Are We Really Losing Money From Our Hubs?

1. 83

   jimmythejockposted 10 years ago

   Am I losing money from my writing here on Hubpages?
   Although my hubs have been badly hit by another Panda or a Penguin update and the earnings from my Hubs are at their lowest in a few years, I cannot say in all honesty that I am losing any money what so ever.
   I may be earning less now than I have in the past and my readership may be at its lowest for over five years but again I am not losing any money from my writing.
   
   In the seven years that I have been writing on Hubpages I have earned around the same amount as an Author who has an average rated novel published and maybe even more than some published novelists.
   My statistics and earnings have always fluctuated up and down like a preverbial yoyo and they probably always will.
   Writing anywhere on or offline has always been speculative and it either flies off the shelves or it is left there gathering dust. Sometimes you get a flourish of readers and sometimes absolutely nothing for days on end.
   I consider myself lucky that I have earned so much from my writing on Hubpages and although at a lower level I am still making pay out and more at the end of every month, especially when you consider that most of the Hubs that I am making money from have been left untouched since the day that I published them.
   I am currently beginning the process of re-writing those Hubs to get them to the standards that Google and Hubpages are striving for and although it will take me some time.
   I am sure that these changes will see an increase in traffic and earnings in the long term.
   I am not going to unpublish my Hubs and publish them elsewhere like some people have done in the past and I will not be leaving Hubpages just because there is a down turn in traffic.
   I will not be whinging or moaning in the forums either because I know that Hubpages will do everything in their power to rectify the current situation.
   Hubpages has been through a lot of ups and downs since day one and even if it is down at the moment, they will do what they have always done in the past and come back stronger than ever.
   Again I ask you, Am I losing money from writing on Hubpages? and I answer No I am just earning less from Hubs that have already made me more money than I could ever have expected.
   Keep on Hubbing guys and gals and keep the faith, Hubpages will bounce back better and stronger and we will all benefit from this experience.....jimmy

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      janiek13posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That is just what I needed to hear, the negativity was killing me.
      Thanks, Jimmy

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         Victoria Lynnposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I appreciate reading this, too. I've been here nearly two years now and do become discouraged at times. I really enjoy HubPages, though, so this inspires me to continue!

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      SimeyCposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      +1

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      fpherj48posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Well, Jimmy....Now that you mention it.....I believe you are lucky, but it's much more than that.  To my knowledge, there simply are not a big number of hubbers who consistently make.......let's say....the kind of money you make and have made since your Hub debut. Besides you, I'm aware of the TOP few, and it seems that you have all made a good deal of money, writing here, for some time.
      I like to say, "When I grow up, I want to be Jimmy the Jock."
      Obviously, your writing is superior, in all the right ways.  I applaud you and am happy for you, because, you and those who have also succeeded over time, financially speaking, are proof-positive that IT CAN BE DONE. 
      It is painfully obvious there are many hubbers, who have tried so hard, for so long, followed the rules and used all advice and suggestions, yet still feel very dissatisfied with the lack of money to show for their efforts.  I feel their frustrations.  As for me, my money is ALSO consistent!!   No matter what I do or do not do......I still crank out that 75 cents a day!   I'm so proud!!......Wishing you continued success!

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         jimmythejockposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for the flattery fpherj, but if you take a look at my older hubs they really are not very well written at all,I really just hit it lucky with topic matter when there was very little information around on the subjects I was writing about. My older Hubs really do need to be improved for me to remain competitive with the more recent articles written on those subjects.....jimmy

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      Annette R. Smithposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, Jimmy. Your encouragement is most welcome this afternoon!

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      Anamika Sposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you Jimmy!  We are earning lesser now that what we used to earn earlier. But let us not forget that writing on HubPages is still profitable than writing on any other revenue sharing site. I have tremendous faith in the HP Team and have no doubt that Hubpages will bounce back better and stronger.

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      Bobski606posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Jimmy, I've been wondering what to do with myself recently as I haven't been very active on here (been working on some crafty projects instead). However, I'm now wanting to stay here and get some new content up so that I can help out HP as much as I can.
      Happy hubbing :-)

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with everything you said here, but my question is this:  How can anybody "lose" money writing for a site that costs them nothing to join, nothing to maintain and nothing to upgrade?  We don't pay to have people edit our work, we don't pay to have our important questions answered, and the team consistently educates us so that we can improve our skills.
      
