Opinion: Why it is Hard to Make Money from Fiction on HubPages.
74Why I have written this Hub
I recently published a Hub about publishing fiction on HubPages.In that Hub I wrote that one of the lessons I had learned is not expect to make money from fiction Hubs.
Among the comments was one from Keith Tax, who pointed out that if fiction can generate more than 50 views a day, then the HP ad programme could generate $10 per month.I thought this comment was so interesting that it deserved a thorough answer.
My view is based on the Google Ads programme
When the HP ad programme was introduced, we (the Other Patricia and I) tried to work out which would be more beneficial for us.
As far as we could tell, the HP ad programme would be the better choice for a Hubber with a high number of average daily page views.Our interpretation of ‘high number’ is more than 50 views per day (in line with Keith Tax’s comment).As our daily views are below this number, we decided to stay with the original arrangement, which allows space for more than one Google Ad for each Hub.
Most Hubbers will know that income from Google Ads is split with HubPages.That arrangement has always seemed reasonable, as HubPages has a high search engine ranking, and so a Hub will usually turn up on or near the first page of a Google search.The commission split is a financial recognition of the advantage given by publishing on a large website.
Checking the Statistics
We have our own website (www.looklovely.net) which contains several pages.The Google tools allow us to see the number of page views per day, plus the number of clicks on Google ads on each page.
I have tried to compare the Google Ads statistics for our website and our Hubs views and clicks that are attributed to us (as opposed to HubPages).
We earn more money from the website than from HubPages, and I had made the assumption that we had a higher click/view ratio of the website.
My analysis shows that the underlying trend is more complicated.
The number of page views per month for our website varies between three and four times the number of page views for our Hubs.I did know that before I took a closer look at the statistics, but I had not really thought about it.
The puzzle was why does the website earn more money proportionally
I then looked at the ratio of clicks on Google Ads to page views.I was surprised to find that the click/view ratio is actually higher on HubPages than on our website.So why are our earnings lower on HubPages?
My next step was to look at the pages views and clicks for our website on a more detailed basis.
As you might guess from the title, Look Lovely is primarily about beauty, style and fitness.We also have pages about lifestyle and general wellbeing.
When I examined which pages received clicks, I found that these are very much concentrated on the pages that relate to style and fashion.The page views are less than 20% of the total number of views, but the click rate is disproportionately high.Clearly, these are our most profitable pages.
Comparing the page views for the style-related pages, with the page views for HubPages, I found that the total number of page views for HubPages were much higher. In some of the months the HubPages articles had received three times as many view.
So I tried to work out why these pages might be more profitable.
My theory of when and why viewers click on ads
I cannot prove this: it is my opinion.I think that viewers are most likely to click on ads when a number of conditions are met.
The first of these conditions is the most important, but I don’t know a word to describe it specifically.My idea is that the viewer is looking for information about a particular thing (or type of thing) because (s)he is thinking about buying that thing.For example, I might be thinking about buying a raincoat either right now, or sometime in the future.So I do an internet search for raincoats.
This search will yield some websites that are for companies selling raincoats, and others with information about raincoats in general.
If I don’t really know what kind of raincoat I want, I will look at the websites or articles about raincoats in general.
If those sites carry Google Ads about raincoats, then the ads are a potential source of the information that I am seeking, and therefore I am likely to click on at least one of those ads.
The second condition is that the website or article that I choose to view does not tell me everything that I need to know.It helps if it contains enough information to hold my attention, it is even better if the article makes me really want to know more.If there are relevant ads on the page, I am very likely to click on the ad.
The third condition is that there is not a very wide choice of sites or articles that give information on the subject.I have observed with our website that the pages that are very specific have the highest view/click ratios.This is not brain science – there is simply less competition for viewer attention.
What this has to do with Fiction Hubs
Again, this is my opinion and not proven fact, but here’s how I apply the above theory to Fiction Hubs.
If a viewer is specifically looking for online fiction, their prime objective is to read stories (or poems) for entertainment.This type of viewer has not turned on the computer because they are thinking about buying something.Therefore, they are not likely to look at ads.
