Earning on HubPages

1. 0

   felishiyafiammaposted 7 years ago

   Hi Hubbers,
   
   Why there is this statement "HubPages is not a good place for high earning"? I mean I know that 40% of our total monthly earning belongs to HubPages, but a right amount of traffic can surely help us to earn good income. Currently, the top Google AdSense users earn more than a million per month. I believe we Hubbers can also get, though not the same, but a better amount by our Hubs. What's your opinions...????

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      theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      It's unlikely that most people will get rich writing for HP because it takes a lot of time and work. However, there *are* some hubbers who make a decent income because they have tapped into a good niche. You may well be one of them. Be prepared to spend a year or two learning how to do it.
      
      Don't forget that earnings are relative - what is a lot for one person will be pin money for another.

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   2. 84

      psycheskinnerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      It is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of fact.  Hubpages is not a place to go if you want high earnings.  There are many, many threads in the forums that explain why--but the biggest one is that Google does not favor content sites.  A site like this is an easy way to start making a little money and learn how to write web content.  But if you are going to put in a lot of effort and develop your skills, a self-hosted website has more potential to earn at the top end.

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   3. 73

      relacheposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I find earnings on this site to be down over 75% from six years ago, but that's just my personal experience.
      
      No one on this site even begins to approach a moderate volume AdSense user, let alone a top one.  Except HubPages itself.

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   4. 0

      johnmariowposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent question. I have not been able to earn much via AdSense,  My best earnings via AdSense  came from tutorials that I wrote. And those earnings over the past nine years have amounted to less than fifty dollars.
      
      I think I am a good writer; but I believe that in order to earn lots from AdSense one must be more than a good writer. One must be a professional writer.
      
      And there is a difference. A good writer and a professional writer may write a hub about the same specific topic. Both hubs may appear to be well written and well researched. But the professional writer will earn lots of money while the good writer earns much less.

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2. 84

   Marisa Wrightposted 7 years ago

   Can you provide a link that shows the top earner from Adsense earns a million, and who they are? 
   
   People who use Adsense typically earn between $1 and $5 per 1,000 views.  That's pretty consistent across all blogs and websites. If a site is earning millions of dollars in Adsense, then it must be getting billions of views.  I bet it's a big company.  I remember at one time, the top earner was the New York Times.   Obviously an amateur site is never going to get that kind of traffic.
   
   Also, as Psycheskinner says, HubPages' big hurdle is that Google does not like sites consisting of miscellaneous articles on any subject.  They've said so very clearly!  That's why nearly all HubPages' competitors have gone out of business in the last few years.  Google has said it wants specialist sites that focus on a specific topic. That's why HubPages is now creating such sites.
   
   It looks likely that the new sites will experience better traffic and therefore better earnings but very few professional bloggers make a living from passive advertising like Adsense these days, the rate of pay is simply not good enough.

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   1. 58

      Anita Haschposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I believe 'Maddie Ziegler' a dancer, who has a lot of youTube videos of her
      dancing is in that league. She is only fourteen.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Really?   I just Googled and can't find anything to support that belief.   She is worth about $2 million but she is a TV celebrity and is paid thousands for her appearances, so her wealth is certainly not all from Adsense!

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            Anita Haschposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            I could be mistaken. But I believe I read that (I assume because of her age)
            she does not get paid for dancing. That her money comes from the videos of her dancing on youTube. Maybe I misunderstood. Her views on youTube  is something incredible.

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            1. 84

               Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Yes she does get paid for her dancing, very handsomely!   She started out in the TV series "Dance Moms" and from that, she started getting jobs as a dancer in professional music videos for pop stars like Sia and others. 
               
               It is possible she didn't get paid a fixed fee for dancing in those videos, she may have done a deal that she would get a share of royalties.   But that's not Adsense.

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         2. 73

            Barbara Kayposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            I had to check who the top earners are at Adsense. The top earner makes a half a million each month if this site know what it is talking about. http://itamal.com/highest-google-adsense-earners/
            
            These have nothing to do with Hubpages of course. I wish someone here earned that much.

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            1. 84

               Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Actually if you read the comments, it turns out that those are not real figures - they are just guesses! 
               
               I did a bit of Googling and you'll find many more articles showing league tables for Adsense, all of them guesses, and the figures vary enormously from one to the other.   Several of them have even the highest earner earning a lot less than half a million a month.
               
               Google Adsense does not disclose figures.

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3. 81

   Wesman Todd Shawposted 7 years ago

   This is the single best place on the internet to learn how to write successfully on the internet. You publish a page and you start getting all kinds of data to help you determine whether or not the topic is interesting to internet search engine users. You figure out what works for you and then you go from there.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed. Not a place to earn a living in itself but a good place to start

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4. 69

   makingamarkposted 7 years ago

   Pause to reflect....
   
   Anybody with common sense who has content that is earning a huge amount (whatever the sum) from Google AdSense certainly isn't going to be giving away 40%!

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5. 88

   Victoria Lynnposted 7 years ago

   I agree with Wesman Todd Shaw, who helped me when I first started by answering lots of questions, so thank you!. This is a great place to learn web content and how to write it. I haven't written much in the last two years, but in the five years I've been here, I've been getting a payout almost monthly since a little over a year into it. It's enough to pay a bill or two, depending . . . .

