Great news, Hubbers! It is now possible to convert Hubs into Videos.
Up to this point, Videos had to be started from scratch, but now, by clicking “edit” on any of your existing Hubs, you can turn them into Videos.
The process is simple:
- Click the “Convert to Video” button under Special Layout Options in the HubTool
- Select the video you would like to meld with your existing Hub
- Click OK when prompted with the warning pop-up window
What exactly does making this conversion mean?
- What was once a Hub will now have a HubPages-hosted video featured at the top
- The video cannot be moved, but the original Hub will remain unchanged below the new HubPages Video Capsule that has been added to the top
- You can always switch out videos and edit the other capsules below
- Your Video will get special treatment in search engine results (which is to say that searchers will see a pretty thumbnail instead of just a title and summary)
- The video will play automatically when people visit that page
- You will be able to earn additional revenue from advertisements featured on/before the video
Keep in mind that this change is irreversible. Once you have made the conversion, you will not be able to change your Video back into a Hub- it will always have to have a HubPages Video Capsule floated to the top, and while you will be able to switch out the videos you feature in that capsule, you will never be able to remove the capsule itself. We therefore urge you to think carefully before making this permanent conversion. This change is irreversible because the URL and class of your page has been physically altered and it would be detrimental to your page’s success if you changed its class back and forth.
Though the conversion should not be taken lightly, there are some major benefits that come with converting existing Hubs into Videos. Videos stand to make a significantly higher amount of money in ad revenue, which means that you can earn even more from highly performing Hubs by turning them into Videos (provided, of course, that whatever Videos you add to the Hubs are just as high quality as the Hubs themselves).
We hope this change encourages you to think about Hubs of yours which might make good Videos! This update is a great opportunity to turn many of your established articles into even richer resources.
Big thanks to Edward Zhang for the update. It’s great to have the ability to do this!
HubPages Blog 
What effect will this have on SEO etc?
Mick the Marketing man, the most marked effect, I think, is that the video thumbnail will appear in search engine results, which might make that particular result a bit more attractive to searchers.
Thanks alot, this was real informative.
This is great. I have wanted to add a video after I create a hub and didn’t want to do the Youtube thing. Thanks HP.
This sounds really cool Simone. But is there any way that you could show those of us on the Hubs what a converted hub would turn into. I am not sure I can even imagine how some of my hubs would convert, or what I would need to do to make one that is video ready. Just a thought, interesting concept. Until next time….Blake4d
Heya blak4d! Here’s an example of a converted Hub: http://simonesmith.hubpages.com/video/Best-Business-Letter-Closings-Letter-Closing-Salutations
The only change is that there is a video at the top, and the Hub is converted into a Video (with Hub parts attached), which means the video thumbnail appears in search engine results.
Its an excellent change. Thanks for doing so much to give us the best online publishing experience.!
Do the videos play in Safari? I am unable to see the example hub.
Do these videos have to be of our own making, or does this include YouTube videos that someone else has made? Where can I get more information on this? Thanks
Hi Faceless39! You must own the rights to all the videos you upload to HubPages.
I’ve only just stumbled across this. I haven’t dipped my toe in video creation yet, but I may do after reading this.
One question though – it says the video will start playing when someone visits the Hub. Does that mean it auto-plays? I thought that was supposed to be a bad idea?
Glad to hear it, Marisa Wright!
Yes, HubPages Videos autoplay. We decided to to this as it is a common convention practiced with most video sources (i.e. the specific pages where videos are hosted and displayed).