Demand Media Inc. received an enthusiastic welcome on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, adding 33 percent to its share price following an initial public offering that raised about $151 million.

The Santa Monica online content publisher, which trades under the ticker symbol “DMD,” priced its initial offering at a higher-than-expected $17 per share and increased the size of its offering to 8.9 million shares. It earlier said it planned to offer 7.5 million shares that likely would price between $14 and $16 each.

Demand Media, led by Chief Executive Richard Rosenblatt, operates a network of content-focused sites such as eHow and LiveStrong.com, with content largely created by freelancers.

After soaring 40 percent, shares closed up $5.65, or 33 percent, to $22.65 on the NYSE.