Comment by dcrazy 9 days ago
I’ve noticed that distributors (Jameco, Mouser, etc) have a surprising number of introductory education articles. I’ve seen this pattern on websites for car dealerships and HVAC installers, so I assumed it was for SEO purposes. But electronic parts distribution seems like a much more niche audience; why bother with SEO?
It brings you to their site as well as advertises a specific component or range of components from a manufacturer.
The Digikey articles I've come across are well written. This article however is artificially inflated using SEO style writing. I mean after they supposedly explained servo motors you'll find this ugly sentence further down: "Still, how does a servo motor work?" I mean holy shit man, do you even care about your writing or the subject? Likely not. And really, the article is so light on details its barely technical and only talks about the RC servo. This is pretty much junk.
Electronics distributors have published educational material for decades. Knowing how something works and how to choose the best option reduces their support burden and itself a form of marketing.
Omega Engineering used to (still does?) publish a set of absolutely massive hardcover catalogs on sensors and industrial controls that contained detailed tutorials and theory of operation. In some cases, they published entire books devoted to teaching you how stuff worked. Their Temperature Sensors Handbook always had a place on my bookshelf for many years.
If I recall correctly these pages are useful for teachers and students, and Jameco has relatively high-touch education sales (for example, their kitting program: https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/workshop/education-center/educ...).
I want to say that I remember seeing this page in high school in the late 00s, although the Internet Archive only seems to go back to 2012 for this exact URL.
This reminds me that Monoprice used to have a "knowledge base" for many of their products. I don't remember if they were just written directly on an item's page, or if there was a link to the relevant article, but it was very informative.
Is it this? I didn't know about it until your post.
Some may be application notes from the manufacturers.
Jameco also supplies mid level engineering firms, so similar to application notes. Think automation integration company buying xyz specialty robotics controller.
I think of mouser as more like digikey, so I don't really know why they would have similar educational information above the level of PCB board component. But, they may also have business in the low-quantity higher margin business.
Tldr: not seo. Customers actually need to know about the product
Exactly, as one of their target audience I'm not searching for them, I know who they are. I go to their website regularly and articles like these are how I find out about new stuff and how to use it.
I think it's just a tradition in the electronics world to write and publish hobby and educational articles. It dates back to well before the the Internet. People enjoy this interaction, and the distributors give them space for it.
People like HVAC installers -- I've seen most of that on YouTube, where there's a chance of monetizing the content. I've repaired nearly every appliance in my house, thanks to blogs and videos posted by strangers.