API's are becoming important for publishers, too

There are several API's in existence which give small-time websites a bigger feel. One such interface is the Yahoo Developer Network (YPN) which gives websites the ability to have a Yahoo search engine on their website.

API's are also moving into the mobile realm, giving mobile marketers the ability to sell ringtones, wallpapers and more mobile swag. API's are embedded within a website, giving even small mom-and-pop type websites a big business feel. By utilizing partner network API's, one mobile marketer has seen his customer base grow from signing up only 40 partners in two years to more than 40 more partners in only 15 days.

"In API-driven business development, compelling content or tools, such as Google Maps and Salesforce.com, becomes the bait to attract incoming machine-to-machine connections established via APIs," was written in the report.

By using existing API's, etailers and online publishers can grow their user base at a faster rate. But that isn't necessarily enough. What publisher's and etailer's need to remember is that an API might grow traffic in the beginning, but to keep their website growth going the site's content - whether good retail deals or the latest news content - must be above average. By giving consumers something they can't get elsewhere, online marketers can continue growing their user base for years to come.

Tags: API's, Outsell Insights