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Make Money Writing On Hubpages And Freelancing Sites

howimakemoneyontheinternetincludinghubpagesandothersites

I was requested: "Please explain how you make money on hubpages or the other site you mentioned" by the hubber MaestroEMcCloud.

There are several ways to make money on the internet and several ways to make money on hubpages. I am a full time writer who works from home. I make money on hubpages, have several blogs and websites and I also Freelance with Elance, Guru.com, oDesk and use to be on Freelancer. I will explain how I make money on these sites and what I do. Hubpages is my favourite article site and Elance is my favourite Freelancing site


Making money on Hupages

There are several ways to make money on Hubpages:

  1. The hubpages ad program
  2. the Ebay ad program
  3. Selling items from Ebay
  4. Selling Items from Amazon
  5. Referring someone to HP and having them sign up
  6. Referral links from other hubbers hubs


howimakemoneyontheinternetincludinghubpagesandothersites
howimakemoneyontheinternetincludinghubpagesandothersites

How I earn on HP

The question asked me how I earn on Hubpages and the other site I mentioned. Here is my answer to the first part which is how I earn on Hubpages.

When I started writing on Hubpages I thought it would be easy. I thought that all I had to do was write, publish and I would get paid. I had no idea about keywords and search terms. I had no idea that you could earn money from people viewing pages that ads were displayed on. So imagine my surprise and disappointment when I figured out that without page views I was doomed. But before HP invited everyone into the Ad program the majority of the writers on HP depended Adsense clicks to survive. I was here about two months before the program opened so I was in a tizzy as to how I would make that work.

I also learned that writing articles were not easy because you had to make sure that your articles were evergreen and of the highest quality. I learn something everyday that I write and publish online and my aim is to always get better at this.

One of my regrets is that I didn't publish enough at first so didn't really start to earn until the summer of 2011 when I really started writing articles. So my primary means of earning on HP is through the HP Ad program where every time someone from outside of Hubpages views my articles I get paid.

I also get paid if anyone clicks my tracking link to other people's hubs or sign up for HP through my referral links. Ebay and Amazon are also great ways to earn especially if you have product hubs. I don't have much of those but I don't really like marketing.


howimakemoneyontheinternetincludinghubpagesandothersites

Freelancing

I work full time from home hubbing and freelancing. When I joined HP I was looking for freelance work online. I knew I could make a living online but didn't know where to look. I found several scams, fakes and paid sites but not having a US credit card prevented me from paying to find work, thank God!

I found some survey sites but they would only accept people from the US and Canada. I plod on looking for my ideal site. Then viola I met oDesk, a site that offered workers a chance to work by bidding on projects. I liked oDesk but they were asking me for personal documents to verify my identity so never made use of the service as I was not comfortable giving out my information. I am happy to say that since December 2012 I started using oDesk and had my identity verified without giving too much away.

After many days and nights, even months, searching I finally found Freelancer and Constant content but I don't like their layout and I don't like constant content so I have never used it.

Scroll to Continue

A few months ago I started using Freelancer.com just to write adult stories for clients because the other articles paid really cheap but I find the payment for adult stories quite reasonable.

During my search in July 2011, I found Elance and I have not regretted signing up. Projects are placed on the site by clients and you are able to place a proposal and a bid. The client chooses the best (or the one they like) and you are given the job. There are categories to choose from so you bid on jobs in your specific category.

Some projects are cheap while others pay quite reasonable. When I was a newbie I took very cheap jobs in order to build my portfolio. As you gain more experience and get more jobs you become in higher demand and clients are willing to pay top dollar for your work. You can now pick and choose who you work for and negotiate your fees and terms. If you remain in good standing with the site, clients will call upon you to repeat jobs and you will get a lot of invitations to bid.

For the last four months I have not searched for a project because clients have invited me back or have invited me to bid. I am a level 7, 5 star freelancer.

There are many different categories to choose from and you can choose one and pay for any additional category. There are four membership levels:

  1. Free individual
  2. Paid individual - $10 per month
  3. Small Business (five members) - $20 per month
  4. Large Business (unlimited members) - $40 per month

With each membership you get what are known as connects. They are points that you use to bid on projects. Some projects require 1 point while others require more. A free membership gets up to 15 points each month, so with careful management you can bid on up to 15 projects each month minimum, while the other memberships give you more. You do not require connect to bid on jobs you are invited for.