      Writing here is a win-win situation.  Personally, I'm having the best year I've ever had, but I would make the same statement if things weren't going as well.
      
      I am ever grateful for this site, and if I ever leave it will be because I am too old or too sick to be able to write anymore.

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         galleryofgraceposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Great response to a 4 year old question!

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

            oops!   Once again I didn't look at the date of the post, but I still think it's a good question.

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2. 71

   seanorjohnposted 10 years ago

   This is encouraging to hear from a successful hubber that you have faith in hubpages to turn things around. I am a bit of a slacker with only 15 hubs. I need to get closer to the 343 hubs you have. You have inspired me to get serious. Good luck with all you do.

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      HollieTposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The point is, you're still making an income from hubs, many of which may have been written years ago. It's a win win, either way!
      
      I know it's disappointing when we lose traffic, because I did on another sub, but sometimes it's temporary anyway. For me though, the ups and downs of internet writing have proved that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. HP is part of my overall strategy and will continue to be so in the future.
      
      Hope your traffic returns, Jimmy. I'm sure it will.

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3. 83

   jimmythejockposted 10 years ago

   Thanks guys, I feel better for writing this as I am really getting tired of the constant negativity Hubpages recieves every time they try to do something positive for the entire site.
   Of course this being a positive forum post about Hubpages it will die off quickly simply because it seems to me that most people who write in the forums prefer to be negative about the site.....jimmy

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      HollieTposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't always agree with everything HP does, but in fairness they have to make some changes, every site does. At least everyone is trying to raise the bar when it comes to quality, that can only be a good thing.

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      WryLiltposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      +1

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4. 73

   Reality Bytesposted 10 years ago

   I can also state that I have not lost one cent at Hubpages.  My income is down almost 50%, but I still get an AdSense payment every month.  If I had not found this site, I would have never realized the potential that posting content could generate.  Not only do I earn residuals, I have gained a plethora of knowledge researching!
   
   Even the money I earn from my own domains and Blogger would never have happened if Hubpages did not open my eyes to the potential.  Hubpages has definitely been a positive influence for me.  My life is better for having hung around. 

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      robhamptonposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Just curious, how do you get an adsense payment each month? You must have other websites. I do well on HP with between $160.00 and $300.00 per month but adsense I think I have a total of $20.00 dollars for like the last 2 years.

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         robhamptonposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Never mind, just re-read  "your own domains and blogger" makes sense now

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         Reality Bytesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I do not utilize HP ads, only Google AdSense. I have not been able to bring myself to the socialist pay model, at least not yet.      Besides that, the constant statstuck situation would drive me nuts. 
         
         
         
         I do have domains, but they do not earn much, they are only a few months old.  They are making more than hosting costs, but not much, yet. 

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5. 86

   aa liteposted 10 years ago

   It's really impossible to say whether any article loses money on HubPages.  To do that you would need to try to sell a hub somewhere like 'constant content', or to a magazine, and see what you could get for it on the market. 
   
   I did have one hub, that was doing exceptionally well at one point (not sure why).  I reckon I made about $100 in sales from it in one month.  Now it's still getting decent traffic, but much lower than before, but this month I had a couple of nice sales from it (I think) and made another $20.  That hub is definitely not losing money on HP.  [I don't actually know for a fact that it is that hub that is giving me the sales, but the products bought are closely related to it, and it gets the most traffic].
   
   Sadly I also have a lot of hubs that are getting very little traffic and making almost nothing.  But the question is whether they would earn more money if I published them elsewhere, or if I tried to sell them.  No way of knowing.
   
   It is very depressing when HP is losing traffic, but at the same time I don't know of another revenue sharing site that is doing better, now that Squidoo had its well deserved Google slap.

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6. 80

   HollieTposted 10 years ago

   I think that while Google are determined to keep their market share, they'll be a continuous state of flux and change. It doesn't matter where we write, this will be the case. But the point is that HP are trying to address the issues, we may not always agree on the way in which it is done, but at least it's being done.
   
