Blog
The economics of web content.
A small, deliberate library on what content is worth, how publishers get paid, and what changes when machines read the web. Each piece answers the question first.
Content value
What content is worth, and how to tell beyond pageviews.
Pageviews vs Engagement: What Each Number Actually Tells You
A pageview records that a page loaded. Engagement records what the visitor did once it had. Pageviews tell you about reach; engagement tells you about value. You need both, but only one of them can tell you whether the content was worth the visit.
6 min readHow to Measure Content Engagement (Without Fooling Yourself)
Measure engagement with a small set of behavioral signals (how far people scroll, how long they stay, whether they act, whether they return) and read them together, per page, against similar pages. No single number is reliable on its own.
7 min read
Publisher monetization
How websites and publishers get paid, with and without ads.
How Do Websites Make Money Without Ads?
Websites make money without ads through subscriptions, memberships, sponsorships, affiliate commissions, selling their own products or services, licensing, and direct support from readers. Most combine several. The best fit depends on your audience and on what your content helps people do.
7 min readWhy Pageviews Don't Equal Revenue
Revenue depends on what happens with attention, not on how many times a page loaded. Between a pageview and income sit several gaps: whether the visitor engaged, whether an ad was shown, whether anyone was willing to pay, and whether the visit was human at all.
5 min read
AI and the web
What changes when machines read the web alongside people.
AI Crawlers vs AI Agents: What's the Difference?
An AI crawler collects content in bulk, ahead of time, to build an index or feed AI systems. An AI agent reads pages in real time on behalf of a user or system while completing a task. Both are machines reading your site, but they arrive at different moments, for different reasons.
6 min readWho Pays When AI Uses Web Content?
There is no single settled answer. Today, machine readers often access public web content without paying, some publishers negotiate individual licenses, and new technical mechanisms for automatic payment are being tried. Who should pay, for what, and how much remains an open question.
7 min read