A Different Kind of Content
All content is valuable. Fortunately, just about any kind of content can be metered.
Take a look at Automobl.
Automobl is a new Canadian car comparison site. Founder Paul Webster has spent a lot of time compiling data on every trim available of more than 175 cars currently on the market.
He made note of all the differences, assigned a value to each different feature, and came up with an end judgment on how much each upgrade was truly worth.
But then how to convey all that information to the public and then how to monetize his work?
That’s where ZEEN101 came in.
A Flexible Platform
WordPress is a powerful platform for any website, but it’s not the most efficient storage space for the massive amount of data Automobl has compiled.
Fortunately, its API is versatile enough to allow for smooth connections to outside applications.
Instead, Automobl keeps all of that information in a filemaker database, which allows them a ton of storage and the ability to dynamically upgrade and alter the findings as they come.
Instead, the website itself merely houses the custom built comparison tool. The potential car buyer can select the year, make, model, and trim of the two cars they would like to compare. WordPress then pulls the relevant information up from the database and displays it on the results page.
The data also comes with a judgment: which car is the better value.
The user can then return to the search page—which remembers the last search—and try a different comparison.
Users can compare feature differences, common equipment, or measurement.
It’s a pretty neat tool. And it is much more efficient than building endless pages of different comparison combinations. But without multiple pages to meter, how could Automobl protect the hard-earned value of all that content?
The same way you protect any other content: Leaky Paywall, of course.
A Versatile Meter
Once ZEEN101 had built the connection between WordPress and the database, it was easy to add an option in Leaky Paywall to meter the comparisons.
Instead of counting down the number of pages visited or articles read, Leaky Paywall tracks the number of database queries that pass through the connection.
Currently, users get five free searches. After that, the user gets a simple prompt to subscribe and a reminder of the stakes. What’s a five dollar subscription in the face of a purchase worth tens of thousands?
After that, it works like any other subscription.
Metering unique content can be just that easy.
Want to find out more about custom solutions for your content? Let’s talk.
