be holding me back 1) too broad subject matter, and 2) interest in things not necessarily trendy (spiritual subjects, unusual book reviews). Would you believe I have no planets in my house of finances in my natal chart?  (Ha! ha!) Blessings!

      replyreport
      1. 92

         jansharesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Wow! Thanks for clarifying. Abundant blessings soon come!

         replyreport
8. 82

   Mark Ewbieposted 10 years ago

   She has had less than ten thousand views according to profile so yep, that fifty dollars may still be a way off.  It is a tough ride for so many - tend to only hear from the successful, or claimed successful, ones.

   replyreport
9. 73

   Vimuralposted 10 years ago

   You need to touch up on a couple of Search Engine Optimization tips. Check out a checklist online. Work on establishing 1 or 2 keywords per hub and add these keywords to your hub title, url, picture description, picture name, hyperlink them to other popular sites, etc...
   
   Remember, if you want success online it is important to incorporate these rules. If I were you, I would stop writing for a bit and focus strictly on SEO editing all of your hubs. Do not forget to write over 500 words per hub.

   replyreport
   1. 71

      Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I confess, Vimural, SEOs are not my strong point. I would need a mentor to help me edit one or two hubs to get the knack of it. Alas, the Hub Pages Apprenticeship Program is no longer available, and I'm slow at implementing tips that I don't quite understand just from reading. I think the minimal recommended word count by Hub Pages is now 700 words. All my hubs meet this criterion. I certainly will take your suggestion about revising with SEOs in mind seriously, as I would enjoy a little sustenance from my work. Thank you for your input!

      replyreport
      1. 93

         SpaceShantyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         You don't need to be an SEO guru, as I said before, just re-word some of your titles.  Try to include phrases people will type into google.  So for your quilt Hub people will be searching for 'How to Make a Patience Corner Quilt Block'
         
         So in your Hub you can say 'Here I will show you how to make an attractive Patience Corner Quilt Block at home using materials you already have in your possession'
         
         So you are trying to including the keywords and phrases people will be searching for and still making sense and giving people what they are looking for.

         replyreport
         1. 86

            Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            +1
            
            If things like the keyword tool aren't your thing, you can find a lot of keywords just by asking yourself "what would people type into Google if they were interested in this subject?".   Try typing possible search terms into Google and see what auto-completes - the auto-complete comes from common searches.

            replyreport
10. 60

    Vicky Tutsposted 10 years ago

    Having a full control on my own articles is very important for me too and I strongly agree with you. So far I really like Hubpages though I'm not getting much free time to write and I haven't passed the boot camp yet either.

    replyreport
    1. 61

       JesseHposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I can't agree more, good to see you in the discussions Vicky!

       replyreport
11. 84

    isaacasanteposted 10 years ago

    I also love HP very much! I don't have a lot of time to write, but everything is easy, and I like their marking system (/100). I agree their advanced features can spoil us, but it still requires us to be concise and make a lot of efforts and produce quality articles. I have to say, I've written for many sites in the past with different publishing systems, so I'm not "spoiled", but all in all, HP's one of the best writing sites to my knowledge.

    replyreport
    1. 71

       Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for your input, Isaac. HP is a nice format, to be sure.

       replyreport
12. 95

    susi10posted 10 years ago

    You have some great hubs, Marie and I encourage that you keep writing! Your hubs are a credit to the site and it is a pity that you are not seeing the traffic you deserve.
    
    You just need to start implementing some SEO into your hubs. The best traffic anyone can receive is organic search traffic, it leads to a passive income. Once the search traffic begins to flow, you are sorted in no time!
    
    I recommend that you start writing hubs with SEO in mind. Use the Google Keyword Planner and begin by typing words that your content is about, so for example "quilting" and see what comes up. Begin narrowing down your keywords (this is long tail traffic) so you could then type in: "pink square quilts" as an example.
    
    Try finding some words that receive about 800 searches and up, and type them on Google. Are there high authority sites constantly ranking for that keyword, (eg: WikiHow, eHow, Wikipedia, news sites or About.com)? If there are, you will have a hard time outranking those but if there aren't, focus on that keyword. Write your hub with those keywords in mind and after six weeks to 3 months, you should see search traffic.
    
    It is a difficult process to get the hang of in the beginning but with practice, it will become easier.
    
    I agree, HubPages is an excellent site to write on and I am very glad to be here!

    replyreport
    1. 71

       Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Sushi, thank you so much for your encouragement and directions. This will take some time because now I have to get the fan on my computer fixed, which I won't get to until after the first of May. I do have more articles I wish to write.

       replyreport
       1. 95

          susi10posted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Glad it helped.

          replyreport
13. 65

    cfinposted 10 years ago

    Hi Marie Flint,
    
    If it weren't for the articles that I am sometimes ashamed of (my cash cow review articles) I would probably never have made pay out here at hubpages.
    
    My favorite articles (fiction and poetry) get very few views which really leaves me disappointed. But hubpages is great in that the few people that read those may really appreciate it and it allows us to express ourselves freely.

    replyreport
    1. 71

       Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, Cfin, quality literature and poetry are not income earners here, an unfortunate and sad state of affairs, but the joy of creativity keeps us going, doesn't it? I remember something my yoga instructor once said, "The doing is its own reward." If I can just keep that in mind, I'll have the strength to persevere. Thank you for the comment here and on my eye care article. Have a great day!

       replyreport
14. 71

    Aneegmaposted 10 years ago

    I don't understand why you haven't made a payout. I don't understand why your hubs have not received at least 100K views. You have a hub of the day, Editors choice, Your hubs are brilliantly done (I love the how to make a basic Apron one) So its total madness you havent made payout.
    
    I've been on here exactly the same amount of time as you and my hubs are not as good as yours and I would kill to have a hub of the day but I have made payout every month from six months ago so I'm stunned. Something not right there..

    replyreport
    1. 71

       Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Aneegma, thank you for sharing. SEOs, traffic flow, and trends are a mystery to me. All I can do is not worry about it. Eventually I may understand "the system"  better, and probably by the time I do, the search engines will change their method. I'll keep writing as the muse inspires me to do so. I'm so glad for you that you are receiving a payout. Blessings!

       replyreport
15. 83

    Dana Tateposted 10 years ago

    I have had my hub page account for almost 2years and I have just been approved.  I have written eleven hubs so far. My advice is to just keep hubbing and applying, eventually it will happened...good luck !

    replyreport
    1. 71

       Marie Flintposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you so much for your encouragement, Dana. I do enjoy the creativity here. Much success to you also!

       replyreport