Vertical is powerful.Consumers want precise, vertical information. They want true expertise. Reflecting this demand, search query lengths continue to rise-- with room to grow. Reflecting this demand, vertical sites are growing rapidly.
Advertisers want precise, vertical targeting. Reflecting this demand, Kelsey Group expects extremely strong growth of vertical ad spending.
Here are three powerful examples from the INET portfolio:
Flyertalk attracts more than one million unique visitors per month- mostly heavy business travelers looking to optimize their rewards programs and travel experiences. The audience is extremely targeted and valuable to airlines, credit cards companies, and travel advertisers.
A more vertical example: CorvetteForum attracts more than 250,000 unique visitors per month. The audience is uniquely and massively valuable to aftermarket parts manufacturers, retailers, tuners, modifiers, and dealers.
An even more vertical example: I-am-pregnant is a community organized by week of pregnancy. For example, you could be a member of the current week 22 group.
What are the limits to verticality? Only natural ones. Verticality forms around natural communities of interest. And where community collects, commerce (and advertising) follow.
You are very right Bob. Vertical focus with sites provide powerful aggregation of deep content. The content can be contributed by passionate enthusiasts and experts that provide a high level of authenticity. This is great for those who participate in the site. It is even more great for the masses who consume this content gaining access through search, links and apps. Both producers and consumers are incredibly valuable targets for advertising and commerce. The most valuable on the web. I have witnessed this for years now in my work on the web. I admire the vast collection of vertical sites you are amassing and building @ iBrands.
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