Hubpages lets you write anything you want, and potentially get paid for it.
If you want to make money, improve your brand, and publish your writing online, HubPages just might be for you. If you’re interested, here are some insider tips to help you figure out the fastest and most efficient way to become successful at Hubpages.
Don’t make HubPages your primary focus
This site has the potential for long term residual income. That said, you will want to make this fun and enjoyable. HubPages is a place where you can try new topics and niches; maybe even a little fiction writing. Once you build a following you will earn some good money but the site is not designed to be the primary focus of income for writers.
The necessary fast facts
HubPages was reviewed in the past in-depth. Review that article along with reading this to have the best grasp of HubPages and what you need to do to make it a success. The overall basics are simple in that you sign up for an account, fill out a profile and start writing. There is no application or review process to start writing on HubPages.
Profiles
People really like to know who they are reading. Call it a human idiosyncrasy. HubPages understands this and allows more customization than any other site. Fill out your bio completely. I’m going to deviate from my “Keep it Professional” mantra on this one. You want the bio to reflect your personality and not just your writing history. This is a rare writing site where mentioning your hobbies and extracurricular activities is not only allowed but critical to your success.
An experiment was done where a writer created two HubPages. They were identical except for the bio and photo. That page had virtually no traffic and absolutely no comments. The site with a photo and an interesting bio was generating hits and income.
That brings me to the next critical point: your photo. There are three kinds of photos and each has a different form of success. A graphic of a computer is better than no photo at all. Any of these would work on your profile. Some just might make more sense to the reader.
Professional
The professional photo is one that you might use on your website, profile photo on most writing sites. This is the traditional stoic photo. It conveys trust and respect. This is a great choice for those who will be writing business or financial articles; science or politics. This is the photo that I recommend using 95% of the time.
Logo
Because you have the option to include photos in your articles, I tend to prefer to place this elsewhere. However if you are still working on building your brand you might want to use your logo for your profile photo. I recommend this maybe 5% of the time because there are other ways you can use it to develop your brand without eclipsing your identity.
Personal
This is a real photo of you. It shows you in the garden, walking on a beach, holding your cat. Those type of modest photos that show your personality. I specify modest because immodest photos have no place in your professional life; that is not the kind of attention you want especially if you are just starting out. This is the only time I have ever recommended this type of profile photo. It lends itself to the unique nature of this site.
Creating Hubs
On the top of the login page you will see the option to start a Hub. Click on it and select a descriptive title. Then choose the appropriate categories. Finally, choose an article format. You can write an article, post a video or submit a recipe. When you are done, click on continue.
This next page scares many people for a second because there is a lot to see. If you haven’t created a Hub before and haven’t read the review we did then you need to do so before freaking out. You don’t have to use everything you see, just what you need for your specific article. From the review article:
You really need to remember 3 important facts here for creating a great Hub:
- Include at least 3 photos
- Write at least 1200 words (1500 is better)
- Write a good summary
All of these things engage the reader and in the case of article length, help with Google indexing. You also want to be sure to use the writing box to give your article a pleasing format with subheadings and links when applicable. You have the option of including quizzes, polls, maps and videos; make use of these options whenever possible.
Okay, there are a few important points here that need further detail if you want to be successful at HubPages. One has to do with Google.
Google is sick of junk pages and is doing everything it can to eliminate them. The problem here is that it’s a computer making the determination based on a formula. The crawler, sometimes called the spider, will use the formula to determine whether your page is junk based on the length of the article, keywords in the summary. You can mitigate SEO mistakes and coming in under 1500 words by participating in the Google Adsense program (see the review article on how HubPages integrates this into your Hubs) and including photos.
Readers love articles with photos. Google loves articles with photos. HubPages requires 3 photos, at least, and this makes it even easier to get the attention of the reader.
Once you have the Hub written, preview it. Please preview it. It’s quite embarrassing to have to edit a live page. Hit the submit button and you are done.
Variety is the spice of life and HubPages
This is perhaps the most important part of HubPages. There is a dual component here in that you need to create Hubs that people find interesting but that you also enjoy writing. This isn’t really tough and I highly recommend that you stick to your hobbies and interests. Make your Hubs fun and entertaining while being informative and useful.
Comments and Hubber scores
Engage you reader! When people comment on your Hubs you need to respond. Make it a conversation whenever possible. If people feel like they know you on a personal level then they will be more likely to not only return but to mention your Hubs to others. The more you participate, the higher your Hubber Score will be and the more prominent your Hubs will be placed. The key to a high Hubber score is to engage your readers and participate.
You can also improve your Hubber score by reading other Hubs and commenting. This is a great way to see what people are interested in reading and perhaps you have a different view of a particular topic that would make a good Hub of your own.
Spotlight promotion
There are various opinions on selecting Spotlight articles. These are articles that are highlighted to get immediate attention from the reader; rather like the headline on a newspaper. The top Hubber score earners all highlight the newest articles for a week before moving on to the next batch. Assume that everyone who visits your area is a returning reader and you want to let them see your new stuff immediately. It’s considered being respectful to your readers to not make them search for your newest Hubs.
Get creative!
HubPages is the single best residual income outlet for creative writers. Most sites don’t allow or downgrade fiction and poetry. HubPages treats all of your Hubs as equal. So feel free to post short stories and poetry if you wish.
One very interesting trend I have seen is using HubPages to promote eBook sales. Some writers create an original short story relating to the characters in the book, some write a short prequel and some simple take an excerpt and post it.
That’s it! You now know everything you need to know to be a successful Hubber. Have fun with this site and consider it an outlet for those creative juices that you need to let out. If you want to get started, sign up for HubPages now.