Publishing

If you’re a writer or online publisher, zero-click searches are now a fact of life on the Internet. They started with featured snippets, knowledge panels, and other search features, but AI search has accelerated the trend. For years, the click economy helped build website traffic and brand recognition and, more importantly, provided a source of…

When you publish your work online, do you think about who can use your writing? I’m not referring to copyright ownership, but to practical uses of your content that you may not be aware of or fully understand. If you publish an article or essay on a public platform or social media site, can the…

Do you want to find readers for your essay writing? If so, you’re probably looking for somewhere to publish essays online. Essays are different from many other forms of writing because they often focus on opinions, ideas, experiences, or observations. But finding somewhere to publish them isn’t always easy. That’s why online publishing is such…

A dilemma most publishers and website owners face now is whether to allow AI search to use your writing in search results. It would be a much easier decision if AI summaries were more generous with citing and linking to your original content. However, that’s not the reality at present. Unlike the traditional blue links…

If you have a blog or website, I’m sure you’ve read lots of advice about updating old articles to keep them fresh, accurate, and relevant. However, it’s a painfully slow process if your site has hundreds of articles or blog posts. Is it really worth the effort? I have close to 1,000 articles on my…

You put a lot of work into publishing a new article, both before and after hitting the publish button. But do you follow a rigid process or routine every time? If you publish regularly on your website or blog, you want each new article to have the best chance of finding readers. With all the…

Most major search engines now have an AI search mode. But until recently, it was pretty much impossible to find out whether these AI search modes were using your writing for their answers. That has changed now with Google providing Generative AI reports and Bing giving AI performance data. Don’t get too excited, though, as…

If an article you publish on one platform brings 1,000 views, it might seem logical that publishing the same article on ten platforms could bring 10,000 views. It would be nice if it worked that way, but it doesn’t. Publishing an article in more places might seem like an obvious way to reach more readers,…

The process of publishing has changed very little. Discoverability is what has changed. Thirty-five years ago, readers discovered books and articles through bookstores, libraries, magazines, newspapers, and word of mouth. Twenty-five years ago, websites, blogs, and search engines transformed how people found information online. Today, search engines, AI assistants, social media, and online recommendations all…

For twenty-five years, or even longer, publishing online has been the most popular way for writers to connect with readers. I belong in the “even longer“ group, and publishing my writing online has become a way of life for me. Today, however, writers face new headwinds from AI-generated answers, unpredictable social platforms, and diminishing organic…