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      Wesman Todd Shawposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Hey thanks for the props!  I was completely ignorant of all the terms and such people were talking about here when I realized this was something I could probably do, and would enjoy doing. I hate it when I don't know what anyone is talking about, and all the words describe entire concepts I don't know.
      
      After six years of on again and off again messing with it, I finally feel like I know what I'm doing.
      
      I know one thing for sure - I seem to appreciate the money I get from writing a lot more than money I make doing other kinds of work. I'm not sure exactly why, and I'm not making enough to do much with, but I'd rather make money writing than anything else.

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      1. 88

         Victoria Lynnposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         You're welcome! I remember how you answered all kinds of questions for me about how HubPages and online writing worked.  You taught me things about SEO and all kinds of stuff. :-)
         
         HP is a great place to post our work and learn the whole online thing, and it's great to get some passive income from it. Plus, it's a great place to interact with other writers. I've made lots of friends and have networked with lots of people that I've learned from and have even edited for.
         
         Plus, now I have a lot of articles on different topics that I've been thinking about pulling together into e-books. I haven't got around to it yet, but it's a goal. I need to get to writing more hubs, too. It's nice to get a monthly payout, but I think I could build more income if I'd write more!

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6. 78

   iwrite100posted 7 years ago

   I have not earned here yet since I have not reached the minimum pay out. If Hubpages is not a place to earn rather, it is a place to learn, what do our experts here recommend for earning higher?

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      Wesman Todd Shawposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Figure out what topic you know the most about, and are also very enthusiastic about - then write about that. You can learn from looking at other people's work how to make the webpage look the best and be the most successful.

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   2. 84

      psycheskinnerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      It is still a place to make some money, although it doesn't pay any bills like is used to for me a few years ago.  These days for fast money their is paid forums posting, for better money there is creating a successful niche blogs, ebooks, paid blogging and other not-terribly-easy options.

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7. 69

   makingamarkposted 7 years ago

   P.S. I'm not disagreeing with the notion that HubPages can be a good place to start learning how to write for online consumption - although some of the rules relate to HP and not the wider internet!
   
   However the TOPIC for discussion posed by the OP invited views about "HubPages is not a good place for high earning".

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8. 89

   Millionaire Tipsposted 7 years ago

   Before 2011, people were making good money from HubPages, maybe enough even for a living wage.  Since then, a Google algorithm change caused traffic and therefore earnings to drop sharply, and many people left or had to find ways to earn money elsewhere.
   
   With the new niche sites, Paul said that he came across a person who made a good payout this month - enough to be considered a living wage if that type of earning  is sustained over the year.  So it is possible that the statement about HubPages not being enough for a living wage might change soon.

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9. 73

   Barbara Kayposted 7 years ago

   I started in 2011 and in the beginning I watched my earnings grow. Each year after that Google just kept slapping what they called content sites. It got tiresome changing hubs over and over again to suit Google. This was precious time I could have been writing. It took the fun out of writing for me after that.
   
   If all the money from over the years is added up, the earnings are way over what you could be paid by any magazine. You just need to learn what to write about and be patient.
   
   I have great respect for Hubpages. Other sites kept failing and Hubpages just never gave up. Soon I may start writing more again.

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   1. 69

      makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Speaking as somebody who's just finished a series of ten articles for a leading UK magazine I'm afraid I can't agree.
      
      In terms of payback relative to effort I'll take articles every time! 
      
      Mind you, that does assume you know what you're talking about and don't need to do original reasearch beyond checking for updates to existing knowledge.

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         Solarasposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Since it's not against TOS to mention what you earn writing for a well known UK magazine, please give us a hint, so we can have a firm idea of what you are talking about. What is the going rate for a 10 article series?

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            makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Well it's not against TOS on this site - however I certainly would not share the going rate without the permission of the Editor.
            
            Let's just say that I'm coming up with new ideas for more articles...
            
            A proxy measure - the fee for just one article is about twice the cost of an annual subscription of the popular (main newsagent) magazine it appears in without any discounts.  Plus I get the copy the article it is in sent to me for free. so I guess overall value is actually about three times annual subscription!

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               Solarasposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you for putting some perspective on those earnings. I had no clue what magazines might pay an author.  How long are each of the articles? How much time do you feel you put into them given you already had most of the info at your finger tips.

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               1. 69

                  makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  The time it takes to write an article is completely different to the time it takes to develop the knowledge which enables you to write the article.  You don't get commissioned unless you've already demonstrated an ability to write and expertise in the subject you are writing about.
                  
                  It's like asking an artist how long did it take to do a painting. The answer you might get is 2 hours plus the 25 years it took to do it in 2 hours!
                  
                  My articles were c. 900 words and they printed as one page.

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10. 97

    Solarasposted 7 years ago

    My feeling is that, since the creation of the niche sites, HP is the best place to earn if you like to write on random topics.  Those who can write enough to fill a niche should do so on their own website. But if you enjoy writing on a wide variety of topics, I can't think of a better place to earn.
    