See below for articles about Elance and Freelancer.


To join Hubpages follow this link.


To join Elance follow this link.


Other sites I work with

oDesk: Some years ago I joined oDesk but it was late 2012 when I actually started working there. I find the site easy to use but my biggest issue with them is their payment system. Fixed price jobs are not guaranteed payment and they take six days before releasing your payment to you after the client releases the funds. I completed a job a few months ago and have not heard from the client since. Nothing, zilch no emails. The client's website seemed to be down now but I should have been paid. I lost $90. I haven't been back since. The other issue I have is that clients pay cheaply and not willing to pay standard prices.

Guru.com: I was reading a forum post a few months ago when someone mentioned this website. I had stumbled upon it before but wasn't sure about it. I hesitantly signed up and am happy I did. I get a steady stream of work from this site and payment is prompt with safepay, much like Elance where the client funds your account prior to starting the job. Clients there are willing to pay top dollar for your work as well.

Comments

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on November 14, 2013:

Loveofnight, I wish you every success. If you continue to publish and get traffic you will make some money. My earnings have increased greatly this past month and I think it will rise even more in the months to come, so don't give up.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Good luck :)

Loveofnight Anderson from Baltimore, Maryland on November 14, 2013:

This is a great hub, not just for the newbie but the old-heads like me. I have been with HubPages for 4 years but have not been satisfied with my success. It is because I so love HubPages that I am still here. I do believe that not publishing enough was my biggest downfall so I promised myself to do at least one new hub a week and to work on my existing hubs to make them better (fortunately all my hubs are featured). Maybe as I follow your pointers I will see my first payout and not just be seen as a blogger and visitor instead of the writer that I see myself as. Thank you so much for this hub, it is a great help.

lesliebyars on July 02, 2013:

Very useful hub full of great info. Thanks for sharing.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on July 02, 2013:

Thanks Epbooks. Good luck with your writing ventures. For me it's the reverse. I am so busy with freelancing that I have totally neglected my own book writing.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on July 02, 2013:

Hello Jdw, thanks. Yes, many writers would love to be able to just write and not think about the money but we too have to eat...lol. Writers are artists and in most cases it takes years to actually be able to earn a decent living from it.

Elizabeth Parker from Las Vegas, NV on July 01, 2013:

Good information- I will bookmark this for when I have more time to freelance. Right now writing on hubpages and my books are keeping me busy, but would love to get into more freelance soon. Thanks! Voted up.

John David from Middle America on July 01, 2013:

This is a great, and quite helpful article! Thank you for all of this knowledge. I would like to make a decent paycheck from this passion we all share, yet enjoy the outlet of writing first and foremost, whether involving monetary value or not.. but after that fire settles, I still need to earn a living. Nice Hub!! Thumbs up!!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on June 28, 2013:

Hi Mel. I would say to make your profile as interesting as possible. The only thing I've done there is write erotic romance, so if I were you I would find my niche and stick with it. Build your reputation in one area, in other words, be known for what it is you do.

Mel Carriere from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on June 27, 2013:

I really haven't had a lot of luck on Guru at all. Any suggestions for generating interest on this site? Great suggestions, by the way.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on June 26, 2013:

DjDaniel, thanks for stopping by. But There have been people who make up to three thousand dollars per month before Panda hit. There are people making up to fifteen hundred dollars at the moment. https://hubpages.com/@relache is one of them.

Making money on HP takes focus and extreme creativity. You just have to find your niche and build on it. You can't make the money on articles alone you need Amazon and eBay sales as well.

Daniel from St Louis on June 26, 2013:

Honestly, I've never seen anyone make any real money on this site. While I agree you can make money creating content online, I just don't see it here.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on June 25, 2013:

Thanks Lensman999, glad to be of help. :)

LensMan999 from Trans-Neptunian region on June 25, 2013:

The things you mentioned in the hub on how to make more money online is really very useful. You have helped your fellow hubbers a lot through this hub. Thanks a lot!!!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on June 25, 2013:

Thanks for stopping by Hezekiah and leaving a comment. It takes hard word and some sleepless night but it's worth it in the end.

