The Next Chapter of Readwise: Our Own Reading App

The Next Chapter of Readwise: Our Own Reading App

In today's digital age, where technology has disrupted traditional publishing and distribution models, the act of reading itself has remained relatively unchanged. We still spend hours reading books, only to forget the majority of what we've learned. This begs the question: why doesn't software help us internalize the knowledge we want to apply to our personal and work lives?

At Readwise, our mission is to improve the practice of reading through software by an order of magnitude. That's why we've built our own fully-integrated reading app. The decision to create our own app was driven by the demands of our users. They wanted a tool specifically designed for reading, not just for writing.

According to the Association of American Publishers' annual report for 2019, physical books still outsell e-books, with revenue reaching nearly $26 billion in the U.S. last year. This data highlights the continued popularity of traditional book formats. However, the experience of reading has not evolved with the times.

During the late 2000s, there was a surge of reading technology, with the introduction of devices like the Kindle, Pocket, Instapaper, Google Reader, and Goodreads. At the time, it seemed like reading technology was on the cusp of a revolution. But in hindsight, it's clear that this era was more focused on controlling content distribution in the mobile-first world than on advancing the practice of reading itself.

When we first started Readwise, our focus was on what happens after you read. We wanted to address the issue of retention. If you want to get more out of reading, you first need to forget less. Our reading app is built on a local-first foundation, allowing for lightning-fast, full-text search of your entire library. You can easily find any book, article, annotation, or highlight, even if all you remember is a single word. And the best part is, it works offline too.

But improving what happens after you read is only part of the equation. We also need to tackle the problem of content overload before you even start reading. Many of us save more articles, books, and other content than we can actually consume. As a result, our digital gardens become digital graveyards, filled with unfinished reads. Our app addresses this issue by making highlighting a first-class feature. Highlighting is core to our reading experience, unlike other reading apps where it is often neglected or an afterthought.

One unique aspect of our approach is that we are not trying to make reading a social activity. We are not aiming to create an internet-scale annotation layer or turn reading into a social network. Instead, we see immense potential in single-player mode. There is so much low-hanging fruit in improving the individual reading experience that we can hardly fathom the possibilities of multiplayer.

To create a great reading app, we need to align with how customers think about their reading workflow. This means choosing the right atomic concepts and building upon them. Our app is built on the foundation of great atomic concepts, honed and extended to enhance the reading experience.

Now, let's shift gears and discuss the connection between great product features and SEO traffic for large sites. When it comes to large sites, the biggest SEO gains come from new or improved product features. Inventory-driven sites, such as marketplaces, have scalable and indexable page templates that can be optimized for higher rankings. On the other hand, content-driven sites generate organic traffic through the content they create themselves.

Discovering new product features that can improve SEO at scale is a challenge. However, SEO research can be a powerful tool to uncover customer needs and develop new features based on search volume. By using tools like AHREFS or SEMrush, you can analyze your competitors' keywords and find opportunities to target keywords you're not currently ranking for.

The "jobs-to-be-done" framework by Clayton Christensen is particularly helpful in discovering new keywords and features. This framework considers how customers think about a solution and how they perceive themselves while using it. By identifying job statements, which consist of a verb, an object, and context, you can better understand your audience and their language.

It's important to note that SEO is not a standalone approach. It needs to be integrated into the company's organizational structure. SEO is a meta-layer that informs web development, design, and writing. Success in SEO relies on the execution of others, making collaboration and communication vital.

To ensure that SEO is integrated into the product organization, it's ideal to have direct reporting lines from developers to SEOs. This allows for ongoing meetings and communication between product teams and SEOs. Constant education and promotion of the importance of SEO to executives is also crucial for success.

In conclusion, both Readwise and the connection between great product features and SEO traffic for large sites highlight the importance of improving user experiences. Whether it's through a reading app that helps us retain knowledge or product features that enhance SEO, the goal is to provide value to users and make their lives easier.

Actionable advice:

1. Prioritize retention in your reading habits by using a tool like Readwise to save and revisit key highlights and annotations.
2. Utilize SEO research to uncover customer needs and develop new product features that align with search volume.
3. Integrate SEO into your company's organizational structure and foster collaboration between product teams and SEOs.

By combining the concepts of improving the reading experience and leveraging SEO for product development, we can create better tools and experiences for users. Let's continue to innovate and enhance the way we read and interact with digital content.