Why is web traffic so huge from "old" media?
If “new” media is so powerful, why did “old” media dominate the comScore Media Matrix November listings for highest traffic websites?
SEO expert Bill Hartzer’s article Top 50 USA Websites for November 2010 tweaked my interest. He reported the comScore results and noted holiday shopping sites were driving results at this time of year.
I decided to group the top 50 websites into five categories including: “old” media; search; “new” media; shopping; and technology/social media websites. The information provided some interesting PR and marketing implications.
What stood out for me were:
- The dominance of “old” media in the digital environment (15 websites, 9,631,474,000 unique visits)
- Fast-growing strength of “new” media properties often made up of many small niches grouped together; for example Glam Media and CafeMoms Network
- New media traffic driven strongly by shopping sites; for example Trails.com or Mommy and lifestyle sites. In some ways, many small new media sites collectively appeal to niches and provide content around which shopping and advertising are a big part. Not that old media don’t too.
- Powerful reach and traffic of the big “search” properties remained (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Ask Network, Wikipedia, Answers.com, Craigslist) with seven sites and 813,232,000 unique visits.
- The high traffic in retail sites was evident on Amazon, Apple, eBay, Wal-Mart, Target, Disney Online, Best Buy, Sears with nine sites and 435,294,000 visits.
- Traffic was also high on the technology/social media sites (including Facebook, AOL, Technorati) with seven sites and 423,240,000 visits.
These top 50 sites generated a total of 11,810,692,000 unique website visits in the US in November. That’s huge! It surprised me that “old” media had 81.5% of these internet visits. What’s important for PR and marketing professionals is that old media are adapting to and delivering huge audience through traditional and new digital channels.
That’s a good reminder to always target old and new media. It won’t be long before we stop thinking in terms of “old” vs “new” media.
Here’s a quick rundown of the numbers showing the website property and the number of unique website visits in Nov 2010.
“Old” Media Show Well in Top 50 Websites
15 websites, 9,631,474,000 unique visits
The “old” media showed very well. By their numbers alone, they remain influential. Traditional media included CBS, The New York Times, Fox, ESPN, The Weather Channel and Condé Nast. Most of these old media also “get” new media and have substantial assets and investment in their internet properties. While the profits may not be there yet on the Internet side, the combination positions them very well for profitability in the future.
In several cases, inclusion in this old media section could be debated but I wanted to put properties in logical groupings to illustrate some of my key observations on the top 50 listings. Comcast was included here because of its significant cable TV assets; the NFL because it is broadcast on TV and cable.
CBS Interactive 88,017,000 [TV, news, entertainment, sports]
Turner Digital 86,452,000 [TV, entertainment]
Viacom Digital 81,710,000 [TV, entertainment, digital]
New York Times Digital 72,280,000 [newspaper, publishing]
Fox Interactive Media 69,184,000 [TV, news, entertainment]
Comcast Corporation* 49,019,000 [cable, internet]
ESPN 43,129,000 [TV sports]
Gannett Sites 39,851,000 [USA Today, TV, internet]
YellowBook Network 39,635,000 [Yellow Pages]
The Weather Channel 37,891,000 [TV]
Scripps Networks Interactive Inc 30,371,000 [TV, lifestyle media]
Superpages.com Network 29,891,000 [Yellow Pages]
Tribune Interactive 29,628,000 [newspaper, TV, radio]
Conde Nast Digital 27,806,000 [magazine, digital publishing]
NFL Internet Group 26,238,000 [sports]
Search, Reference Sites Find Numbers
7 sites, 813,232,000 visits
These are your mega search, utility websites. I included Craigslist here, though it could be argued it also fits in “old” media like Yellow Pages. Judgment call. Here because it doesn’t print a paper.
Yahoo! Sites 180,987,000
Google Sites 178,726,000
Microsoft Sites 175,731,000
Ask Network 92,369,000
Wikimedia Foundation Sites 77,773,000
Answers.com Sites 57,926,000
Craigslist* 49,720,000
New Media Properties Strong, Growing Fast
12 sites, 507,452,000 visits
Most new media groups are aggregations of small properties that become significant when brought together. In this way, they leverage their niche or specialties such as health, lifestyle, music, technology, etc. Take a look through some of these media groups and see how they bring their assets together. There are some fascinating stories and significant properties and influencers to learn about. PR and marketing people need to follow this growth carefully.