    I think it also depends on your definition of good money.  Paul tells us someone is making $3600.00 a month. As recurring income, that's nice work if you can get it.  I am 75% towards being able to cover my mortgage payment with HP earnings across both accounts.  If I can get to 100%, I will be quite happy with that.   
    
    Giganomics is my plan for the future. 5 different sources of income, so that if one starts to fail, there are others to carry the necessities, until I develop another source of income. I never want to work for a single entity again.

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11. 81

    Wesman Todd Shawposted 7 years ago

    I'm just not to where I even want to learn to operate my own website. I am pretty far behind the curve on general computer knowledge as it is.
    
    Basically, I know how to type and research things, and maybe explain them in a coherent way. So the 40% doesn't phase me too much because I'm completely ignorant on how to do a website. Learning how to build and operate a website just terrifies me at the moment. So I'm pretty happy to do what I'm doing right here.
    
    Everything is top notch. There are rarely bugs to report, and the formatting of pages is a proven winner.

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       makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I think for those who are unwilling or unable to learn how to create their own websites then HubPages can fulfil a real need for those wanting to write.
       
       I guess it all depends on whether you want and/or enjoy learning about how to do something new.
       
       My personal feeling is that it's a great pity that people don't realise how easy it can be to build and run your own website. I think if more people stuck a proverbial toe in the water they would very soon want to add another string to their bow - to completely mix metaphors!

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          iwrite100posted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks for that "mix metaphors" it certainly is inspiring and strikingly motivating.

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          felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, building own website is a great idea. But it requires little more maintenance. I have earned money by selling websites, but having one's own is little more time-consuming than writing on hubpages.

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             theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             HubPages is not a blogging platform.

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                felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                I think it sounds better now...

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          2. 84

             Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             My WordPress websites require less attention than my HubPages account and make more money

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                felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                Yes, WordPress is pretty easy and great web tool. Good for you. Most of the companies prefer this CMS more than any other as it is also free of cost and open source.

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             2. 69

                makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                I was just about to say the same thing.
                
                I've used Blogger for free for nearly 11 years - absolutely no problem and no headaches
                
                I'm now using Weebly to build my mega niche websites and they're so easy peasy it's ridiculous. In fact I think they're much easier to use than HubPages and certainly provide a much more attractive presentation for the information. The only downside when compared to HubPages is they cost me money to run (but not a lot0 as I use the version which means my websites get indexed by Google.  However the funtionality is hugely superior.
                
                I'm not saying there isn't a learning curve to any new software - but that's a given for any new webware you start to use. My point is that if you use well-established and reputable webware you can focus on the content and not how the site works! 
                
                Plus you can forget having to try and work out what somebody else's rules are for what you can and can't do. Commercial webware providers have to be very explicit on that topic - so no second-guessing involved

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                   felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   I have never used Weebly. Thank you for the valuable information, Katherine. Quite curious to know if it also supports JavaScript frameworks like node. I am less into making a blogging site, but social networking sites and mobile applications are of great interest to me. I would love to try Weebly if it supports latest web technologies.

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                      makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      It's a total waste of time building websites from scratch these days. Unless you're going to devote yourself to keeping up with all the latest developments - and then learning how to deal with them - and then dealing with the updates - and all that takes a LOT OF TIME. I very rarely see owner-run (as in coded and constructed) websites these days. Who's got the time?
                      
                      Weebly supports all the latest technologies that anybody needs to get a contemporary and 100% responsive website up and running fast
                      There are other companies who also do a good job and which  also have options for you to run blogs and online shops from the domain. For example, Squarespace is also very good.
                      
                      Just check out the websites. Forget about the bells and whistles that you'd like to use and look for the functionality that you need to deliver a decent website.
                      
                      In other words don't buy a microwave with bells and knobs on for the advanced features when actually all you need is something that will bake a potato and warm up convenience food!

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                         felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                         Well, that's what we do. I am also a coder. I deliver applications to my clients after coding them. I am among those who give you these platforms like Weebly, Wix and Squarespace, so that you don't have to code to build a website
                         In short, I am passionate about coding and won't mind doing it to build a Website. I remember I developed one website within a week, when I used to work in a company.

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                            makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                            That's what you might enjoy doing - and that might work for you. However that won't work for everyone.
                            
                            I do workshops for artists about increasing their profile online and building websites
                            
                            I always tell them to"
                            * ALWAYS get a website where you are ALWAYS in control of the content
                            * never ever depend on other people to do things for you (unless you want to risk losing control of your website) and
                            * never ever commission a website which is a one-off and which only one person knows how to code.
                            
                            I've known too many artists whose websites have been a hostage to fortune as a result e.g.
                            * person disappears - and there's no way to access the website - or take it down;
                            * person refuses to respond to communications;
                            * person does a slapdash job of updates as it's not what they're interested in doing any more;
                            * person takes forever to do updates;
                            * person complains that you are hassling them too much and they don't want to do any work for you any more!
                            I've heard them all!

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                         Jean Bakulaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                         I had a blog on Weebly about 4 years ago. I got a lot of views, but didn't make any money. I think perhaps I titled it wrong so people thought they would be getting info different than they expected when they got there.
                         
