A Comparison of Squidoo, HubPages and Suite 101

Are you a hubber who is considering wandering outside the walls of HP? Or are you new to web content writing and want to know the best place to start? I've received several emails regarding this since my profile indicates that I write for several sites. I decided to write my answer in a hub to make it easier for people to find and simple for me to point them to.

First, let me state that I'm not an expert on all three sites. I relate my experience and opinions honestly. But I also provide links at the end and throughout this article that I think will benefit anyone who wants to get started writing for the web and to learn about the specifics of writing for these sites including earning percentages, affiliates and such.

This won't be full of long reviews of each site as I save that for my blog or for individual articles. This hub is meant to briefly introduce you to some of the benefits of writing for HubPages, Squidoo and Suite 101.  Please note that the terms of service at each site may have changed since I wrote this article.

It's important to note that we all will have different writing personalities. What I dislike about one site may be exactly why you would like to write there.

I'm also one of those people who'll throw that old adage at you - never put all your eggs in one basket. I've been self-employed at something since 1995; massage therapy, home cleaning and painting and now medical transcription and (very) part-time web writing.

In my experience, it never pays to rely completely on one source of revenue. My attitude might be different from someone who has gone all out writing for one site and done great. Unless one of these sites does something I consider egregious, I won't be putting my eggs in one basket any time soon. I consider writing for all three sites I discuss here as a long-term investment of time and energy. If you want to know a little bit more about why I have this attitude, then visit my article The 5 Self-Employment Mistakes to Avoid.  In fact, if you want any get rich quick tips, you'll be disappointed with this hub.

Update: I only write for two of the sites mentioned in this hub now, explained below.

Since I know the concept of earning money online is why many people are reading this hub, I put this section near the top. As of this writing, I'm just shy of earning my first payout from Google Adsense through HubPages. I technically have earned less at Suite 101, but if I compare the amount of articles and time I've spent at both sites, then my Suite earnings are on par with HP.

I've earned the least at Squidoo, but my revenue is increasing there, and Squidoo pays out every month since you're getting paid from a pool of people who are under Squidoo's AdSense ID. With HubPages, you have to sign up for your own Google AdSense ID and wait until you reach the minimum payout amount of $100 before you receive a check.

I'm as new as many of you are. I consider web writing an experiment in what works for me at different sites. I have a better idea of what works best where, but I'm constantly learning to tweak my approach. It's an ongoing learning process. I want to impress upon you that point. You can take courses and read books, but many of you are like me and will be learning as you go.

I started to write for HubPages after I started at Squidoo. You earn cash at HP by writing hubs (articles) which host Google AdSense ads and by affiliate programs including Amazon, eBay and Kontera. I've done the best with AdSense so far.

At Squidoo your articles are called lenses and you're the lensmaster. You don't have to apply to be accepted at both sites which is one reason they're so popular. There are terms of service rules you need to follow though, so check out the links in this hub to learn more about that.

Co-op and Affiliate Cash

• I've made a few dollars with Amazon through HP but haven't focused on selling products except for a few review hubs. I also have had problems signing up with eBay, so I plan on saving any real sales articles for Squidoo which allows you to earn in a co-op fashion by using their affiliate IDs. If I had the time, I might follow up with eBay to figure out what's going on, but it's not a priority. I earn more through Amazon at Squidoo, so I may just focus on selling there altogether.
• Squidoo has many more affiliates to choose from including Etsy, Cafe Press and Zazzle. This would be a good place to promote crafts and graphic art.
  

Inline Text and Banner Ads

• Both sites allow you to earn through inline text ads. Kontera is what HubPages uses and Squidoo uses Infolinks. Squidoo also allows you to earn with banner ads, but you can opt out of these and the text ads if you don't like them. As of this writing, I've yet to earn a payout with Kontera. On the other hand, my Squidoo revenue has increased since these ads have been introduced. Because of this and my increased Amazon earnings there, I'm considering making more time to write for Squidoo.
  

Promoting Your Art

I think Squidoo is the better place for artists to promote their work. You can be a bit more creative and it's easier to write an HTML document and use it at Squidoo. I plan on opening Zazzle and Etsy stores and will promote them on lenses. For a great example of someone who promotes his art on both sites, check out waynet's profile here at HubPages.

Where to Sign Up

You can learn more about writing for HubPages by visiting this link or check out the link to Relache's hub below. If you want to become a lensmaster, visit Getting Started With Squidoo.

I'm quite the newbie when it comes to affiliate marketing and backlinks, so again, I encourage you to visit the links I have in this hub.

Suite 101 is different from Squidoo and HubPages in that you have to apply as a writer and be accepted by the editorial team. My first application was turned down. I waited until I had a year's worth of material online (over 50 articles in one topic) to apply again and was accepted. When you apply, you need to declare what topic you think you're most qualified to write about, but after you're accepted you can write on any topic.

Suite's Writing Style

• While I like the great deal of freedom Squidoo and HP allows in writing style and available topics, I also appreciate the more disciplined approach at Suite 101. You have to adhere to house style which includes sticking as close to 3rd person as possible and a word count of between 400 and 800 with allowances of up to 1000. The article commitment is minimum at 10 articles every 3 months.  Update:  It's my understanding that the house style at Suite changed in mid 2010 and you can now use 2nd person.
  

Earning Potential at Suite

• You earn here through AdSense clicks. There are no modules like Amazon or eBay. Once you start writing for them, there is a wealth of information from the editors and writers at Suite on how to optimize your articles for earning as mentioned below. There is a revenue boost once you reach the 50-article mark.
  

Support at Suite 101

• I find Suite the most supportive for web writers who want to hone their craft. The forums are much more focused and professional than either Squidoo or HP (HP being the worst offender for ridiculous behavior allowed). Update 4/6/10: Unfortunately, the Suite forums are becoming less friendly toward serious discussions, especially in regards to any criticism of the site. Information on writing for the site as well as learning SEO, keyword optimization and other important web writing tips is well presented and organized. You also get editorial feedback when you aren't following house style.

Main Drawback at Suite

• You're unable to see which articles are earning unlike HP which you can set up a URL channel for in AdSense to see what articles earn the most.
  

Learn more about writing for Suite 101 by visting the link above.

Update 5/20/10: I no longer write for Suite because of the above-mentioned forum and transparency issues as well as the fact that they don't allow the Amazon Affiliates program.

Update 5/20/10: As stated above, I no longer write for Suite. It was a hard decision to leave, but I have limited time to write, and I need to do so for sites that I believe have the writer's best interest at heart.

If you have the time, then I encourage you to try more than one web content writing site. Learn the ins and outs of each and what works for you. In the long run, creating your own online style and presence will be what draws readers to your work.

PJDeneen ©2009 http://hubpages.com/hub/Comparison-of-Squidoo-HubPages-Suite-101