Adding HubPages to My Freelance Writing Arsenal
Very recently I became interested in HubPages. I became inspired to try HubPages after reading Lissie’s blog (If you haven’t visited her blog you should do so). It seems that her success with HubPages is similar to my success with Suite 101. She’s been with them for a couple of years and it’s paying off.
Signed Up for a HubPage Account
Imagine my surprise when I went to sign up for an account only to find out that I did so 15 months ago. Apparently I signed up with a pen name and never did anything with it. I later decided, why hide behind a pen name, let me use my own name, so I had the other account deleted and attempted to sign up using my own name.
Imagine my double surprise when I found that I had already signed up using my own name 4 months ago. Either I’m suffering from multiple personalities or my memory is totally shot. Oh well, with the signup stuff out of the way, I decided to start writing.
A Little about HubPages
To me, Hub Pages is sort of a cross between eHow and Suite 101. It’s like eHow because of the social nature of the site, but more like Suite 101 because you’re not pigeon holed into the “How to” writing format. You can really let your creative muse flow freely at HubPages.
Like Suite 101, it’s open to international writers. To get paid, Hubbers (authors) must have their own affiliate accounts. HubPages uses Google AdSense, Kontera and Amazon. They also use eBay, but eBay has put the kibosh on allowing affiliates to use third party sites for eBay sales. I’m not on eBay so that didn’t bother me any.
Hubbers can also track their traffic by inserting their Google Analytic account number on the affiliate’s page.
The HubPage Setup
In essence, a hub is a webpage. Writers are able to insert ‘capsules’ such as links, photos, videos, RSS feeds, polls and a host of other tools to improve the readers experience while viewing each hub. The writer interface takes a little getting used to, but if you spend a little time reading the help, forums and searching other hubs, you’ll be able to get a better understanding of how to maximize your hubs.
I’ve only been actively using HubPages for 2 days so and have written 4 hubs (My first hub on Learning to Row) . I invite more experienced Hubbers to share their experience.
Freedom of the Hub
When writing for HubPages I feel a bit more relaxed and free than writing for Suite 101 or eHow. With HubPages there’s no third person writing requirement as mandated by Suite 101 or actionable steps requirement as requested by eHow. Writers get to put their best foot forward and write to their heart’s content.
From reading the forums, some writers are there strictly for the money, others for the backlinks and still others are there because it is a writing outlet. I think I’m there for a combination of the three. HubPages carries a Google page rank of 6 (as of this writing) which is not too shabby.
I believe it’s worth putting this site in my freelance writing arsenal.
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Comment by Lissie on 23 July 2009:
Thanks for the shout out! I’ve been at HP for 2.5 years but its only really the last couple of months I’ve seriously upped my income. Adsense works best for me but Amazon can be good too if know how to sell – I’m kinda working on that! The idea is apparently to be very focussed on a particular product – and at least you can buy almost anything on Amazon. The traffic you get on Hubpages is really quite extraordinary – Google loves the site and if I write a keyword focussed hub I can get it on page 1 or 2 of the SERPS with little effort.
Top tip – add a popular RSS or newscapsule for automatic updating of your hub!
Lissie´s last blog ..Online Income: One Simple Secret to Success
Comment by Felicia on 23 July 2009:
Thanks for the tip Lissie. I’m still feeling my way around the interface, but I think HubPages has a lot of potential.
Comment by Ryan Hupfer on 23 July 2009:
Hey Felicia! First of all I wanted to say thanks for the amazing post on what we’re doing over at HubPages and that I’m happy to hear that you’re going to add it to your overall arsenal. Lissie is an amazing Hubber that truly gets it, so it’s great to see that you’ve been paying attention to what she’s been doing. Like she said, she’s really turned it up a notch the past few months and I think that she’s seen some really strong results because of it.
I also wanted to let you know about a new, ongoing 30 Hubs in 30 Days HubChallenge that we are launching tomorrow, which could be a great way for you to get in the HubPages groove quickly. Check out http://HubPages.com/HubChallenge for more info and please get in touch with me if you have any questions.
Thanks again for the post and I can’t wait to hear how your progress is going a month or two from now — be sure to keep us all updated!
Have an awesome rest of the week and I just became your newest fan on HubPages, so I’m sure I’ll hear from you soon!
Ryan Hupfer
HubPages Communicator of Awesomeness!
Ryan Hupfer´s last blog ..New Feature Announcement: the Table Capsule
Comment by Felicia on 23 July 2009:
Hi Ryan,
Glad you stopped by NJFM. I was checking out the 30 day Challenge and was wondering if I was up to it. I see that so many hubbers have had much success with earlier challenges that it’s very enticing to join in.
My summer schedule is a bit packed, but it won’t hurt to try. What’s the worst that will happen…I only create 10 hubs and earn money off of those? Looks like a win-win situation. Okay, you talked me into it.
Count me in. ;D
Comment by Julie @ Write for eHow on 23 July 2009:
Hi Felicia. I have recently re-discovered Hubpages too and I absolutely love it! Building hubs is so fun and a nice departure from how-to and other kinds of writing. To me it’s like being able to build a mini website on any topic you want.
I really enjoy your blog and feel such a connection to what you’re doing regarding family and writing. I was really happy to hear that we have Hubpages in common as well.
And how great is it to have Lissie and Ryan comment on your post?
Julie @ Write for eHow´s last blog ..eHow Ebook Author Interview: Cyn Vela
Comment by Julie M on 8 August 2009:
Thanks for the feedback Felicia. I have been inactive in my writing lately and I think it is because I do not love the lack of freedom that some of my sites give me, especially with Suite. I am much better at writing creatively than 3rd person, so I may look into Hub Pages. I would love to hear if you have been successful on that site as far as income – thanks!
Julie
Julie M´s last blog ..When You REALLY Have Writer’s Block, Restore the Habit
Comment by Felicia on 8 August 2009:
It’s only been 2 weeks since I placed my first article there and so far my earnings are a little over $2. I’ll post my progress periodically.