                         Also, they kept making changes and it was hard to keep learning, as I am not very computer literate. Have they stopped changing Weebly every few months?

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12. 60

    adityasingh58posted 7 years ago

    The post which are not featured that post can also earn through Ads Program ?

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       felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, they can, but non- featured hubs are subject to get less views

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          adityasingh58posted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Ok,  but why it is not showing in profile hub . ?   
          
          Are you having a website ?

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             felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             Go to your profile settings and change the option from Yes to No as shown in image.
             No, I don't have my website, I do provide web development lessons locally and also work as a choreographer. I never get time to build my own website.
             
             

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                iwrite100posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                That is helpful. I went on and check mine. It's good that I already ticked no. If I have more featured hubs, I will tick "Yes"

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                makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                What do you think is involved in building a website?  I'm not talking about anything which involves writing code!
                
                If you don't have time to create a website then you certainly don't have time to create hubs!

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                   iwrite100posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   I thought of it as a task for those who studied web development - deal with codes that does not make sense to me and other stuff that I cannot comprehend
                   
                   Once I bought a domain and hosting and wasted it. I spend much time figuring out what to do with it. I created pages after hours and days of trial and error and by the time I am done with the main pages, I am too tired to complete it.

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                      felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      You can try wix and squarespace. I think they will surely help you to build a great website without coding. All the best!!

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                         iwrite100posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                         Thank you.

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                      makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      It's a complete waste of time building your own websites unless you do it for a living.
                      
                      Unless you know all the code to create totally responsive websites which can resize for every size of screen you're wasting your time.
                      
                      Just use the webware which is available and focus your efforts 100% on the content.

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          makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Not necessarily. If you drive the views to the hub then you can get a decent number of views.
          
          Some of the hubs near the top of my dashboard are not featured for quality - however they still get regular traffic because I'm driving it (until the content gets moved).

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             adityasingh58posted 7 years agoin reply to this

             How are you getting the traffic on that post which are not featured.
             
             Can you tell me the ways how you get the views ?

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                iwrite100posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                You can get views on posts that are not featured.
                You may share it on pinterest or twitter.

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                   adityasingh58posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   Yep.. I will share your post Tooo

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                makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                From my niche website on Weebly where the content will be heading in due course.  I'm getting 2,000+ pageviews a week on that site - all coming from Google or subscribed followers.
                
                When I move the content, the traffic will move from HubPages to another page on the website.

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                   adityasingh58posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   That is nice   You will  get more pageviews

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                   makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   DUH - can't count!
                   
                   I meant to say 2,000 pageviews a day.

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13. 97

    EricDockettposted 7 years ago

    I always hesitate to get involved in threads about earning potential here. But, I also think it's a shame that newbies come to these forums and are met with all kinds of doom and gloom about how it isn't possible to do well here anymore.
    
    My stance is that you get out of HubPages what you put in. If you want to earn a decent income here you can, but you must be willing to put in the work. That doesn't just mean writing well, but also learning SEO and best practices for creating online content, keeping up with news and trends, figuring out which niches are best for you and then coming up with a strategy for long-term success. This should include not just writing new content, but also constantly working to improve on your old content.
    
    Unfortunately, many people believe because they love to write and because they write a lot they should see good results here. It doesn't work that way. This is a business.
    
    If you treat it like a job instead of a hobby you can make job money instead of hobby money. That's the bottom line.

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       felishiyafiammaposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, you are right. I totally agree with you, Eric. Worthy Point...

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       makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       That said - even if you treat it like a job - for the hours you put in, if earning is your main objective you might also want to consider what are the other ways of earning as much (with a great deal more certainty) for less input.
       
       For me HubPages is a site which works well for people who are writing as a hobby and not as their main income. It's far too risky to put all your eggs in one basket as anybody who has experienced the ups and downs of content sites - and the impact on their income - will tell you.
       
       In recent times I've known lots of people who were very experienced at writing online to earn money - who did very well - but who have now given up writing online and gone back to full time employment - because they can't afford not to. The chances of earning well online are now infinitesimal compared to the past.
       
       HubPages is great for people who want to earn a bit of money on the side. If they get good it may well pay a few bills. However only a very few will ever do really well.

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          EricDockettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I'm not suggesting anyone treats HP as their only job or income source. I'm saying, if you expect to make money here, do the work, treat it like a job instead of a hobby, and you can see results.
          
          Many, many people come to this site thinking they can write what they want, how they want, and still somehow magically earn well from it. They eventually either give up, or they see a thread like this one that says, essentially: "You can't earn any decent money here anyway, so why bother trying? Just come here and mess around and be happy with a few bucks."
          
          You've made it very clear over the past couple of years that HP isn't working out for you. That's fine, but that's certainly not my experience, or that of many others. When newbies come to this site they deserve to hear something other than "go start your own website".
          
          That's why I responded to this thread, and why I felt like I needed to speak up. Not to change your mind or any other Hubber's who has been here for while, but for the new person who is here for the first time and reading this thread. That was me a few years back, and had I been dissuaded from trying my best at this site I would have missed a major opportunity. If one or two people read what I'm saying here and decide to put in the work, not only will they personally see benefits in the months and years ahead, but so will the site.
          
