First-Mover Advantage in Online Publishing

Don't wait for the gun! Start early and gain an advantage.

Get a head start on your competition

Google generally respects the "first-mover advantage". In fact, in its patent application for its search engine algorithm, Google states that the age of a Webpage can be used as a factor in determining ranking. In other words, all else being equal, an older Webpage is likely to get better ranking than a newer one.

This is why it's often futile to try to create a Webpage on a certain topic that addresses the exact same points in the same way as a Webpage that was published earlier. (But, of course, if the newer one has details that the older one lacks, then there is an opportunity for traffic)

So how do you capture the first-mover advantage for your Hubs? Simple! Write great quality Hubs on topics that very few, if anyone, have written something on.

So, how do you duplicate these Hubs' success?

Do you know a specific topic that has only begun to be discussed or explored on currently-available Webpages?
Do you know a specific topic that has an "impatience gap"-a specific topic that people are searching on for more information, but that people haven't published much on yet?
Do you know a specific topic that people want to get as much information as possible on (possibly visiting dozens of Webpages), but that there are only a handful of available Webpages on?

Any of these scenarios would suggest topics that are ripe for an informative, engaging Hub on them now. These proactive Hub topics, in addition to timeless, evergreen topics, are great opportunities for lasting, high traffic from the search engines.

Here are a few examples:

AskSusanPeters had written a lot of reviews of cat and dog food before the recent recalls sent millions of concerned pet owners to Google looking for more information. Her Hubs were already published and indexed by Google when people needed information. Even months later, they are older than newer Webpages that sprang up at the time of the recalls (but she updates them to keep full of fresh information). With heightened anxiety about the safety of cat and dog food, her Hubs will continue to get a lot of traffic from pet lovers in the months and years to come.
This Hub on resveratrol was published a few months before research was released showing that the supplement vastly increases the endurance and lifespan of test mice. When the story broke, the Hub was already there to receive traffic from interested searchers.
This Hub (1408) is on a movie that hasn't even been released yet! But Dylan's timing is great-he's one of the very few who's written a high-quality Webpage on it (with picture and trailer) this early in the game, before most people who will eventually write about it have even heard of it. He's also written it in an "evergreen way" so that even after its release, even years later, it will be interesting and informative to people who search on it and want to learn more.