How I Build My Hubs

If you are reading this article because you have stumbled upon it while surfing the "net," then I have done my job and I welcome you! Here is your virtual red carpet. Please be my guest and walk upon it to join the Hub Pages community if you desire to make some money as a self-published writer.

I am writing this hub as a form of encouragement to new hubbers. It takes hours for me to set up a hub and the feedback I receive from fellow hubbers as a result of my efforts is very gratifying. Being able to come up with new material day after day is a wonderful gift from my muse, and being able to express that material in a way that is meaningful to others is awesome!

My goal is to make my living as a writer, with Hub Pages being but one way. There is a great spirit of community on Hub Pages and I am proud to be involved in both the greater Hub Pages community and the community of hubbers involved in the current 60 day challenge initiated by Sunforged . This support inspires me to keep writing more hubs, and to write this hub, specifically.

The goal of this hub is to welcome new "hubbers" and to be of some help to you. If a "veteran" hubber finds it useful, I will be doubly pleased with that result. It reflects my process for creating hubs that are intended to be useful to a large population of internet users, and of high quality. The more capsules there are, such as for directly related links , rss feeds and suggested products offered by affiliate programs such as Amazon and eBay , the more chances you have to make money from your writing and to reach out to attract more readers. And that is a very good thing!

Steps for Creating My Hubs

Step 1: Beginning

Click on "Start a New Hub" and begin the process. Once my subject and related search categories are chosen, I create a catchy title and subtitle, choose my layout, then begin writing and organizing the text related to the subject. The Title Turner program may be of help to new hubbers when deciding the title of your hubs.

Step 2: Photos

Placing photos on my hubs is a three-fold process:

1.) Create a subtitle for my photo capsule

2.) Upload photos from my computer

3.) Create captions for each image.

It is important to me that I give the proper credit for the photos I use, which are usually my own my husband's, or images contributed by friends and family members.

Step 3: Adding More CapsulesI

Add extra capsules, such as links , rss feeds , Amazon , and eBay , and start providing extra information that is directly related to your hubs. Then decide on the best order for them. Once new capsules are introduced, they can be arranged in the order you desire for them to appear in your hub by clicking on the "reorder" link to the right of the hub. Hub Pages will automatically reorder the hubs as you rearrange the capsules.

Step 4: RSS Feeds

Leaving the hub I am presently working on, I open a recently published hub and press the edit button. Then I copy rss feeds from a previous hub, exit that hub's edit mode, and return to the one I am working on to paste it into the appropriate rss feed capsule. Each rss capsule is titled and the "tag" word changed if I paste the rss code into more than one rss capsule for feeds on different subjects.

* My knowledge of rss feeds has been gleaned from the writing of Edweirdo , and I highly recommend that you read his hubs, and those of other hubbers, on the subject. He explains the concept and the how-to steps very effectively, and offers examples to copy from.

Step 5: Supplying Links Related to the Subject of your Hub

Open a new web browser window for easy copying and pasting, then start researching and choosing links to include in the link capsule. Creating a subtitle for this capsule and writing a description of each link are also good to do. It gives readers an idea of what you are linking them to. It is also creative and fun.

One of my favorite parts of this process is perusing web sites related to the things closest to my heart, and letting others know where they are. Well-crafted web pages are a pleasure to look at and explore. From them, I learn more about what interests me most. In return, I attract more traffic to that site, which I am sure makes its 'web master' happy.

Step 6: Amazon Links

Keep an additional internet browser window open to research and choose Amazon products to recommend in your Amazon capsule. It takes time to make money off Amazon' affiliate program, but I believe that controlling which products are recommended on each hub is important. These choices will best reflect the voice and spirit of the hub, and be most directly related to the subjects covered within the hub.

Step 7: Publish!

As soon as I publish my hub, I share that news on Facebook . If you have a Twitter account set up with contacts already in place, "tweet" away. I will develop my twitter presence when I am done with the challenge, to increase traffic to my hubs. Whether you use one or both, your chances of attracting additional traffic to and comments on your hub are increased by sharing all of your publishing accomplishments this way. Both help raise the score of that individual hub, and of your overall score as a "hubber."

Step 8: Increase Hub Karma

Click on the "suggest links" button at the top bar of your hub to create appropriate links to other hubs of a related subject to the one just written about. This increases you internal "Hub Karma."

Step 9: Support Fellow Hubbers

Enjoy reading the comments of fellow hubbers and others who have taken the time to give their feedback. Then read the new hubs of those you already follow, begin following more hubbers, and make sure to post encouraging comments on as many as time allows. I have been inspired to try new ways of laying out my hubs because of this. It is a very creative part of the process. Presentation is as important to your hub as it is to work with any other media, so pick and order your capsules thoughtfully.

Step 10: Relax and Have some Outdoor Fun

Enjoy some time outside, such as gardening or walking a labyrinth, while your writing works for you. When you return inside, read some literature related to subjects you would like to build hubs around. These things help you keep in touch with your muse and keep you inspired to generate more quality hub material that will attract a wide readership.

Results

It is my hope that I will generate more traffic with this method, and the traffic to some of my hubs seems to be rising. Including links to related web sites which may give the reader more detailed information seems to have helped, and it is a courtesy. It increases the hub's value and possibly increases the number of people who will spend time on your page and click on the Google ads or Amazon "catalog" you have provided. I enjoy choosing the Amazon products that appear on my site, instead of letting Amazon choose them. It is like pressing my nose up to the window of a candy store, with the promise that I would occasionally have a chance to "taste" the treats when I am next paid for my work.

On one recent occasion, I received some important feedback on my hub titled Ten (10) Great Things About Cohousing . A cohousing coach who is not a "hubber" left a very detailed message in the comment section of the hub. I took the reader's advice and let him know when I "fixed" the things that would prevent him from linking my hub to his website related to co-housing. He contacted me back to let me know he would take another look. If that mutual linking happens between us, more people will have a chance to read that hub, which will point to others I have written.

Each time I publish a hub about home-schooling, I post an announcement about it on my Yahoo home-schooling group lists. This helps shepherd traffic to those hubs, and that traffic seems to keep flowing at a steady pace. If there are social/community groups you subscribe to, either on Yahoo , Google , or Meet-Up , let them know your hubs are out there if you think that the content will interest them.

Best of luck to you, and happy "hubbing!"

Copyright © 2010 by Seafarer Mama/Karen Szklany Gault