          That's my opinion, based on my experiences. This is an awesome site packed with opportunities for people who are willing to work for them. While I occasionally get spitting mad at management and staff for the decisions they make, they are amazing people who are working very hard to ensure the site's long-term success. HP is well worth your time if you want to earn online, and right now I see zero value in taking my content away from here and moving it elsewhere or building my own site.
          
          Now, I hope they don't make me eat those words by enacting some idiotic policy change or merging with another website. :-)

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             Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             But that is the problem, Eric.   Virtually all of HubPages' competitors have closed down or merged with other sites.  Given that, it would be absolute madness to believe it can't happen to HubPages.   
             
             Provided you have copies of all your Hubs, photos etc and you are always prepared for the possibility that it will all come crashing down tomorrow, then I'd say, "go for it".  The trouble is that a new person joining today, will have to work hard for several months before they start seeing  results - and that means there's a risk of putting in a lot of effort only to find that the site closes before they see a return for their efforts.

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                EricDockettposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                Of course it could happen. HP could go belly-up tomorrow. But so could any website, including one you spent many months building yourself. The difference is, when you work on your own site you don't have a team of professional people behind you who are just as invested as you are in figuring out why everything went wrong and how to make it right again.
                
                People work good jobs for 20 years only to lose their pensions when the company goes out of business six months before they retire.
                
                Britain is leaving the EU.
                
                The Rams are back in Los Angeles . . . again.
                
                That dude from the Wheaties box is now a chick.
                
                Things change, but there is a difference between intelligent risk management and wholly avoiding potentially beneficial situations because you are worried about what *might* happen.
                
                From what I see, HP is nothing like other content sites, and that has been true for a long time. The success many people saw on Squidoo was an aberration, and once search engines caught onto the game the site was unwilling or unable to change. So were many of the writers. At the time of the merger the two sites were nothing similar, and that is even more true today.
                
                In fact, I can't think of another site that is comparable to HP. So, to say HP must go under because other content sites have gone under kind of makes no sense, as there has never really been another site like the version of HP we see today.
                
                Things can go wrong tomorrow, of course, and if I begin to see signs of disaster I will know it is time to enact my contingency plan. For now, I will spend my time where I see the best return on my investment, and that's here.

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                   Solarasposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   Exactly my perspective.
                   
                   To add to that, the folks at HP have access to information that I will never have access to.  Conversations with Google management, the ability to get Pinterest to play nicely with them etc...And they share this knowledge with the writers.  Knowledge that I use here on HP and on my personal sites.
                   
                   What I find is that while both of my sites (HP and  Modern Bark) had the same amount of articles and the same amount of views for 2 years, the advent of the niche sites has now quadrupled the traffic to the HP articles.  And with no real work from me. So I am paid 10 times better here on the HP Ad program than on the Adsense program on my site, my  Amazon commission rate is higher, and with higher page views I make more sales $$$ even after the 60/40 split.
                   
                   I am willing to accept that things change, and HP has changed the rules along the way to try to grow revenues. I left the 9 to 5 community after working for two erratic narcissists. The world is full of risks, this week and next week HP is not on my high risk radar. Long term, there may not be a way for any individual to make money from ads and sales on the internet. We will just have to see how things unfold.  Almost nothing runs in a straight trajectory, some new law, invention or whim of the people changes the economic outlook of every entity.

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                   Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   How could your own website go belly-up tomorrow?   If you mean it could crash or develop a glitch - yes but you're in total control, you have a back-up and it's back online in a few hours. Even if your hosting company goes bust, you have a backup so you can transfer to a new host in a day.   So no, it can't go belly-up.
                   
                   Actually that's one reason I don't like sites like Wix or Weebly or Squarespace:  if you use their website builder, then if they go broke tomorrow, you have no back-up and no way to transfer the site to a new host. That's why I only recommend getting your own host and using Wordpress, or using the paid version of Wordpress.com. Both can be transferred any time and there's a choice of hundreds of hosts.
                   
                   If you mean it might not be profitable enough to justify continuing - then yes, that's possible. But the cost to run a site is so small, it doesn't take much to keep it in the black.  And if you choose to close it, it's entirely YOUR decision, not dictated by someone else.
                   
                   Like I said, if you are aware of the risk and have a contingency plan, then that's fine.  Just don't underestimate the advantage you've got because your Hubs have age - a new person may not have the experience you've had. 
                   
                   I do think people who write Hubs suitable for the clearly defined niche sites (like PetHelpful) are in luck as I think those sites have good prospects and it would be well worth riding that wave.

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                      Solarasposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      You could get blacklisted after some nefarious blackhat work was done behind the scenes to your site.  I used to work in the industry, and people would employ clicking programs to get their competitors undone. Then you have to start over. Edit: Unless you lose your Adsense account as a result, then good luck starting over.
                      
                      Or Google could decide with the same whim they employed to like niche sites, to not like niche sites unless they met certain parameters: minimum 1500 pages, minimum pageviews 10,000 per day or maximum links  allowed 500. Who knows, the decision to like niche websites of a relatively small size, through the algorithm, was arbitrary in my opinion.

