Women Get Online and Advertisers Follow

Where women go, advertising follows. The web is no exception.

As we've mentioned before, women appear to outnumber men online, with many writing, reading or otherwise contributing to blogs. And advertisers are finally getting hip to their jive.

ComScore results, as highlighted in a recent New York Times article, indicated that advertisers served up "4.4 billion display ads on women’s Web sites in May" and that women’s sites had recorded 84 million visitors in July 2008.

Popularity has been enhanced by the increased presence of moms on the web. Chronicling the everyday challenges and musings of raising children, do-it-yourself home improvement projects and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect work/life balance helps other web-savvy moms and their fans stay entertained, informed and connected.

Before the likes of Shine, BlogHer and DailyCandy -- sites that publish original content by women, while also catering to their infotainment needs by offering entertainment, beauty, fashion and other epicurian delights of womanhood -- ivillage.com and women.com failed to garner the attention of women and advertisers.

Since then however, online advertising includes more than just cars and technology companies, which didn't always appeal to the gentler sex. Now, women's websites have created a niche for advertisers with something to sell to women.

Though sites that appeal to the political, geeky side of women are present, they struggle to find consistent and interested advertisers, as well as the popularity that their social counterparts have garnered. Subject to interpretation, it may be that women find their political fix online via news sites and thus seek out information about "fashion, food and fun" via sites that cater accordingly.

Comparatively, though ComScore does not track men’s sites as a category, it's touted that men tend not to visit sites explicitly aimed at well, being men.

Women on the web are growing rapidly, despite a wane in technical careers and subsequent salaries. Women interested in starting online blogs and businesses is perhaps a way around the inevitable glass ceiling and allows them the freedom of flexible hours, telecommuting and in some cases, a consistent revenue stream.

While we acknowledge the success of womens sites to gain the interest and revenue of advertisers, we also look to the future and hope that advertisers not only continue to recognize the ingenuity and marketability of women to appeal to its own, but also try to reach out and embrace a wider audience.

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