Should I write on hubpages or create my own website

A common question I have seen on forums here on Hubpages is whether people should develop their own website, or just stick to writing here on Hubpages or other sites like Infobarrel.  It is something that I have give quite a bit of thought to.  There is no right or wrong answer of course, it depends entirely on your situation, but if you are serious about making money from the internet, it is a good idea to produce content on both community sites like Hubpages and your own websites.

Hubpages has the advantage that you don't need your own website or hosting.  An account can be created for free and you can immediately get traffic and make some money with your articles.  Hubpages already has a great deal of trust by Google, so articles can rank high in the search engines without having to do much promotion.

If you start your own website, it takes time to build incoming links which are vital for building authority with Google.  You have the power however to build and design the website to how you like.  While hubpages has a good interface and layout, you have to stick with just a few standard layouts.

If you are just starting out on the internet, Hubpages is a good way to see if you like writing and making money online, without having to spend any money.  If later you decide to start your own website, you will be able to link to it from your profile and possibly the hubs you wrote.  If you are a popular member on Hubpages, people will be interested in your new project.

For people who already have a website, Hubpages is a good way to make friends with people who share similar interests.  You can build backlinks to your website and make a little bit of money in the process.  Even though I have nearly 100 websites of my own, I like to use Hubpages to write about topics that don't fit into any of my current websites.  It is a good way to see if there is interest in a particular niche, before you go to the trouble of registering a domain. 

While running your own website you keep 100 per cent control of the content, layout and income, writing for hubpages also has it benefits for new and experienced internet marketers.