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             makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             I understand your perspective. Mine is that HubPages is not and never will be a serious source of income for MOST of the people who use it. A very few might be able to make decent sums month to month but that will be a combination of experience, writing skills, picking the right topic, (for most) a lot of hubs up and running and some good luck.
             
             Do NOT underestimate the impact of having hubs established already - and NOT being a person new to HP.
             
             As for your last paragraph.... you reminded me of people writing on Squidoo 2+ years ago - and we all know what happened to that site!
             
             I knew many people on Squidoo who thought and talked in exactly the same way as you.  Their bitterness when the site closed ran deep and has not gone away for many of them. (By way of contrast, I could see what was coming, wasn't surprised - except by how long the site lasted - and was very grateful for the lifeline offered by HubPages. It's made the transition to future plans much easier.)
             
             If HubPages can make a go of this site when every other content article site has pulled up the drawbridge and cancelled the domain renewal then good luck to them.
             
             However it would be unfair to newbies to not provide the context that this is and continues to be a difficult environment - and very much different from when you and I started out.  They are not starting from where we started. Our experiences will not be their experiences.

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             Solarasposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             + 1,000,000,000

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       gerimcclymposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for your words, Eric. They are greatly appreciated and encouraging to me.

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       DrMark1961posted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I posted a question on the forum several years ago and asked to hear from those who were treating HP like a job instead of a hobby. There were only replies from people who said "No, no, do not do this." I think it is a viable option, but even those who do come on here tend to waste time answering questions, checking the forums, etc.
       If more hubbers had your attitude, and were willing to treat this seriously and delete failed hubs, revise things that need to be changed, and spend more hours researching new topics and writing instead of whining about lack of income on the forums, they would be making more money.

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          iwrite100posted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I have just deleted one of my hubs. After submitting it more than once and it is still marked "substandard" then it means it does not deserve to be here.

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    Whitney05posted 7 years ago

    I've been using HubPages off and on for almost 10 years. The first few years was like taking a child to Disney. I was earning close to $3-$4k a month in Google alone. But, then Google started slapping content sites and HubPages got grouped in. This was fixed at one time or another since HP isn't a 100% content site like the Google terms were describing, but the earnings never returned.
    
    I started making my own websites, which generated helpful income for me. I also started writing on other websites that allowed me to own my own blog without having to pay for hosting and domain renewals. These other blogs were like free wordpress or blogger sites, but similar to HP where you generate the content and maintain the blog and they still earn about 50% of your Google ad clicks/impressions.
    
    I then started working on other sites with strict rules and regulations on the content that was essentially being purchased by websites to put on their blogs. This was fun for a while.
    
    I ended up settling on making many of my own niche sites, which slowly drained my energy with a full time day job in addition to the websites.
    
    I now have 2 or 3 blogs that I still maintain with social media pages. I still make about $100-$150 every other month from HP without any maintenance to old articles from nearly 10 years ago.
    
    I'm returning because I want to start up my own mommy blog, but the niche is so crowded and after months of debating on a name, I've given up. I figure HP is still a good source to write about niches I want to without having to maintain and run a full blown website on my own.
    
    I always recommend keeping your hubs saved on Word in case something happens to HP. I wouldn't foresee those events anytime soon, but for your safe-guarding, I recommend it.

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15. 83

    julieann26posted 7 years ago

    The problem with using platform sites like Wix and Weebly is that are subjected to their rules (e.g. they can change things whenever they want to) and you have no say in the advertising they place on your website.
    
    The downside of all these "free" websites is that the platform can make a lot of money from your website without you seeing a single cent.
    
    The easiest way is to buy your own domain name and web hosting. The just install WordPress which is the easiest Content Management System (CMS) to use.  For advertising, you can join affiliate programs and pick the ads you want to have appear on your website.  As in most things on the internet it does take some time to establish.

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       Whitney05posted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Agreed. You can easily fine coupons for domain purchases and renewals are still about $15. Hosting varies on provider and package. Depending on how serious you treat your websites, it is totally worth the better packages.
       
       Wordpress installation is free.  You can find free themes that are SEO optimized or pay less than $50 to get one. These themes are upgraded by the developer when Wordpress upgrades, and in many cases, you can get support for easy mods for free from the place you buy/download the theme.
       
       Hubpages is a great avenue to learn and a great avenue to post random things that may not fit your niche site.
       
       When I was starting out, I had no problems getting an Adsense nor Amazon accounts. There are also plenty of other affiliate accounts you can sign up for free to feature products, services, coupons, etc that suite your niche on your own website that you cannot feature here. I've not had the best success with these other affiliate platforms, but I don't necessarily focus on them either. The company I work for used to use one of said platforms for part of their promotions, and from my experience working with that platform and the sales we got from them, I know they are successful. Of course, bigger sites always do better than bloggers, but it is still a revenue source.

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       makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I do wish people would make negative remarks only about sites they understand!  Do please check your FACTS before writing off other websites!
       
