Soft vs Hard Paywall Benefits 🤔
This Flip180 video installment is all about soft vs hard paywall benefits.
What is a paywall?
A paywall is a method of making only so many articles free for an online magazine. When the limit is reached, the reader is prompted to pay for a subscription. The content gets crawled completely, but the user is only able to see what you allow them to, according to IP-determined credits.
Differences between Soft vs Hard paywallsÂ
- Hard paywalls allow fewer options than soft paywalls
- Soft paywalls allow search engines to see and index your content easily
- Starting with a soft paywall is actually easier now
- Which is right for you?
- Why do some magazines choose hard paywalls?
Paywalls have multiple roles in building your magazine business. Strictly ad-based publishers who ignore paywalls are probably doing it wrong.
The SEO and prospective subscriber engagement benefits of a hard vs a soft paywall should be considered. We discuss them both here in some detail to help publishers make the best decision.
Setting up a soft paywall for a magazine or blog
WordPress and other CMS plugins can make setting up a soft paywall easier than ever, with minimum or no custom coding. This is great since soft paywalls have more options for the publisher and the reader to create best outcomes.
For more information about setting up your paywall, just reach out to Flip180 to get paid consulting or even just a little free advice! The Flip180 team has been creating paywalls for magazines both big and small for nearly a decade now!
