Online Publishing Options
When my first website went online in 2001, there were very few online publishing options available.
Early adopters created websites and blogs and social media came much later.
We are now in the world of Artificial Intelligence, but, we still have a lot of people who think that the only way to publish is to write a book and have it published by a traditional publisher.
Well, I have managed to independently publish five non-fiction books and I currently have 192 pages and 610 posts on this website and well over 1, 200 pieces of content on various locations all over the internet.
Most of this content was created by me but other pieces of content are produced by someone else and include quotes, references or content supplied by me. By extending my publications to a range of locations, I am spreading my ‘risk.’ If my content was all in one place and was hacked, I would lose my ‘online brand’ overnight.
I would also like to make sure that my online content outlives me. When I am published in traditional media, there is a pretty good chance that their archives will last longer than me. When my content is added to a digital platform, again, it can last longer than me. As a back up plan, I also copy/paste any published content links to my free account at https://web.archive.org so that when the content is removed from the internet, if someone still has the original link or searches Archive.org, they have the ability to find that content directly (if Archive.org can index the content).
I have left instructions for when I pass to keep my own name sueellson.com website online for at least three years (which will need to be paid for from my estate). What I love about having my own website (which I created in 2012, 11 years after joining the online world), is that I can produce a full index of what I have published and where it is located. For copyright reasons, I cannot reproduce everything (just what I have secured approval for), but I can link to it.
The benefit of this process is that a lot of my content can appear in both general and AI search results. I love knowing that my content can be found by anyone with an internet connection and a device, anywhere in the world.
A traditional book may never reach a reader. I often say that I publish content online so that it can be found and read. I don’t hold out and wait to be exclusively published by a traditional publisher.
So with the genuine intention of having my writing read, I need to think about who is most likely to be reading (or finding) the content on each location. I will often ‘pick and choose’ where to publish to attract the most viewers both now and in the future.
In this article, I am going to share
- essential locations
- recommended locations
- alternative locations
1. Essential Locations
1.1 Google
Google has a range of products, but a great place to start is at https://aboutme.google.com. Firstly, you need to compile a list of all of the places where you have a presence on the internet, ideally in a spreadsheet that you can add to later. You then need to sort these pieces of content into three worksheets – Links, Profile Links and Contributor Links. You can then add them to your Google Account in your name so that Google can ‘match you up’ with this content.
Whilst you are signed in to Google, I also recommend that you set up a Google Alert to be notified whenever your name appears in published content and that you also set up a Google Business Profile in your name and fill in all the details there as well (so you can secure reviews). I also recommend that you create and complete a Google Scholar Profile, particularly if you have some publications.
1.2 Bing
Bing is owned by Microsoft and Bing content is used to feed Open AI’s ChatGPT. If you haven’t already, I recommend that you create a Microsoft Account and then create a Bing Places for business location in your name. Do not use your Google Account to create an account as it will give Bing the power to delete your Google Account. It is not as comprehensive as a Google Business location, but I believe it is important.
1.3 LinkedIn
LinkedIn is also owned by Microsoft and is highly optimised for online name searches. LinkedIn Articles can also be search engine optimised and perform very well. I recommend that at a minimum, you create a LinkedIn Profile and complete it in as much detail as possible. At a future point, you can consider writing Articles and even a Newsletter (which is like an Article but automatically invites new Followers and Connections to Subscribe and be Notified).
1.4 YouTube
YouTube is owned by Google and allows you to distribute video content (but also posts). You can add long form landscape videos and short form portrait videos (up to three minutes). Videos can be indexed in online search results (when most videos on social media platforms cannot be indexed). You can also personalise your channel and link to your other online identities. Make sure your video thumbnails are appealing!
2. Recommended Locations
2.1 Your Own Name Website
This is the only location on the internet you can personally own and control! Whilst my first website went online in 2001, I didn’t create sueellson.com until 2012. Search engines expect every website to have an About Page, a Contact Page, a Privacy Policy and a Cookie Consent option. I have developed a range of categories so that combined categories can appear in search results as well as individual pages or posts. I also like to make sure that every page or post has an image, only one video and relevant headings, text and other marked up content. You can also see the links to social media posts when the content is shared and I do this so that when the robots visit this website, they index the social media posts as well as the website post.
2.2 Preferred Social Media
My first recommendation would be for a Facebook Page because Bing uses Facebook Page Reviews in its search results (not Google Reviews). However, depending on the audience you are trying to reach, you may prefer Instagram or Twitter / X or some other social media platform. Posts/Tweets on X are indexed in Google almost instantly so sharing three tweets a week can give you some quality screen real estate in online search results.
2.3 Professional Association Profile
I am a strong believer in being a paid up member of one or more professional associations and if you can also create an online profile on their website, making sure that it is live and up to date. Many of these associations have blog content, journals or magazines, events, conferences and specific publications. Be prepared to find out what is available, understand their requirements and make your pitch! You may also be able to find international aggregator websites, industry portals or data repositories that are relevant to your content goals and worth reaching out to or creating a profile and providing more information.
