The internet has introduced a whole new variety of ways to distribute content, with scholarly content being no exception. While not so long ago academic papers were mostly discovered through publishers’ homepages or index databases, today it can be done by a simple search in Google, Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic Search and other search engines.

Whether it’s the author’s name, the discipline, or any particular topic, the researcher can type the relevant keyword into the search field, press ‘enter’, and – most likely – whatever they were looking for will appear somewhere in the first result pages.

With Google becoming one of the central starting points for any academic-related search, publishers often find themselves going head to head with each other in securing a top position in the search results and being more discoverable by their audiences. There are several proven SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and website optimization methods that can help position journals and articles higher than other publications within the same discipline or subject.

Luckily, there’s no need for publishers themselves to learn the complexities of web programming or SEO to start utilizing its possibilities in their journals’ marketing strategy. Today, most of the journal hosting tools have these fundamental SEO functionalities already integrated into their websites, and available to benefit the platform users instantaneously – as soon as their content is uploaded and published.

One of such platforms is PubliMill hosting system. Designed specifically for the academic community and publishers, this platform meets your essential journal hosting needs – including content optimization for better accessibility online and search ranking in Google.

What are the main functionalities of journal hosting tools that can help boost journal discoverability online?

• Set up your journal’s “business card”

When choosing journal hosting tool, determine if it offers dedicated section where you can provide your readers with all the necessary information about your journal. Consider it as a business card where the visitors can learn about your journal’s OA policy, guidelines for peer-reviewers and authors, databases where the journal is indexed, and where to find it on social media.

• Full-text HTML – for great appearance and discoverability

Content published in full-text HTML format allows creating a flawless content layout – even if it features complex equations or interactive elements.
But more importantly, HTML is the nuts and bolts of SEO and website optimization. This is exactly what enables the journal’s discoverability online as Google only detects and ranks content that’s been published in machine-readable HTML format.

• Mobile-friendly content – for those always on the run

It’s a fact – nowadays increasingly more people search on their phones or tablets, and academic society members are no exception. When choosing journal hosting tool, determine if it offers mobile-friendly website structure that displays all your content impeccably on any screen. This will help you stay ahead of the game and serve the needs of your audiences that choose non-desktop devices for their search.

PubliMill hosting system is built for a truly modern open-access journal experience – so that your content has a perfect digital look and the online-visibility that your content deserves.