Winter Sports Network- Industry Information

'Direct Search & Direct Navigation'
Industry Background

Perhaps the least understood and best kept secrets on the internet (by Google, Yahoo & other search engine giants) is the phenomenon known as "Direct Search" or "Direct Navigation".
This is the process by which ordinary folks simply type a domain name (usually followed by .com) directly into their browser address bar and search intuitively for a web site.

For example, if you are looking for Talent Agents, all you have to do is type in www.TalentAgents.com and you will be taken directly to a resource web site for Talent Agents! The same holds true for any subject under the sun, weather you're searching for specialty hobbies like Steam Engines www.SteamEngines.com or Wooden Boats www.WoodenBoats.com or conducting a targeted search for Catholic Schools www.CatholicSchools.com.

The beauty and simplicity of this kind of Direct Search is that it allows you to bypass the clutter of search engines and go directly to the most relevant source of information matching your query.
This kind of laser targeting search has grown in popularity over the years as more and more premium domain names are acquired and developed into content rich sites.
It is now estimated that over 67% of internet users worldwide arrived at web sites via Direct Search in 2004 compared to 53% in 2002, (based on research from WebSideStory).
Even more remarkable, is the fact that approximately 15% of Yahoo's and Googe's total traffic is generated from domain type-in traffic (a fact that most advertisers fail to understand).

Today, with over 64 million dot com domains registered worldwide, you can type almost any keyword domain into your address bar and be rewarded with a highly relevant web site covering your subject.
In effect, what we are witnessing is the next chapter in the evolution of search as the web becomes highly specialized and targeted with thousands of Vertical Domain Channels or micro search portals offering extremely focused information.

The implication for advertisers is staggering and extremely exciting!
Susquehanna research recently published data demonstrating that "Direct Navigation had a 4.2% conversion to sale rate, while search engine clicks lead on average to a 2.3% conversion."

Clearly, the next generation of sophisticated advertisers will be looking for new Advertising Models which offer highly specialized Targeted Ad Networks that can deliver extremely focused traffic which converts at above average levels.

And that's where we come in...
Welcome to the future!

Rob Grant
President
WebMediaProperties.com