Web 2.0 content sites are better for marketers

All content sites are not created equally. That is the word from a recent Jupiter Research study that compared content sites with and without several Web 2.0 platforms.

by Kristina Knight

The study found that users were more engaged or more apt to return to a content site that included new features like blogs, aggregated feed options and portals. Along with studies that find the young adult (18-24) demographic is increasingly getting the bulk of their news and information from online sites, it is clear that advertisers would fare better by choosing sites that embrace Web 2.0 portals. According to the report about 57% of 18-24 year olds get their news from portals compared to 21% who get their news from broadcast sources.

But not all content sites provide Web 2.0 features, which means that users may not return day after day. And the ad dollars invested in those sites may not obtain that same ROI as ads on sites with blogs, podcasts and feeds.

So, when looking for new content sites with which to advertise, marketers would be well served to do a little research. Investigate the sites you are interested in advertising with. Find out how many unique users visited the site in the past quarter and find out how many times those users returned. Learn whether or not aggregators are offered to users, if blogs are included along with news stories and what other Web 2.0 features - podcasts, streaming video and photo sharing opportunities - are offered to users.