2.4 Directory Listings
I have found that most people do not add their details to relevant Directory Listings. There are standard ones in Australia like the Yellow and White Pages, True Local, Hot Frog etc and others that scrape content from the internet and automatically create profiles. If major ones exist for you or your enterprise name, do your best to keep these current and up to date. Some industries have very well-known paid listings that may be worth considering (in Australia, Natural Therapy Pages is an example). These directory listings are indexed by search robots.
3. Alternative Locations
3.1 Digital Publishing Platforms
There are many digital publishing platforms that have come and gone and some that have maintained their relevance over a number of years. I encourage people with an academic background to be on ResearchGate. Medium allows you to monetise your content and Substack allows you to build your audience and provides you with digital assets you can re-use on your other social media platforms. Alternatively, you can participate in online forums like Reddit or Question and Answer Platforms like Quora or Community Chats related to your expertise.
3.2 Contributor Publishers, Niche Publications and Websites
Various publishers create platforms that call on contributors who have met their editorial guidelines to submit content and once approved, have it published to their wider audience. In Australia, The Conversation restricts contributors to researchers or academics with a university or research institution. Open Forum shares policy content from a wide variety of contributors. Likewise, there are many individual magazines, journals, publications, websites etc that are looking for exclusive content (not published elsewhere) so it is always worth looking for editorial or submission guidelines or reviewing their other content and asking if you can contribute. You can also consider Audio Shows, Podcasts, Collaborations with other Content Creators as well as websites that share an alignment with your content.
3.3 Traditional Media and Larger Publications
Do you have something ‘new’ to stay that is backed up with reliable evidence or research findings that can be fact checked? Media outlets and proactive editors are constantly scanning what has been published online via major outlets (or going viral on social media) and then reaching out directly to ‘talent’. This is how I went from being quoted on the Daily Mail website to appearing on National Nine Television and Radio! I have a policy of connecting on LinkedIn with all Journalists, Editors, Producers and Broadcasters in case they would like to reconnect with a future story. I also respond as quickly as possible to their phone calls, texts, DMs and emails I receive as they are usually on a tight time frame. I then re-share whatever is published through my social media channels and add the details to my website.
3.4 Automatic Content Distribution or Collection Platforms
The one I most appreciate is purchasing an ISBN from MyIdentifiers to add to a digital or printed publication as this content is automatically fed into Google and it creates an ‘Author’ Knowledge Panel for you. You can usually claim the Knowledge Panel from a Google online search and edit this in Google Books or Google Play.
Wherever possible, I always write ‘By Sue Ellson’ on my content so that my ‘author byline’ can match up my content from multiple sources.
Other platforms, like Orcid will try and aggregate your publications either automatically or you can claim the profile and manually update it. Journalists often create a Muck Rack Profile to compile their content or pay for a platform like Authory to aggregate their multiple publications for a major outlet. Personally, I prefer to search for my name online on a regular basis and add whatever I find to this sueellson.com website as ‘automatic’ tools often miss more nuanced websites or platforms.
Publicity options can sometimes be available through callout services like SourceBottle. They often allow you to create a detailed profile and subscribe to alerts and then you can pick and choose what you respond to and submit a pitch that may lead to preparing more detailed content that is later published.
3.5 Direct Networking
Some of my most exciting contributions have been submitted to websites and publications that I have discovered via a personal referral or some extensive research. I have had a lot of acceptances and a lot of refusals, but still, I continue! Some editorial guidelines are very strict. I encourage you to keep a copy of everything you submit! I once spent three days answering online questions that were deleted without warning and unrecoverable! I was devastated!!
As mentioned above, I share whatever I can through my social channels and I always thank each person for the opportunity and @mention them and the organisations in any posts. As you can see here, most of the websites I am recommending are for non-fiction content and as I learn more about other locations for other types of content, I will update this post.
I am a firm believer that if you have something important to share, you need to publish it and ensure that it is read or watched or listened to!
I adopt a friendly, professional and solution-focused approach to all of my written, image, audio and video content.
I do not believe there is any value in criticising people or enterprises. I am also not worried about my content being re-used without my permission as it is too hard to monitor this but I am especially grateful when people do reference my content and @mention me in their social media posts so that I can respond.
Finally, I will warn you that some publication locations allow comments and some of the comments can be very derogatory and upsetting. I received so many unnecessary negative comments from one particular publication where I was quoted that I asked them if I should respond to the comments and I was advised not to. I also chose not to read any more comments on that platform going forward.
At the end of the day, I am happy to be sharing helpful suggestions despite the critics!
Other Relevant Resources
Online Presence A Results Driven Approach
Online Publishing Options Webinar
How To Create Your Own Name (Author) Website
Goal Setting – Preparing to Publish Purposefully
Personal Branding Australian Style
Embracing your own online brand of peculiar
Social Media and Online Marketing Checklist
How Social Media Works For Writers
Online Presence Essentials – Google, LinkedIn and Websites
There are a lot of suggestions here and if you would like some help to strategically move forward in a sustainable way that you will enjoy, please contact me!
Shared online Archive.org