       I bought my own domain names via Namecheap and I use Weebly to host my websites at Weebly for a small fee - not very different to a website hosting fee. My websites run without advertisements (which I seem to recall is limited to their logo brand only on the free website) - except for associate links related to me - and my sites are indexed (and liked) by Google.  Nobody makes any money from my websites except me - 100% of the earnings are mine.
       
       I can save pages with the html intact any time I like - in the same way as I for HubPages (i.e. via Safari - "save page as" is infinitely superior to other browsers in terms of the file it produces). I can also copy the whole website.
       
       There is no free advertising on Blogger. I've used Blogger for nearly eleven years and haven't had any advertising - mine or other people's on it - for the entire time.

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          Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          I appreciate that there is a way to save individual pages in HTML on Weebly.  However, if Weebly were to close down tomorrow, you would have to manually recreate your website page by page on another host - which, with huge sites like yours, would be a massive task. Whereas if you were using Wordpress (either self-hosted or Wordpress.com), you'd simply upload it and you'd be up and running almost immediately.   
          
          I would not recommend you change now, but if someone is starting a brand new site, that advantage is enough for me to advise them to stick to Wordpress.   Self-hosting has a learning curve and I understand why some people find that too daunting, but in that case they can use Wordpress.com for less than $100 per year and it's no more difficult than Weebly.

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             makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

             I weighed up the time and effort - on a continuing basis - of having to keep up with the self-hosting agenda and associated security issues vs being on the biggest hosted website provider with none of those worries or concerns - or the  associated investment of time and effort.
             
             I'm not planning on having to move which is why when choosing a site I looked very carefully at who had the capability to give me the least grief - and least likely to go under.  I wanted big and robust.
             
             Also, as an ex-Squidoo person pointed out to me in the last couple of days, there's a group out there called Endurance International Group and it is is buying up all the hosting companies at the moment.  It's causing concern amongst those who went the self-hosted route - especially after they experience the downtime and decrease in customer service.
             
             Take a look at this article http://www.linux-depot.com/non-enduranc … g-hosting/ - it's the sort of thing I don't have to worry about.
             
             My recommendation is to check out the numbers of users of a service.

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                Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                I know you're not, but the fact is that all web hosting companies are just businesses and businesses do fail sometimes, or merge, or get taken over.  Even big businesses that people thought would last forever.  Weebly is just as vulnerable to takeover as any other company.
                
                Using self-hosted, if one company gets bought over or folds, I have the freedom to move to another one with minimal disruption. I keep my Wordpress software updated automatically and use the appropriate security software so I don't see a need to keep up with any agenda, nor do I see any security issues that are any different from Weebly.
                
                If you prefer to use a hosted website provider, that's your choice - but again, I would not choose Weebly or SquareSpace because it means the site is not transferable. I'd use Wordpress.com, which is just as big as Weebly and which allows me to keep site backups in Wordpress format, which can be transferred to self-hosting easily.

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                   makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                   I would not use Wordpress because it needs hosting - Wordpress is not the risk - the hosting company is! Plus Wordpress.com does not have the funtionality.
                   
                   I prefer Weebly on the basis that a business with 30+ million users is a lot less likely to fall over than some of the hosting companies.
                   
                   I checked out the numbers on some of the better known ones (like Hostgator) and they are small by comparison.
                   
                   Everybody has a different perspective - it just depends on what you rank as most important. For me it's being on a site which gives me the least grief, least "need to know techie stuff" and the least chance it will fall over and/or suddenly disappear.

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                      Whitney05posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      I pay for my own hosting and have had great results. My sites are on dedicated IP's, and one or two have premium or slightly-less-than-premium site security.
                      
                      Before I moved to Wordpress, I hosted my own websites with a home server my dad had, but he had the server was formatted where it couldn't support Wordpress and whatever else it was housing. He's a software developer, web designer, etc and used to own his own website development company back in the day when no one else really did it. He had one server left when he sold off the company that he used for personal sites. I thought about buying my own server for Wordpress, but didn't want to deal with the maintenance of it. Now, most are cloud based anyway. The company I work for is taking all their servers and switching to owned cloud based hosting.
                      
                      Anywho, to each is his own.
                      
                      Do weebly sites still have to have weebly in the domain, or can you use your own purchased domains now?

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                         makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                         Must be great having such high level techie help in the family. I'm the techie help in mine - and I prefer to spend my time on content and let others take the strain on the techie stuff!
                         
                         How much do you spend on that premium hosting?
                         
                         No - you can have your own domain name - even for free sites.
                         
                         On the free sites you can:
                         * use a sub-domain of weebly
                         * register a domain
                         * use a domain name you already own

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                      Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                      I'm curious, could you explain what functionality Wordpress.com doesn't have?  I am often asked what host to use for a blog and that's what I usually recommend. If I am missing something then I'd like to know. 
                      
                      I know Weebly is bigger than any one individual hosting company - but the point is, using Wordpress software means that if one host fails, you can transfer to another within hours, so the longevity of individual hosting providers doesn't really matter:  you have an unlimited supply of them to choose from!
                      
                      As for cost - I used to have premium hosting which cost me $49 a month, but that was for six websites.  This is the thing that some people miss about self-hosting - that you don't need a separate hosting package for each website, you simply scale up to a bigger package.  Whereas on Weebly and Wordpress.com, you have to pay for a new service for each site and that mounts up.