There may be viewers who have done a search for a product, and found your fiction Hub listed because parts of the story just happen to relate to the product.However, these viewers are looking for information about a type of product and are not likely to want to read a story.
To give a practical example, I have just looked at the Beauty page of Look Lovely. The ad that currently occupies the top position on the page is for ‘hair trends’.It is easy to imagine that a viewer interested in beauty might be interested in hair trends.
By way of contrast, looking at my fiction hub “Respect for the King episode 6” I see that the top ad is for fashion on eBay.I’m not so sure that somebody who wants to read my story is also interested in fashion.
By the way, in case you didn’t know Google Ads change frequently, so if you are so curious that you take a look you will probably see completely different ads.
My point is that the ads must be relevant to the immediate needs and wishes of the viewer, and this is not often the case with fiction Hubs.
There are reasons for writing Fiction Hubs!
As stated in my earlier Hub, there are plenty of good reasons for publishing fiction on HubPages.It is not my intention to discourage anyone from writing fiction and publishing it here.
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Hi Gus! Congratulations on being the first to comment. It's especially nice to start out with a comment from somebody who agrees with me.
I'll never fully understand the mysteries of Google Ads. I've just had a look at your hub "Redneck Recipes #36", which gives some interesting pointers about cooking with a microwave. I thought that the ads would be about microwaves, or at least cooking - not at the moment I looked.
Thanks for your comment.
I'm a bit mystified about the sorts of ads that turn up on my hubs as well. When I write something about cooking and have an ad for "meeting singles in your area" turn up, I'm like, what???? So, I'm just continuing to write and hope that this will pay off. At only 25 hubs, I've a ways to go anyway.
Here's something you may have missed. When someone reading your hub clicks on an ad, you earn a small fee. If your reader purchases the product they clicked on from your hub, you get a much larger percentage from that sale. Therefor, if you write an article about how to apply a certain type of makeup, your readers are more likely to purchase that same type of makeup.
Hello J Burgraff,
I've just had a look at your Hub about making apple pie (I've got trees full of apples and people keep trying to give me more) - the ads seem completely unrelated.
Life is full of mysteries.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
Makes sense. I never set up any accounts, but maybe now I will -- just for the heck of it. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Ttagpine,
Thanks for that bit of information. Rocket science is easy compared to understanding Google Ads.
So nice of you to leave a compliment!
Great insight!To everyone that might not already know this: Google sometimes place Ads based on a keyword of interest to them the crawler found while searching through your Content. However, this word was not one of your targeted keyword,it just happen to be a word Google found relevant. What people need to do is to remove that word if they can or replace it with another word and Google will remove that unrelated Ad.
I am glad I asked the question or this hub would not be published. This is must reading for fiction writers on HubPages. I recommend everyone bookmark this hub and refer back often.
Hi there T.Sally,
You've written some good Hubs, so I think that you should consider setting up a Google account. I think that you could earn a little as my guess is you have a goodly number of views.
I've just had a look at your Hub on chicken and giblets - the top ad is one for tights (pantyhose to an American). Now what has that got to do with chicken??? Well, it made me laugh (as did your description of the giblets...).
Thanks for taking time to read this and leave a comment.
Hi Mackyi,
Thanks for an interesting comment. Sometimes that word can be difficult to replace without loosing the meaning! We usually choose to just let the irrelevant ads in place. However, if we find the ad offensive then we usually go for the Google 'blocking' facility.
50 views a day is an astronomical number. None of my Hubs come close to that number. I have no sense for how an adsense selects there ad to Hub criteria. Very interesting Hub.
Hello Keith,
That's a great compliment! Thanks very much.
Hi Mckbirdbks,
I don't know how anybody consistently achieves 50+ views per day. A few years ago there were some hubbers who claimed to make enough from Google Ads that they got paid every month - we've never been anywhere close to achieving that. Good thing we do this for fun.
Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for this investigation into Google ad placement on fiction( and some non-fic as well)Hubs. Perhaps this analogy will hopefully prove true along the road. Say you have a half a percent stake in the net proceeds of a low-budget independently made movie. The film gets a major distributor but has poor ticket sells that never really improve. Your half a percent isn't worth much until one day, say ten years down the road, the movie has moved into profitability and some nice-sized checks start arriving. Does this have any correlation to the subject at hand? Sure hope so, for all of us.
