Visitors from Facebook are more loyal to news and media Web sites than are visitors from Google News, according to new data from Hitwise. In particular, among the top 5 print media Web sites in
the week ending March 6, 78% of Facebook users were returning visitors compared to 67% from Google News. The figures are almost identical for Broadcast Media, with a 77% returning rate for Facebook
compared to 64% for Google News.
Either way, "This reinforces the long term value to news and media organisations [sic] of working with the likes of Google News and Facebook," writes
Hitwise senior analyst Heather Hopkins. "With recent Pew Research showing that newspapers have seen ad revenue fall 26% during the year and 43% over the past three years, understanding where to find
loyal readers is becoming increasingly important."