Hezekiah from Japan on June 25, 2013:

Thanks you for for explaining how much can be earned on line by writing. I get it takes time but pays off in the end.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on June 23, 2013:

Hi Veronica, thanks for stopping by. I will stop by your hub when I do get the chance. In the meantime here are some tips on publishing your creative writing and poetry online. https://cardisa.hubpages.com/hub/SEO-Tips-For-Crea... Good luck and I hope you do start to make some money.

Veronicarain from Cincinnati, Ohio on June 22, 2013:

Love all of the information. I may need more help than I thought. I'm pretty new to Hubpages and I enjoy everything about it. I have a lot of poetry and other writing I would like to post. I would love some feed back on my current hubs if you have the time?

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on June 06, 2013:

Thank you Sdavi775, I really appreciate your comment. Good luck with your online money making ventures.

sdavi775 on June 05, 2013:

This is so helpful, by far the most informative article on this topic I send a huge thanks!!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on May 26, 2013:

Hi Vinaya, nice to see you. I hope you do get a chance to make it as a freelancer because earning a full income from content sites will take a while. Thanks for stopping by.

Vinaya Ghimire from Nepal on May 25, 2013:

Cardisa,

I'm still waiting for the first writing commission from freelance hiring sites such as Elance or oDesk.

I earn substantially from my print articles however, I have not been able to make good money online.

I have made little money from niche content sites here and there. And I'm trying to make online writing as my main source of income. Your points are useful and valid.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on May 08, 2013:

Hello Step2cs, welcome to my hubspace!

I believe you are right about Freelancer. I once posted a job there and I could not find a quality writer to suit my needs. Elance is much better along with Guru.com. You can also try Constant Content if you don't mind the editing.

Douglas Lieth from NYC on May 08, 2013:

I am new to Hubpages and just want to thank you for this hub. I came on here to write about my niche and help get some interest in my business. I didn't realize that you could actually make money doing this. Great! BTW I also found Freelancer to be a pretty bad place to get side jobs. The people hiring there are not necessarily to blame for the cheapness, its mainly because the abundance of foreign competition who will do anything for $30. At least, that was my experience. Elance seems much better, but I will also look at guru.com, thanks again.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on April 09, 2013:

Thanks Audrey. I closed my Freelnacer membership but I found Guru.com to be a diamond in the rough. The jobs over there pay well and Iliek them a lot. I work on oDesk as well.

Audrey Howitt from California on April 09, 2013:

So good to know that you have had good experiences with these sites! I will check them out!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on January 26, 2013:

Wow! Welcome to hubpages Jkang210. I am so pleased you took the leap and so blessed that you did so because of me. Thank you! If you need help please feel free to ask. Thank you.

jkang219 from California on January 25, 2013:

This is a great hub. It convinced me to join hubpages and tentatively start a career in writing. Thank you for the information and, most importantly, the inspiration.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on January 24, 2013:

Hello Kasman, thank you so much for visiting and it's really nice to meet you. I hope you do well online because its' very rewarding to write for a living.

Kas from Bartlett, Tennessee on January 24, 2013:

Another great hub about making money online. Appreciative of the simplicity of the hub. You explain everything quite well especially about your struggles and frustrations. I'm not frustrated yet, but I'm doing what I can to write well and quality work. Thanks for continuing to encourage people with this. Voting up!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on January 23, 2013:

Hi Renee, the best way to write a hub is to supply information, I wouldn't feel good just writing a hub without giving useful tips. Thanks for the observation.

Renee' D. Campbell from Gaithersburg, Maryland on January 23, 2013:

Nice hub! I like when other writers give helpful and useful tips to fellow hubbers!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on January 22, 2013:

Thank you Amandaines, glad to be of assistance.

amandaines on January 22, 2013:

thanks for this really helpful and informative articel. Voted up!

Faith T. on January 20, 2013:

Yes, that's the thing... Ebay and Amazon do not convert very well because of low commissions overall :0/

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on January 20, 2013:

I thought you meant success with Hubpages as writers. I haven't made any thing much from promoting eBay or Amazon products yet.

Faith T. on January 20, 2013:

Yes, you need products that give you at least $100 per sale with recurring commission to make a good money I guess.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on January 20, 2013:

Yes but I don't consider writers internet marketers. I think internet marketers are affiliate resellers. When in comes to affiliate marketing we make even less than we do from our content.