Very interesting and informative article. When i started on hub pages i thought it was just a place for diverse articles that are currently relevant and interesting - which it is to some extent. But i have discovered that if your intention is to make money you have to be selling (or advertising) (or writing about) something very specific that people in general are looking for in their internet searches. So, for those who's interests are simply writing and reading other people's thoughts, ideas and beliefs this is a good source of ongoing entertainment.
Your article has given me a different perspective of hub pages. Something to ponder for future considerations. Thanks for sharing this information.
Hello Alastar,
I'm not sure if the movie investment is a close correlation. Yes, if a movies starts making money in future an invester should get some money (if the contract was good).
Interest patterns on the Internet can change to your advantage.
However, one of the good things with Hubs is that you can review them, and pick out the bits that might actually attract a niche market. If you get it right, you can see a little increase in your earnings.
Thanks for your interesting comment.
On reflection realized that instead of the movie example, I should have just said that over time the small amount of revenue generated by some fiction, will build up with time into a good return. In other words a long term investment. Your reply is of course correct and appreciated.
One of the thing that Google has changed is that the selection of ads is greatly influenced by what you, the individual reader, have been searching for on the internet.
To use your example, if you were searching for raincoats then for the next few days, the adsense ad that you see will contain information on rain coats and rain gear no matter what the site subject is regarding that you are viewing.
It makes life more difficult for those who make their living on the net with articles and websites, but Google ha determine that it make more money for them and gives the viewer a better 'viewing experience' but it does end up giving the viewer mostly unrelated ads on any given site.I, personally, do not see how this helps the viewer. If I research lemon pie and then go to what is happening on the space station - I do not want to see lemon pie on Mrs . . . :) LOL
q
Hello Quester,
That is a very interesting comment. I have noticed that if I look at raincoats (for example) then for the next few days I keep seeing ads about raincoats. I find the whole thing creepy, as if I am being spied on. I used to like shopping on the web, but this trend has made me feel that my privacy is being invaded. I know that the same thing happens with retailers' loyalty cards, and I usually refuse those for the same reason.
Thanks for providing such a thought-provoking comment.
Very interesting to me. I too have a website but find little time to properly analze stats etc. The info given here will be very useful for me. It is still early days but it is fun which is also importatnt
Hello Ethel.
I hope this info is indeed helpful to you. I agree that 'fun' is important - we only get one life.
Thanks for taking time to leave a comment.
I agree with you also. It depends on the intent of the person reading the hub. I recently read a forum topic where someone compared "how to make a gift basket" and "gift basket choices". Can't remember the exact second title. But anyway, how to make wouldn't get the clicks, because a DIY might already have the products she needs, but the choice one wants to buy an already made one, and just needs to know how to pick a good one.
Hello Millionaire,
If you want to make money, it is worth taking time to research titles/searches, etc.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
Really useful information. I have book marked this page for future reference. I write for fun mainly but if I can make some money out of it that'll be a bonus. Thanks for writing this hub.
Hello Leni,
Glad you found this useful. Writing is fun - but money is essential for getting on.
Thanks for your comment.
Hi 2Patricias, I like your analysis of how things work. I find that my art hubs and poetry hubs generate minimal income, whereas hubs that answer questions do somewhat better. As you say, it's not rocket science, but fiction hubbers need to be very clear as to why they're here!
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for your comment.
Your art hubs are very good - it's a shame they don't generate income. But I think that the same applies as with fiction - people who read them are interested in what you have to say, but not in buying something.
P
GusTheRedneck Level 6 Commenter 8 months ago
Howdy 2patricias - I believe that your theory may be the correct one. People read hubs that have titles and content that "grab" them. Supposedly the accompanying advertising is keyed to those things. That's tough to do for any software algorythm that has only fiction and poetry with which to do its advertisement selection magic. For example, take a tale about fierce alligators on a rampage. What to advertise? How about alligator leather shoes and pocketbooks? Why no clicks? [ :) ]
Gus :-)))