   It's impossible to say which hubs are gonna be the shakers and movers and which are gonna be the lame ducks from the outset. But, at the end of the day, you're not losing money if you receive a payout each month, you're making money. Writing a hub is like making pea soup, you follow the same recipe each time; sometimes it tastes amazingly gratifying, and sometimes it tastes like days old school dinners. But you keep on making it anyway!

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   1. 83

      jimmythejockposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Hollie, I agree no matter what we write google will always have the final say in its success we have to write what we write as always and hope that Google is good to us.....jimmy

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   LindaSmith1posted 10 years ago

   Earnings have dropped in past few months by 50 percent for me
   
   Other sites like Squidoo has seen a huge drop in traffic and earnings as well.

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8. 73

   livewithrichardposted 10 years ago

   I've had the same discussion with my girlfriend who writes articles for print and trade magazines where she earns between $1 and $3 per word.  She is beyond the point where she would 'give away' her content.  But I argue with her that it is still my content which can earn for years to come.  In fact, many of my hubs have earned what she earns per article but over several years and where she will no longer earn from an article I will continue to earn from page views as well as product links.  She considers this copywriting or internet marketing, as do I, but I also write off line in the form of customized Family History books which earn me $10+  per page.  I often have to write 100 pages to even get close to what she earns from a single article.  The difference is, I don't have the pressure on me to get it 100% right on the first try or keep a huge index of sources and continuously network with snobs.
   
   I'll too continue on here for as long as I am earning but I have removed over 150 hubs... mostly thin product hubs that were not performing to the new standards.  Sure, I could have beefed them up by adding more content, but I have decided to move my subdomain in another direction by providing more informational types of hubs.  The product hubs that remain continue to earn and most are of the necessary word counts and engagement requirements to remain featured.

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9. 84

   Johnrr631992posted 10 years ago

   I mean, the way I look at it is.. There are two types of people who get paid for writing..Those who get paid like us on HubPages where every view counts towards your earnings, and those who get paid per word, and paid up front. I would still either way like to be paid on a viewer basis allowing random things to happen and some articles to get a boost and earn over time.. My earnings are also down lower than they have been in a year, and it may be frustrating, but time will change things..

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10. 88

    Nell Roseposted 10 years ago

    Its great to see a positive comment about earnings. It is a pain when the readers go down and so does the money, I never seem to get higher but thats my stupid fault for not going over the 300 written hubs, it seems that I write and write and never get close to hitting it! lol! bit like a snail trying to do the olympic sprint! but I earn some so thats okay.

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11. 73

    Barbara Kayposted 10 years ago

    I've been thinking about staying out of the forums, because they have been getting so depressing. Some people sound so angry. I ran across this on Facebook. I'm happy I opened it. Thanks for the refreshing post.
    
    It is true that many of us have already earned enough money on our hubs that we would have never gotten paid that much for magazine articles.

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       HollieTposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       People get angry, I think, because they can no longer rely on income which they really need. It's stress, and the uncertain, stressful world in which we live, they need to vent so they do it here.
       
       Then they calm down, and start again.

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          Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          HollieT, When Google slapped us again,  I'll admit that at first I vented on the forums too. It does get frustrating when you feel like you are getting somewhere and then along comes Google and hits Hubpages again.

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             HollieTposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             I know, and I've been more than vocal in the past about changes. I think it's frustration, we try to do everything the right way, then get slapped! Arrghh!!!
             
             I've not always agreed with HP, still don't, but they are trying and we're all attempting to raise the bar. Thing is, once we've done that, Google might have to explain why they are ranking crap over and above decent, well written hubs. Well, maybe not explain, but justify!
             
             Now that, should be interesting! Maybe we'll get to *what they really want*

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          Will Apseposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          Squeezing more and more work out of the saps for fewer real rewards has been the reality for the last 40 years. I just accept it now. Can't imagine me pulling down any statues these days.

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             HollieTposted 10 years agoin reply to this

             Me neither, too much physical activity sets my arthritis off.

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12. 92

    heidithorneposted 10 years ago

    Even though I'm a newbie here to HP, I have been writing online and off for quite a while. You are so right when you state that writing is a speculative business. It has been that way forever! For those who can't handle that should possibly look for a regular job that can include writing so they have the best of both worlds.
    
