• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, April 29, 2008

A year ago, RevolutionHealth.com launched as the flagship site of Revolution Health Group, the company started by former AOL co-founder and CEO Steve Case with more than $100 million of his own money. 

Revolution Health Network now also includes CarePages.com, a social site for those dealing with illness or injury; Drugstore.com, where consumers can buy health-related products; HealthTalk, a site for people with chronic conditions; and SparkPeople, which provides guidance on dieting and exercise.

As of March, Revolution Health was the Internet's fourth-ranked health property with 11.5 million monthly visitors--trailing only WebMD Health, Everyday Health and AOL Body, according to comScore. Case, Revolution Health's chairman and CEO, agreed to answer some questions about the company to date and where it's headed.

Q: Revolution Health has grown rapidly in its first year. Has traffic growth come mainly through acquisitions so far?

A: No. If you look at RevolutionHealth.com, the flagship site of Revolution Health Network, one year ago we basically had zero traffic. We have organically built that site up to more than six million uniques per month and growing. Also, the properties within Revolution Health Network that we did acquire, including CarePages and HealthTalk, have also seen solid organic growth. Rounding out Revolution Health Network, which surpassed WebMD in page views earlier this year, are our affiliations with SparkPeople and drugstore.com.

Q: What are some features that differentiate Revolution Health from competing health sites?

A: Talking about RevolutionHealth.com specifically, the site is anchored by content from the most trusted brands in health, including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard, and others. Frankly, what really differentiates RevolutionHealth.com is our strong focus on community and personalization.

We want people to get engaged, get involved and really participate. So we created a range of products and services to help people do that, from a personal health record to track your family's health to a medicine chest that allows you to understand treatment options and rate different treatment options.

We also allow people to rate doctors and hospitals to help them find a doctor or hospital that is right for them.

Q: What are key goals for the company as you head into your second year, and when do you expect to be profitable?

A: Our main focus over the next year is to keep innovating, especially surrounding personalization and products and services that further engage people in their health. Profitability is on the horizon, but we haven't put a timetable on it yet.

Q: Regarding revenue, what's the split between subscriptions and advertising?

A: We don't have a subscription business for consumers. Our offerings are free to consumers through an advertising-based business model.

Q: So far, it looks like advertising on RevolutionHealth.com is mostly via AdSense. Will that start to change as you sell more of your own inventory?

A: It varies on different parts of RevolutionHealth.com, but overall, AdSense is a relatively small part of our model. Already, about 80% of our advertising revenue from RevolutionHealth.com is derived from ads sold through our sales team to companies like Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and AstraZeneca.

Q: Is advertising sold across the Revolution Health Network, or are the different properties treated as separate entities?

A: Both. Advertisers have the ability to buy across our network or specific sites within it.

Q: Will the broader economic downturn have an impact on the company's growth?

A: I believe the health and wellness category is different than most, and is well-protected against an economic downturn. Consumers have a growing interest in living healthier. Just look at the billions of dollars consumer spend every year on vitamins, health clubs, workout clothing, etc. If anything, I think you'll see advertisers shifting more of their spend online as a more efficient way of reaching their targets.