Faith T. on January 20, 2013:

Yes, the overall stats say that 98% of all internet marketers make less than $100 a month. Something has to be changed very soon... it isn't good.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on January 20, 2013:

Hello Webdesignerfaith. It takes a while to make any money but I have had some success. My traffic is increasing and I get a payout in the region of $100 - $150 each month. Sometimes a little less depending on the traffic. In another year I figure that I should have a steady income stream from my hubs. There are people here making $500 - $1000 each month as well. I think a few make even more than that. So to answer your question, yes there people on hubpages who have experienced some measure of success.

Faith T. on January 20, 2013:

Any success guys with HubPages? :-)

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on November 03, 2012:

Thank you Audrey, when I write an article I always write it with helping someone in mid. I am so glad that my words are helpful so someone.

Audrey Hunt from Pahrump NV on November 03, 2012:

I'm learning so much about making money from you:) This hub is awesome! Just look at all the people you have helped on this subject. You are an inspiration cardisa. It's a privilege to get to know you. Take care and keep writing. Up and sharing.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on October 12, 2012:

Thanks Mike, Freelancer has made quite a few changes and I decided to test them out again, which reminds me to update my Review hub.

Mike Pugh from New York City on October 12, 2012:

I joined freelancer as well a while back, and before I actually located hubpages, but I never done a thing there, because the platform was kind of restrictive when I had first joined, requiring me to take online tests for certain criteria and all.

Since then the removed such protocol I do believe, and I then tried it once more, but I wasn't able to land a gig with nothing on my profile pretty much in terms of work experience there, so I decided forget about it, and at such a time I was hubbing already, and so I went into hubbing full time.

I love writing, always have, and always will, but time constraints and all the outside pressure to come up with high volumes of work, I much rather not get into anymore, so I love hubpages where I can push myself you know.

Maybe when my digital works and efforts are in high demand, if such a reality was to ever come, or the opportunity had presented itself then and only then I shall go outside my comfort zone of writing for hubpages alone, and try to earn elsewhere. Mainly because writing for here alone for me has its benefits long term for sure, I can feel it in me bones Hehe!

Lovely write up here Cardisa, I left you a message in your inbox.

Cheers to online writing and its power to embrace the love of writing!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on September 27, 2012:

Hi Missy, you should try bidding on jibs that pay well and are more suited to your writing skills. My first Elance job was blog commenting and it payed cheap and was time consuming, I vowed never to do it again but it did get me noticed. Thank God my second job was right up mu alley, creating recipes..payed cheap as well but got me noticed with great feedback. You should give Elance another try.

Missy Mac from Illinois on September 27, 2012:

love this article. As a newbie, I am motivated to continue producing articles. I did try Elance months ago and found myself bidding on data entry position. I felt that the job wanted too much for the payments. I like Hub pages, because writing is what I like to do.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on August 17, 2012:

No problem Ebonny.

Ebonny from UK on August 17, 2012:

Yeah, time is precious and I can understand your not wanting to risk them copying your work. Thank you for clarifying.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on August 17, 2012:

Hi Ebonny, I find that constant content sends you article request, you write and the clients pick the ones they like. I prefer to be chosen first then write for the client. I don't want to waste my time writing articles that don't get chosen by clients, that's wasting my time, plus I don't trust people I can't see. They can easily copy my article and claim they didn't want to use it.

Ebonny from UK on August 17, 2012:

Hi Cardisa

Many thanks for sharing this invaluable info. Voted up, useful and interesting.

Regarding Constant Content, I wonder if you could elaborate about why you decided not to go with them?

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on June 23, 2012:

Thank you Lonizer2012.

Ionizer2012 from Kirkland, WA on June 21, 2012:

Very informative article cardisa, appreciate the info.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on May 04, 2012:

Thanks Jen and I really hope you start making some real money there.

jenubouka on May 04, 2012:

LOL....I read that in the hub and thought Hmmm, could I do that? That is great advise; lately I have been getting alot of invites for ebay third party; which will get banned from ebay and the captcha typing, no thanks. I am leaning toward Elance for sure, I submit bids for recipes cooking, etc. and have had some success with that niche due to my background. So I will just keep on truckin' Thanks Cardisa, as always you rock!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on May 04, 2012:

Hey Jen, I don't really bid much on the article jobs. I bid mostly on the erotic fiction...lol. It took me a while to get any thing there too but you have to keep at it. I'd say just choose one category and they will email when jobs are posted so you can see you choices.