    Of course, my first few months of income isn't going to pay the mortgage, but I wasn't expecting it to. However, I have been pleasantly surprised at what I have received with the hubs I have posted so far.
    
    As well, because HP is just one part of my overall content marketing program, I'm looking for it to drive interest in my other web properties and businesses. In this short time, I have noticed improved Amazon revenues for my books/Kindle books since I've been on HP. (I can't earn Amazon associate income because of the state I live in.) While I can't determine if there's a direct correlation, it is a happy coincidence.
    
    HP friends, Google updates have dramatically affected every business on the web (and this will only continue). HP is no exception. I, too, believe that HP is going to do whatever it takes to make the best of this situation and continue to make HP one of the best self-publishing platforms for writers. Hang in there everyone!

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13. 89

    WryLiltposted 10 years ago

    The way I see it is that you WILL earn more money from Hubpages IF you are an amateur or medium level online writer/marketer.
    
    Why?
    
    1. You get paid per view. Not many sites or affiliates do that (or do it and keep their business above water).
    2. Your content is monetised in multiple ways.
    
    IF you are really good at SALES MARKETING then you'll be out there making hundreds or thousands selling eBooks, memberships, subscriptions etc.
    
    But if you're not good at sales, you're never going to do better on your own site than you are here (general statement, as there are exceptions). I've tried it. Written almost the exact same niche content on my own site and HP. I can get search traffic here within 24 hours. Still barely a dribble on the site after a few months (I admit it's not fully SEO'd or worked on, but my point is that you don't NEED to do all that on Hubpages, it naturally helps SEO friendly content get views, without hard work).
    
    /Rantventthingy
    
    Nice post Jimmy

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       jimmythejockposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       +1 thanks for that 80)

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       Barbara Kayposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       WryLit, I agree with you. I have 3 websites and I still earn more here.

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    rajbiz01posted 10 years ago

    I too hope so Anamikaji! Hubpages is still a better choice.

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    jimmythejockposted 10 years ago

    Rest In Peace my positive little post, I did say that positive threads about Hubpages had short shelf lives.....jimmy

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       Rik Ravadoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Well done jimmy - you rock!

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          Marcy Goodfleischposted 10 years agoin reply to this

          +1000 - so well stated, Jimmy. We pay nothing to publish here, and even during the low-traffic episodes, we still get revenue.  Perhaps less sometimes compared to others, but what business is immune from those highs and lows?  We can't 'lose' money we haven't invested to begin with.

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       HollieTposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Hey, Jimmy, this thread is still positive!

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16. 83

    jimmythejockposted 10 years ago

    Thanks lol

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17. 0

    Anonymous00posted 10 years ago

    I think the drop in performance could be attributed to two words "content farm". Which is a very real problem when we talk about monetizing. Although that may not be in your control you can always try using multiple sources, linking, backlinking, self hosting. Things to basically keep you in the game. But as long as you have revenue coming in here, it's yet another channel to keep you in the running.

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    Astra Nomikposted 10 years ago

    I consider myself a minnow compared to other Hubbers on Hub Pages. But honestly, I have seen my earnings growing here lately. So I would never leave Hub Pages, especially when that age old adage applies... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
    
    Compared to other writing communities, this is my favorite place for writing. I like being around other writers.

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    JvicIndiaposted 6 years ago

    Yes its a great disappointment. Due to the panda and penguin updates, my hubs arent showing on google search results. 5 years ago, i use to get fabulous traffic to my hubs. Around 2000 page views on an average daily and my top hubs used to get 200-250 views. I used to earn $300-$400 per month on adsense alone. i wonder if hubpages will ever regain its lost glory. Only God can tell

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       theraggededgeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       Please don't revive old threads. This one is four years old. What was relevant then, isn't now. If you want to make a point. Start a new thread

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          robhamptonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

          NOT trying to encourage revival of thread, wanted to say you are correct theraggededge. Forum posts from this distant of past are pretty well irrelevant.

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    Will Apseposted 6 years ago

    Bump.

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       Jesse Drzalposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       up the jam.

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