Glam Media 89,864,000 [1,400 style, fashion, lifestyle niche publishers]
Demand Media 64,831,000 [niche content: eHow, Trails.com, golflink]
VEVO 57,760,000 [music, video merchandise]
NetShelter Technology Media 45,819,000 [technology media]
Federated Media Publishing 38,708,000 [large independent niche media]
Break Media Network 37,314,000 [Men’s, tech, video]
iVillage.com: The Womens Network 33,045,000 [women’s, health, food]
Alloy Digital Network 31,695,000 [youth]
WeatherBug 28,304,000
Six Apart Sites 26,997,000
Everyday Health 26,575,000 [health, diet, wellness]
CafeMom Network 26,540,000 [Moms, lifestyle]
Shopping Sites Rack Up Sales
9 sites, 435,294,000 visits
Not much explanation needed here. New and old retailers were revving up for Christmas sales. I included Adobe here because it sells products.
Amazon 83,875,000
Apple 69,896,000
eBay 68,441,000
Wal-Mart 51,817,000
Target 39,777,000
Adobe* 34,982,000
Disney Online 29,928,000
Best Buy 28,805,000
Sears 27,773,000
Technology & Social Media Website Talk Big
7 sites, 423,240,000 visits
The AOL, AT&T, Verizon inclusion needs explanation as each could also fit elsewhere in my groupings. I included AT&T and Verizon for their wireless network although cable could fit in the “old” media segment. While it could be included in the search/reference or “new” media groups, AOL has significant social media, so I made a decision to include it here.
Facebook 151,722,000
AOL* 114,484,000
Technorati Media 42,714,000
AT&T Interactive Network* 30,111,000
WordPress 29,250,000
LinkedIn 28,470,000
Verizon Communications Corporation* 26,489,000
All in all, it’s a fascinating study. Social media will continue to grow as will the so-called “new” media. This bears watching by PR and marketing pros. But the power of traditional media remains particularly potent when introduced into social media channels. It’s a powerful and influential combination that we can use to tremendous advantage.
Holiday Wishes
We’ll be taking a break between Christmas and New Years and I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. Thanks for all your support of the new website and I hope 2011 will be a wonderful year of growth and success for you all!
Author: Jeff Domansky is Editor, The PR Coach
Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff via Flickr
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{ 3 comments }
Thanks, Jeff. I’m really hoping that traditional media can find a way to thrive in these new business models. Those media outlets have just been in a very difficult position for several years now. I hope the future is brighter for them, and I have all the respect in the world for my friends who continue to do their best to get the news to us every day. All the best to you, too.
Kathy, thanks for sharing your insight and experience. I share your regard for “old” media. I am still optimistic that great content and storytelling will still play an important role in our lives. But it will be a while before technology and the new business models sort themselves out. All the best.
Hi Jeff:
You’re right — it’s a fascinating study, and “old media” is getting a lot of visits online. But that’s not necessarily good news for them As a former newspaper writer/editor, I know one of the biggest reasons for visits to media sites is that the news is FREE. Newspapers put way more content online (videos, photo galleries, blogs, more/longer stories) than they give to paying subscribers, and media outlets have trained readers for more than a decade that all the news they produce should be free online. Where do people get breaking news and in-depth coverage these days? On “old media” websites, in many cases. So lots of people have stopped subscribing and get all the news online for free instead. Paid circulation numbers are depressingly low, and online advertising only brings in a fraction of the revenue that print advertising does. “Old media” is still laying off employees it can’t afford to lose, so the number of website visits to “old media” don’t mean much if those visits aren’t translating into money for the media outlets to pay their bills. Don’t get me wrong, I love “old” journalism, and I still root for my hometown paper and read it every day, but that paper is owned by a media giant, and when I worked there, most of us felt like we were on a sinking ship.
The rising number of website visits never consoled us when another round of employees got laid off, and I believe that’s still true today.
Thanks for all the information on the study and for a thought-provoking post. I learn a lot from your tips, @kamkansas