Own Website vs Hubpages

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   BethanyGMposted 15 years ago

   I've noticed that some people on here are making money from Hubpages and then also from other websites, like their own. Is it worth it to make my own website?
   Here is what I've collected so far:
   
   Pros:
   *Keep all the adsense/affiliate revenue
   *Not have to worry about spending a bunch of time on one site and having my account deleted or something crazy.
   *Use whatever ads I want. I am really annoyed that I can't put HTML in my capsules when I want to promote a product from someone besides Amazon and Ebay.
   
   Cons
   *Pay for the site and hosting
   *Maybe have a harder time showing up in Google because my site would be so much smaller than Hubpages.
   *It will be a lot of work for me to get a webpage up and going. My html skills are really rusty.
   
   The biggest issue for me is that I may put in all this work and no one will ever find my website anyway. At least people seem to be finding my hubs. They are showing up in google.
   
   What do you guys think?
   I just hate feeling like I am relying on "someone else", in this case, HubPages, to protect all the hard work and long hours I have spent already on my hubs.

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      Hauntyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      This writing online and making money thing is a lifestyle. If you approach it like having to put too much work into it and you don't even like it a bit then it won't work. I suggest you start a blog using Wordpress, but pick a topic you are truly passionate about.
      
      Even if you achieve good ranking with Google you can't do plain product reviews. For instance, if you sell outdoor furniture, don't just write up reviews of the items, but show you are an expert in the field. If every post you write is about the thing that you sell people will not be convinced. But if you write things like how you take good care of lawn furniture and the like, people will enjoy reading your blog and they will take note of the actual product.
      
      So, I think the thing to consider is if you have a topic you really care about. If you do and you start a blog it helps if you work on a schedule. As I see it hp works best for those who use it as a blog. They white about one thing, everybody notes their expertise and they rely on their advice.
      
      Trust me, people don't know these things. They think it's enough to create a pretty long page of product specifications and provide pretty convincing arguments of why we should buy their products. In the long run this approach will always fail.

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         lrohnerposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         IMHO, it's only partly about passion. It's also quite a bit about finding a niche -- or several niches -- and creating separate blogs/websites around them. But a passion for the topic does help tremendously.

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            Hauntyposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            You are right. That's why I said it's kind of a lifestyle. A lot of tasks involved. But I can't see how it can be done without passion.

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2. 59

   Eric Graudinsposted 15 years ago

   Hi BethanyGM,
   
   you've made a pretty good analysis of the issues involved with your own website vs. the public sites.
   
   There's no correct answer to this.
   It depends on what you want to achieve, and how much work you want to put in.
   
   I have my own website, and currently have a few hubs here. (I used to have a lot more - long story.)
   
   In future, I'll be putting my main work on my own website, and publishing shorter, slightly different versions on hubpages, with the occasional link to my site.
   I'll do the same thing at other social sites.
   
   I believe it's better to have your main work on your own site, and under your control.
   
   If you are publishing solely at hubpages, blogger, or any other social site I'd strongly advise that you keep a copy of all your work on your own computer.
   
   The easiest way to do this is to write it on your computer, then paste it into Hubpages when it is completed.
   cheers, Eric G.

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      BethanyGMposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks! I wish I had more time to work on all this. I need to just relax, though. I didn't even discover I could make money writing until July 26th!!! I've written like 30 articles since then and I am neglecting my homework. I can't imagine also working on a website, though. It seems like a lot of work and there is no guarantee a single person will ever notice my site.
      
      Do you use software to work on your site or do you know html?

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         lrohnerposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Most folks that I know use either WordPress or Joomla for their websites/blogs. They're both pretty darn easy to learn and work with.

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         1. 73

            livewithrichardposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            I use WordPress for about 8 other websites. It's such wide performing platform and there are thousands of free templates to get you started until you learn a bit of html, php, css, etc..lol 
            
            It is a lot of work as Eric mentioned so you have to dedicate yourself to it and constantly learn to promote without being spammy. 
            
