Content is Bigger Than Search

A four-year study conducted by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) indicates that Internet users in the U.S. spend almost half of their time online viewing content. The study also found that users are spending less time on e-commerce and communications activities.

In 2007 (from January through May), users spent 47% of their time online viewing content. This is a 37% increase from 2003, when users in the U.S. spent 34% of their time online viewing content. This is mostly because of the increased amounts of content available on social networking and online video sites, as well as the proliferation of broadband connections in the U.S.

Search activities saw an increase as well, hopping from 3% of users’ online time in 2003 to 5% in 2007, a 35% uptick. It still takes up significantly less time than viewing content partly because the search experience has improved, in terms of speed and relevance. This frees up more time that users can spend doing other things, like viewing the content they find in the search results.

Commerce activities accounted for 15% of users’ online time in 2007, a slight decline from 2003’s 16%, a 5% drop.

Communications activities decreased significantly from 2003’s 46% to 2007’s 33%, a 28% decline. This is mostly due to the increased use of instant messaging applications for communication, which takes less time than writing and sending e-mails.

"The index indicates that, over the past four years, the primary role of the Internet has shifted from communications to content," said OPA president Pam Horan.

Though search might take a big backseat to viewing content, it is still very significant in consumers’ search for products, especially during the holidays. Content on blogs, social networks, and chat rooms were not nearly as important as search engines in the 2006 holiday season.

Sources:

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005264

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070813/wr_nm/internet_study_dc;
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