Commentary

Health A Hot Topic On The Internet

Health A Hot Topic On The Internet

comScore, Inc. recently released results of a study showing that the health information site category has grown 21 percent during the past year, more than four times the growth rate of the total U.S. Internet population. In June, more than 1.5 billion display ad views were seen by nearly 54 million people via sites in the health information category.

WebMD Health topped the list of display ad publishers, delivering 290 million display ad views and reaching nearly 15 million people at an average frequency of 19.3 times per visitor during the month.

Three other health networks boosted the overall growth of the category, each attracting more than ten million visitors:

  • Everyday Health with 14.7 million (up 63%)
  • Revolution Health Network with 11.3 million visitors (up 182%)
  • AOL Health with 11.1 million (up 88%)

John Mangano, senior director, comScore Pharmaceutical Marketing Solutions, said. "... sites have become vibrant online communities... sharing experiences and advice, rather than simply being one-way information resources... Improved site functionality, increased content personalization, and consumer acceptance of the Internet... for health information... breathe new life into the health information category,"

While Everyday Health and Revolution Health Network both achieved significant organic growth on their core Web sites, their recent partnerships with several smaller health sites, as well as some strategic acquisitions, have also contributed to their respective gains.

Top 10 Health Information Sites (Unique Visitors July 2008 vs. July 2007 Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations)

 

Total Unique Visitors (000)

 

Jul-2007

Jul-2008

 % Change

Total Internet: Total Audience

180,078

189,134

5

Health - Information

56,865

69,008

21

WebMD Health

16,829

17,277

3

Everyday Health

9,009

14,703

63

Revolution Health Network

4,014

11,329

182

AOL Health*

5,913

11,095

88

About.com Health

6,947

8,682

25

Yahoo! Health

7,445

8,496

14

MSN Health

8,833

7,813

-12

NIH.Gov

8,545

7,315

-14

Righthealth.Com

2,424

6,160

154

Quality Health Network

N/A

5,822

N/A

Source: comScore Media Metrix

 

 

 

* July 2007 AOL figures reported in the above chart are for AOL Body while the July 2008 figures are for AOL Health

 Though the number of unique visitors exposed to advertising at both Revolution Health Network and AOL Health were significantly lower than for WebMD Health, they were reached with a higher frequency. Also noteworthy is that despite Weight Watchers International delivering ads to just 2 million unique visitors, each ad-exposed visitor saw an average of 31 display ads during the month, the highest frequency among the top ten publisher sites in the category.

Top 10 Health Information Publishers (June 2008 Total U.S. Home/Work/University Locations)

Publisher

Total Display Ad Views*(MM)

Share of Display Ad Views

Advertising Exposed Unique Visitors (000)

Average Frequency 

Health - Information

1,556

100.0%

53,556

29.0

WebMD Health

290

18.6%

14,992

19.3

Revolution Health Network

201

12.9%

8,320

24.1

AOL Health

186

12.0%

8,780

21.2

Everyday Health

154

9.9%

10,355

14.8

MSN Health

109

7.0%

7,751

14.1

About.com Health

98

 6.3%

7,242

13.5

Lifescript.Com

92

5.9%

3,406

27.0

Weight Watchers International

61

3.9%

1,962

31.0

Yahoo! Health

59

3.8%

7,902

7.5

AARP Sites

34

2.2%

1,696

20.3

Source: comScore Ad Metrix, September 2008   * Excludes house ads and very small ads          

For more information on comScore Pharmaceutical solutions and this Study, please visit here.

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