            HP is great but it takes a lot of writing and a lot of work also to start making any real recurring money here.  4 months here an 44 hubs is just now earning me a couple bux a day and about a week from earning my firt $100 here.  However, in half that time, I started a gaming review site which generates nearly $40 a day and I never even touch it... I pay my 14 year old nephew to post and promote through his gaming friends.  All it takes is to find your angle and run with it.

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      2. 59

         Eric Graudinsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I use self hosted wordpress for my site.
         It's what I now recommend to virtually everyone who wants to set themselves up online.
         
         See http://theinternetbloke.com/productivit … l-business for more info.
         Cheers,
         Eric G.
         
         (And yes, I know HTML. Some knowledge of HTML and general computer file management is helpful to maintain a wordpress site.)

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            Jane@CMposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Eric, I've read through your site, pretty cool.  I have a wordpress blog, but have yet to figure out if I can use absence to it.  I'm not technical, I can figure things out if give a list of step by step instructions.  I'd love to have a website, it just seems overwhelming.

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3. 77

   ngurecoposted 15 years ago

   BethanyGM, you’ll do very well by posting on Hubpages than on your own website.
   
   But do some math. If you posted two similar hubs with the same keywords (say “BethanyGM” is the keyword) and then you search Google for “BethanyGM” you will most likely get only one entry on Google and not two entries– one entry per domain seems to be the way to go for Google. If you had the same keyword on Hubpages and on your own website, the search results would come with two entries – one entry from each domain. Does this tell you anything?
   
   And finally, never keep all your eggs in one basket (read money in one bank account).

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      Mishaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Wouldn't you bother to actually learn things before advising others? Google ranks up to TWO pages per domain, not one.
      
      It does not hurt you approach though, which is even more valid this way.

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         BethanyGMposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         What do you mean about google only ranking two pages per domain???

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            Mishaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            For any given search term Google (and Yahoo, not sure about Bing/MSN/Live) will include up to two pages from the same domain in the search results.

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   Ladybird33posted 15 years ago

   This is great info...keep it coming, I am learning too.  Great Question BethanyGM!  Thanks.

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5. 59

   alexd181posted 15 years ago

   It depends what your goal and purpose is. If it's to set up a business presence, a website is the better choice. To start writing casually, Hub Pages is the best choice. I have a blog and a hub pages account, with Hub Pages I can write about all my interests, where as on my blog I am pretty much limited to one. But when it comes down to it, why choose? Why not do both?

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6. 68

   bigmikehposted 15 years ago

   Much of what you need to know has already been said.
   My vote goes to Wordpress as well, but make sure you host with somebody who offers cPanel and Fantastico for one click installation - I use Lunarpages. It's a pain if you have to install Wordpress from scratch yourself.
   
   Do good keyword research as you would for HubPages and your site will be found, especially if you build a few backlinks from HubPages and similar sites.

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7. 59

   Eric Graudinsposted 15 years ago

   Thanks Jane.
   
   There are two versions of wordpress.
   
   1. Completely free website that is available at www.wordpress.com
   All you have to do is create an account, choose a template, and start blogging.
   You cannot put your own adsense code onto blogs that you create here.
   
   2. The version of wordpress that you install onto your own webhosting account. This is available from Wordpress.org, or can be installed using a thing called ?Fantastico" that is available on most web hosting accounts.
   You can use your own adsense ID on these blogs.
   
   And just jump in and start learning.
   
   Yes, you'll be frustrated and confused for a while until you start gaining a base of knowledge.
   In six months, you'll be amazed at what you've learned.
   
   Cheers, Eric G.

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8. 66

   3bagsfullposted 15 years ago

   get a website TOO --- why?
   
