The Web allows for content, sometimes days or even months old, to enjoy popularity on the Web.

But good SEO is needed to make this happen. The No. 1 traffic source on my blog is Google, and about a third of my traffic comes from search engines. Longevity is one of the keys to successful monetization on the Web.

Unlike a static medium like print, content can be useful far beyond its original publication date.

Case in point, my post “Hyperlocal will make money.” I posted it on July 9, 2007. Yet, it has gotten the majority of its views in 2008.

Embracing social networking, deep linking and other fundamental Web philosophies are additional ways to get more longevity out of content. Almost half of my traffic in the past month came from referring sites. I actively encourage deep linking to my content (links that go to individual content, not just my main page) and the use of my content on other blogs and social networks.

I’m rewarded with a lot of traffic. That leaves about 20% of my traffic coming from direct sources (usually return visitors coming from bookmarks, RSS readers, etc). I’m not sure how many newspapers and journalists realize how little of Web traffic comes from direct sources.

But the point is: It’s nice to have content become (more) popular almost a year after it was release, with no additional work needed. Let the Web work for you.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 2:55 pm and is filed under off topic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.