Content-based websites and products are rarely glamorous, and are often disparaged by investors and developers. But there is a huge, overlooked advantage of content-based products…  they retain their value for a long, long time.

I was a co-developer of Telemark’s Guide to Dogs, which was released on CD-ROM in 1995. The product was originally self-published.

The disk contained all sorts of information about dog activities, profiles and photos of 168 AKC-recognized dog breeds, and a “dog breed selector” that helped users to find the ideal dog breeds based on their lifestyles and preferences.  It also included short videos of several dog activities, including police dog training and a Guide Dogs for the Blind “graduation” ceremony.

The content was later licensed to The Learning Company, where it sold over 45,000 copies and won a National Educational Media Network Silver Apple Award in 1997.

When the CD-ROM market began to die, the dog breed selector and profiles were licensed to the IAMs pet food company for use on their website, iams.com. In addition to paying license fees for the product, IAMs paid for regular updates, as the AKC added new breeds and modified breed standards. (In 2017, IAMs changed their branding strategy, and did not renew the license.)

In 2022, the Dog Breed Selector, Dog Breed Comparer, and over 200 dog profiles and photos were sold to Sugar Sweet Georgia Puppies, and are now hosted on their website, georgiapuppiesfromheaven.com. The extensive content continues to have high SEO value.

In short, an information content product has generated revenue for almost 30 years, and still has value. There are very, very few technology products and businesses that can make the same claim.