   1 - $10 bucks to get a domain and depending on the site expect roughly $50 to host a wordpress blog -- if someone knows one that is extremely cheap they can chime in
   2 - domain names that are older eventually gain some higher standing -- google likes to see a site "get ripe" --- so buy a site name now and like a tomato - put it on the window sill to ripen -- you don't have to eat it right awy
   3 - find a hosting site that will install wordpress for you -- most hosts are doing this now -- I did it last night through godaddy.com and it was very very easy
   4 - can't think of what to do with it? just use it to back link your hubpages -- write a good hubpages article and write a quick post saying "hey, just wrote a great article on hp about toads" and link to it -- and MAKE SURE you use your affiliate linking so that if they sign up to write on hubpages you grab some of their cash
   5 - don't spend to much time worrying about it. it can be an unwatched pot --- and when a good/great/amazing idea pops into your head, you just get started without being bogged down with having to set it up --- it is there if and when you ever want it
   6 - google likes hubpages but that may not last forever -- it is great that we get ranked --- one reason we are in good graces is that hubpages is the "example" that they use to convince other sites to use their revenue sharing module for adsense
   but....google giveth and google taketh away -- make sure you have a site to run to if this mecca we call home gets google fire bombed --- rainy day funds are a good thing to have

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      White Teethposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Some sites will let you host unlimited domains for about $50 per year.
      
      To add to your other points, if you write many articles on the same subject, you might as well 'anchor' these to a  website that you own. Every time you promote the articles, go ahead and promote the website too. A year or two down the line, the website well have decent standing when Hubpages eventually gets "fire bombed". (If it is not effectively edited, by humans or whatever, it will eventually get fire bombed...)

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         alexd181posted 15 years agoin reply to this

         What do you mean by fire bombed?

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            White Teethposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            It is sometimes called the Google Slap, but the previous poster used the term "fire bomb", so I followed suite...
            
            It is "NOT GOOD"...

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      discounthostingposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      You could always go for a web hosting rebate. They can drastically lower your risk when starting a website. <snipped link> has rebates that are worth one year of hosting. The hosts you can choose from are web hosting pad, fat cow, and supergreen hosting. It may be something you are looking for.

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   3bagsfullposted 15 years ago

   google needs good content and yes there are those who are trying to do this and there are those who are putting a load of horse )*%_#)$*% on this site
   
   google doesn't appreciate people who game the system
   
   so, when google gets tired of what is happening here (whether it is this issue or something else) it will unrank HP and all the stuff that is here. they will just shove everything down to page 1,000 and the income will dry up
   
   HP is fine right now and probably will for awhile, but we live and die by google and adsense and if google decides to change the game because they want to then we all lose ---- game over
   
   thus the term firebombing --- BOOOM bye bye HP

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    3bagsfullposted 15 years ago

    or google slap
    
    same thing -- but doesn't fire bombing sound oh so more scary?

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11. 86

    Marisa Wrightposted 15 years ago

    To get back to the original question -
    
    Bethany, if you're just starting out, I strongly recommend you stick to HubPages at first.  Making money online has a HUGE learning curve.  If you buy your own domain name now, you may buy the wrong one, write your website on the wrong topic, and waste a whole lot of money.  HubPages is a great place to do your learning!
    
    I tried blogging and gave it up because I, like you, didn't have the time to make the kind of commitment it demands.  The great thing about HubPages is that I can come and go, and it still earns money.  I've only written about one Hub a month for the last year, yet I'm about to get my fourth Adsense payout.
    
    I recommend you search out Lissie's profile and read her blog.  She's been on a similar journey and it's illuminating!

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    discounthostingposted 15 years ago

    Starting a website can be an illuminating experience especially if you are planning on doing things online for the long term. I am new here and dont have much reputation built up but I would absolutely think about starting a website and just power through the learning curve. It's fun after a while and you're limitless as to what you can do with it. Hubpages so far seems much more limiting...thats not to say I don't like it, it complements a website nicely.

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       Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Discounthosting, that reminds me of the time I inherited some money and went to a financial planner.  He set me up with a complicated financial portfolio and said "there's a bit to learn but you'll see, it'll be fun after a while - and it gives you so much more flexibility."
       
       I felt totally bamboozled for months and never did find it fun.  I'm guessing you wouldn't be called "discounthosting" if you didn't have an interest in technology, so like the financial planner, maybe you can't understand how daunting other people can find the whole thing.
       
       I do have a website now - in fact I have four - but I would have made an almighty mess of them if I'd started them two years ago.  For the internet newbie, HubPages is a great place to learn, simply because it IS more limiting - it means you're not overwhelmed and can learn at your own pace.

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