Pabst Online-Archive

Mr. Pabst needed a website where readers of his journals could easily access information and make purchases. The goal was to offer all of the Pabst Verlag’s digital journals for purchase, as well as establish a subscription model that would allow readers to access all of their purchased content from one central location. Additionally, print subscriptions should also be available.

We developed a concept to make accessing the various journals as easy as possible. Furthermore, the journals should find a home on this website since many of them did not have their own online presence. The visibility and sales of the journals should also be optimized through the technical structure, in combination with Google search algorithms.

Our task was to update the slightly outdated image by creating a modern, user-friendly subscription or single-purchase offering. Primarily, this offering was aimed at professionals responsible for these specific fields. In order to secure the journals’ place in the future market, we expanded the target audience to include students.

Access to the journals is immediate. Users are directed to a grid that can be sorted using various parameters. This allows them to easily find exactly what they’re looking for, while also getting a glimpse of the other journals available from Pabst Verlag.

We automated the import of the journal data (3 files for each: cover, sample reading, and content) and structured the transfer in a way that search engines can effectively capture the content of the journals.

The table of contents of the journals is available in structured text form to make effective use of Google’s crawling. At the “bottom” of each article, we addressed the customer’s request to provide easy access to the content. For this, one can subscribe (Online or Print & Online) or make a single purchase, which is, of course, comparatively more expensive.

Visiting the subscription order page to gain direct access to the issue, the user reaches an offer overview that lists the various subscription options. Since we also offer open access titles, there are also free subscription models available.

To cater to users with diverse interests, we also introduced the Pabst+ subscription model. This subscription grants unlimited access to all digitally available journals in the Pabst Verlag for one year. For those who wish to support the publisher further, there is also a Pabst+ Lifetime subscription, which provides access to all content for the duration of the Pabst Verlag’s operations.

Once the payment is completed, the system automatically sends the invoice in the form of a PDF. If the user leaves the site before completing the final purchase, they will receive a reminder email notifying them of the products still in their cart.

Every customer who subscribes to the newsletter during the purchase will automatically receive a newsletter once a month featuring the latest journal contributions.

Once a customer has made a purchase, they can manage all their individual orders as well as the details of their subscription model.

The analysis of data from Google Analytics and the Search Console paints a positive picture. Both already established readers find their way to the site through Google, as well as people searching for topics covered by these journals.

Conclusion

The concept has been very well received. Mr. Pabst is pleased with the new sales of his subscription models to people he was unable to reach through previous channels. There have been no usability inquiries, as the system is intuitive to use. Apart from sending out the print editions and monitoring incoming payments for bank transfers, the website handles most tasks automatically. Additionally, there are no ongoing costs for operating this shop (except for update maintenance).