Increase Associated Content Page Performance Over Time

AC's generous new profit-sharing program -- giving content producers a percentage per thousand page views of their content -- has made a new facet of page performance important: longevity. Now, instead of looking at the hot topic du jour, it is of serious advantage to content producers to look at ways to keep eyeballs on our content in the months and years ahead.

This is a topic few have visited; the current wisdom on web page building holds that fresh content is king, and the older your content gets the fewer pageviews you'll get. I maintain that this is not necessarily true. With strategically selected content and keywords, and with intelligent self-promotion, you can turn the AC page performance bonus into a permanent significant source of income.

Maximizing Eyeballs on AC

Choose Topics With Staying Power - There is a such thing as a timeless topic. We'll always have weather, camping, pets, children, vehicles, linens, home decor, schools, churches, organizations -- the list is pretty darn long. You almost certainly have experience and/or expertise in some of these.

For great long-lasting topics, visit the library and browse old magazines. Some articles will have topics that are fresh today: how to find love, how to clean stains, celebrating holidays, anything about sex and the relationship between the sexes,

Avoid Fads and Celebrity Gossip - While Anna Nicole is big news right now, she really is a flash in the pan. In six months (please, only six months!) we'll have another celeb scandal that will draw eyeballs, and all the Anna Nicole pages will go away. On the other hand, terrorism is here to stay. People will be searching terrorism when my still-unborn daughter has children.

If you love writing articles on news topics, stick to things people have been concerned about for years. Politics change fast. Mass murderers are talked about for years. Human-interest stories are the best, especially how-to topics like protecting your children from crime or common-sense (not technology-centered) stories about burglar-proofing your home.

Find Keywords With Longevity - This is not done often enough. Almost every keyword site, including the ones listed at the end of this article, provide ways to search for historical data about keywords.

Find keywords that are popular right now, and that were also popular about six months ago, on your topic. This may require a little work on your part, comparing keywords back and forth. Don't ever take the top-ranked keywords because your content will be washed out by the competition. Look for keywords in the middle of the pack, particularly the ones that closely match what your article is about. And look for the keyword phrase with some stability, like the one that ranks at about 20-30 throughout your research. Keywords going up and down more than that may not have the longevity you want.

Link Back To Old Associated Content Articles - This is critical, especially for AC writers who tend to write on the same topics frequently. Put your linkback somewhere in the middle of your article, not at the end where you list your sources. If you're writing good-quality articles, you'll often get readers clicking to your old stuff for more information.

But don't just look at your own stuff. If you know of AC content producers with good information for your audience, link to theirs too. And then let them know. Not everyone will adhere to the fair-play practice of referring their own readers to you -- but some of them will. One of the best ways to keep getting traffic is for other people to refer it to you. Readers trust it more, somehow, than when you promote your own information.

Keep Promoting Old Articles Outside AC - You should be listing articles you've done on your website, in a link on your email sig lines, and on bulletin boards you frequent. Don't overlook the power of continuing to promote older articles, particularly when they add to the value of something going on today.

For instance, around Halloween, I might put together a little page on my website to promote Halloween articles I've written on AC, and stick that in my sig line, refer to it in bulletin boards, and note it at the end of AC articles I write on the same topic. If there was big news, suddenly, about Niagara Falls, I might start to talk about my Niagara Falls article on bulletin boards.

If you have a lot of content, whip through your old articles every so often to look for articles you can promote today -- and articles with topics you need to revisit. Fresh articles on old topics provide you with ways to link back to your old articles.

The Law Of Diminishing Returns Still Applies

Despite your hard work, you will still find that your page views on each article diminish over time. That's because every day more information hits the Web. We've probably hit saturation on a lot of topics, and many (mesothelioma, for instance) are oversaturated.

Even diminishing returns on a healthy body of articles can add up to an impressive income. I was startled when the beta started to find I had $5 already in my bonus pot -- on what I felt to be an unimpressive number of articles. I did nothing to promote them (though I will now). I did nothing to drive traffic to my old articles (see previous parens). I don't focus on keywording because it comes naturally to me -- I just make sure I get them in the first paragraph and the title and then don't worry about it. Basically, a lot of the things I'm talking about here are things I never did -- but will in the future.

The new bonus program has made a dramatic change in how all of us should approach Associated Content. Now, instead of having articles we've sold and have no further investment in, we have potential for a continuing income from items we have already sold. Our articles are no longer a source of clips -- they are an ongoing revenue stream. If you've never strategized your AC content marketing plan, it is time to start.