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                         Will Apseposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                         I have an old Weebly package that gives me 10 sites for 50 dollars a year. I must admit most of my Weebly sites are sorely neglected and barely make any money. But one or two do.
                         
                         Wordpress has lot more options but is a lot more trouble.
                         
                         HP is the better option for people whose talent is writing rather promotion, monetization etc.

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                            makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                            I'd certainly agree HP is a good option for those who don't want to have to think about techie stuff at all.  However I don't agree that it absolves people from promoting their hubs or thinking about how to monetize them. Just creating a hub does not create traffic or cash. You still need to promote it.
                            
                            For me the other aspect which is worth thinking about is the cost of running hubs - which is less explicit. However the cost is still there in the sense that there is an automated deduction of 40% of all income you make. So you can never really consider it as being a "free" site. (http://hubpages.com/faq/#impressions)
                            
                            If somebody were to look at what he or she is making on Hubpages and then divide by six and multiply by four then that's (very roughly) what having their content on HubPages is costing them - as opposed to hosting on (say) a free blog. [example: if you earned $75 last month then HubPages earned c.$50 from your hubs i.e. 75 divided by 6 (=12.5) and multiplied by 4 (=50)]
                            
                            There's lots of different options - and they suit different people who have different wants and needs. The important thing is to be aware of them and make well-informed decisions after deciding what's important to you. 
                            
                            HubPages is always going to be a good choice for some people - but there are also lots of people who decide to have a portfolio of options for getting their content online.

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                               Will Apseposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                               Never promoted pages here. Write a good enough page and Google will give you enough traffic. And Google traffic is the best kind.
                               
                               Having said that, I'm actually helping someone with a social media campaign right now because he has something worthwhile to sell. It is sort of interesting trying different approaches.
                               
                               Don't think it is really me but who knows, I might crack it.

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                         makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                         If you just want a blog then I'd have nothing against wordpress.com per se -  (although I prefer Blogger) but I'm talking websites.

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                            Marisa Wrightposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                            So am I.  Wordpress.com is the Wordpress.org software hosted on their servers.  You can choose to create a website using either posts or pages or a combination of both.  There are several navigation menu options depending on your choice. So I'm still wondering what the limitations are.
                            
                            Blogger is easier but its navigation is far too limited IMO.

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                               makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                               Blogger also has pages and also has lots of different formats and navigation options eg magazine / flipcard etc
                               
                               I still wouldn't use it for a topic website unless it was micro-niche

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    Marisa Wrightposted 7 years ago

    Well, I would never expect to be in a big enough league to have competitors who are willing to pay to wipe me out! 
    
    It wouldn't worry me if I lost my Adsense account as that's not the major source of my income, nor is it the major source of income for most website owners these days.
    
    Yes of course Google could change its mind, that's the one risk none of us can control.

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       makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       I was going to say the same thing. AdSense is not delivering enough income to make it worthwhile to have adverts.
       
       Of one thing I am sure - based on what Google has said about what it likes to see and what it's not so fond of.
       * Quality and authoritative content on a niche site created by an expert author is EXACTLY what Google likes. 
       * Google is not a fan of "me too" sites and webpages created by people who are not experts.
       
       My guess is that in the long run HubPages will prune the hubs it thinks don't cut it with Google. It already does in the sense that it unfeatures lots of hubs - and hence these don't get indexed by Google.

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    paperfacetsposted 7 years ago

    I don't get it. Why all the discussion about earning big on this or that platform? My daughter for one disagrees, but it is 90% just luck. You can line up all your lessons learned and go for the popular search items on the Internet, but......
    If you do get big bucks what do you think happened? Look at impressions, look at clicks, then look at earnings. Pitiful.
    I am now maintaining websites to the same tune for more payout. Thank goodness I have one, one Hub that is now earning enough money from the Hub niche sites to pay for the hosting, namesite charges of owning my Websites.
    True if you put in tons of time you can squeeze into more of the pie and extract more and more pennies.

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    Mark Ewbieposted 7 years ago

    To answer the OP.  Yes you can probably earn more money.  Write more, write better, get lucky.  Think about your viewer, searcher.  What do they want?  Give it to them.
    
    Now Weebly.  I love Weebly.  No I didn't try anything else. It works.  It covers my costs plus a bit on top.
    
    My use of the web consists of some words, some pictures, links and adverts.  Nothing special.  Nothing clever.  Nothing else required.
    
    I don't spend time worrying about what might happen because I have a folder with my pictures in it.  That is all I need.
    
    If Weebly shut tomorrow I would still have Zazzle and Cafepress. The world will continue to revolve.
    
    If the world stops revolving - well hey.  I'd wish I'd made a backup.

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       makingamarkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       Well said!

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    Sherry Lynn-0311posted 7 years ago

    This place has been fun to explore today and I'm happy to share my writings someplace other than just a blog diary app on my phone. I'm excited to see new things here and share new things here. Making a little bit of extra money on the side would be a nice thing too.

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       iwrite100posted 7 years agoin reply to this

       It is indeed a nice place to learn and share to others what you know.

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