Have you tried Elance? As a newbie it may take a while but you have to be persistent. ELance is definitely a better choice than Freelancer.

jenubouka on May 04, 2012:

hey Cardisa!

How are you, I am following this hub and have a quick question: How in the heck do you get any jobs on that freelancer site! It seems alot of the jobs are scams. I like it for the many categories but it takes forever to sift through the legit ones. just wondering. Thanks!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on May 04, 2012:

Thanks GracieLake, I am glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by.

GracieLake from Arizona on May 03, 2012:

Thanks for sharing your experience Cardisa, as well as the info about some of the other freelance sites.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on April 05, 2012:

Hi Sharyn, thanks for reading and commenting. Glad to see you up and about again. Have a blessed Easter Holidays.

Sharon Smith from Northeast Ohio USA on April 05, 2012:

Hi Cardisa ~ thanks for this informative article. I especially appreciate your insight with sites that you also stayed away from like oDesk. Thank you,

Sharyn

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on April 04, 2012:

Thanks Eddy, have a great day.

Eiddwen from Wales on April 04, 2012:

A brilliant hub and a gem for me to bookmark.

Thanks Cardisa for sharing.

Take care and enjoy your day.

Eddy.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on March 23, 2012:

Hi Linda, thanks for the compliment. Like the new avatar too.

Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on March 22, 2012:

You rock star! Your educational hubs are getting better with each one you create. Thanks for the info!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on March 18, 2012:

Hello Carbon, thank you for reading, voting and commenting. I too am learning here in this virtual world. Happy to share what I have gathered.

Have a blessed Sunday!

carbon12 on March 18, 2012:

Great hub. I learned a lot reading this. We are all in a learning process and I appreciate you for sharing this information with all of us. The vote up goes to you. Have a great day my friend.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on March 17, 2012:

Hi Risalat, impressive resume! It does take hard work, patience ad some determination to make it on these freelancing sites. Thanks for your comment and I hope you continue to succeed.

Have a blessed weekend.

Risalatul Hoque from Moorhead, MN on March 17, 2012:

Thanks a lot for the awesome hub. I am also a writer in freelancer.com (202 feedback;4.9 feedback score), odesk.com (more than 1000 hours, 4.9 feedback score), elance.cm (64 feedbacks; 5.0 feedback score), guru.com (2 feedback, 4.5 score) and vworker.com (10.0 feedback score)

And yes, it took real long until I was paid in the scale that I really deserved. I had to start with $2 articles ... but it does pay off if you can stick around and consistently provide your clients with top-notch content.

Thanks again for the awesome hub.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on March 17, 2012:

Thank you Gypsy. I hope you find something soon or make some money online, either way I am sure you will do what makes you happy.

Have a blessed weekend.

Gypsy Flower from Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A on March 17, 2012:

Good point, Cardisa! Of course, I rarely have trouble being happy at what I'm getting paid to do; if I'm not happy spending 2/3 of my day somewhere, I'll find somewhere else to go &/or something else to do! You're a great motivator though.

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on March 17, 2012:

Gypsy, writing is my main goal too. The thing about it, when I wrote for fun and worked for people, I was depressed and unhappy. My doctor said to me why don't you do something you love. Whatever you think about when you wake up in the morning, that's what you should be doing or you will never be happy. Guess what, I wake up thinking of writing and now I am happy.

What I am trying to say is, what better way to ear money than by doing what makes you happy? Imagine being paid to play! Because writing is your hobby and it feeds your soul, imagine being paid to relax!

Have a wonderful day!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on March 17, 2012:

Hello Melchi, you are so right. What I also failed to mention was that I signed up to another good site named Text Brokers only to find out that people from my country were not accepted.

Thanke, have a wonderful day!

Carolee Samuda (author) from Jamaica on March 17, 2012:

Thank you Rusti. I am so pleased I could be of help.

Have a wonderful day.