For those of you that have been on HubPages for awhile, you have seen an incredible shift in content quality and witnessed how the site has evolved. Writing for an online audience has drastically changed over the years. When I first started working at HubPages almost three years ago we toured around the country giving HubCamps (an amazing experience where I was able to meet in person so many wonderful Hubbers). This program evolved into the Apprenticeship Program (another program where I got to know so many amazing people and feel honored to be a part of). The lessons that I taught in the very beginning have slightly shifted from the lessons that we teach today, and I’m sure will evolve more as the online writing world grows. However, while some of the fine details have changed, the overall concept of creating the best article on the web about topics that you are passionate about has remained the same.
One of the details that I’d like to talk about this week is product placement in your Hubs. When we created the Topic Templates a few months ago, we purposefully did not include products in the Templates. This is not because there isn’t a place for products on HubPages. In fact, products can be a great addition to a Hub. However, not every Hub should have a product. We wanted Hubbers to make the conscious decision to add a product if they felt it would make their Hub better. Here are a few tips that we have learned over the years on the best practices of placing products in your Hubs.
Quick and Dirty Tips on Integrating Products in your Hubs
- Only include products in your Hub that your reader will find useful
- Only include products that are directly related to your Hub
- Instead of a long block of products at the end of your Hub or in the middle of your Hub, break up your products into multiple capsules with one product per capsule
- Include the product directly next to where it’s mentioned in your Hub. If you aren’t mentioning the product in your Hub, are you sure you need it?
- If you are using Amazon, choose the exact product that you would like to showcase
- Give your products custom descriptions and tell your readers why you are recommending the product
- How to Hubs that require specific tools or instruments are great Hubs to add products to (but don’t forget the custom description letting your reader know why this product is the best one!)
Finally, ask yourself, “Am I including this product so my reader has a better experience on my Hub? Will they be grateful that I included it so they don’t have to look elsewhere?” If the answer is yes and yes, then go ahead and include the product. Here are a few examples of Hubs that do a great job with product placement:
Wheeled Backpacks at School: Top 5 Rolling Backpacks for Kids
Kitchenaid Mixer Attachments You Will Want To Own, Ice Cream Bowl and More
How to Make a Rainbow: Science Project
Celebrate the Day of the Dead with Scrapbook Paper Arts and other Crafts Activities
If you have any suggestions on other topics that you’d like me to cover, feel free to send me an email. Happy Hubbing!
HubPages Blog 
Hi Robin. Nice post there. Is there any chance of a fully SEO based content coming up soon?
Thanks for the comment. I will be writing about a variety of topics that encourage higher quality content which in turn should improve search engine results.
Great summary of how to use Amazon and eBay capsules. One other thing which would be worth tackling: there’s an myth persisting in the forums, that more than two or three Amazon or eBay capsules can hurt your Hub.
I think this is such an unhelpful myth, and affects Hubbers’ earnings as well as HubPages. Certainly, you mustn’t put products into a Hub for the sake of it – but the example Hubs show how multiple capsules add real value for the reader, if they’re relevant.
Thanks for this info Robin!