First in Health Search: Healthline Networks Captures Top Health Search Ranking in September

Strategic partners boost traffic growth and audience strength

SAN FRANCISCO – NOVEMBER 13, 2012 – Nearly 18 million online health information searches brought people to Healthline partner sites this September.  Based on comScore® Media Metrix U.S. data,* Healthline and its growing HealthWeb network of partner sites was the top destination for health-related queries from Google Search, Yahoo! Search, Ask and Bing.

“Search is how consumers find and solve health problems. Healthline and our network of blue chip partners have become the leading source for consumer decision support because of our contextually relevant content and engaging user experience, combined with superior interactive tools,” said West Shell III, chairman and CEO of Healthline Networks.

Health Search Expertise Drives Healthline Growth

As Internet search engines continue to prove their worth for health information seekers, Healthline has aggressively increased ways for that information to be found by consumers.  Its Healthline HealthWeb – the largest digital health information network – had more than 54 million unique visitors in September, marking a 25% year-over-year increase in audience size.* 

The Healthline HealthWeb network includes strategic partnerships with quality brands like Yahoo! Health, Drugs.com, Ask.com, and over 20 additional select partner sites that provide trusted answers to health queries and empower consumers to make the most informed health decisions.

According to a June, 2011 Pfizer study republished by eMarketer, Internet search is the most trusted source of health information among consumers – second only to doctors.

Says Matt McNally, EVP, Chief Global Media Officer, DigitasHealth, razorfishealth: “The reliance on search engines for health and wellness information is critical.  There is a fundamental difference between searching for ‘the best Italian restaurant in San Francisco’, and ‘what chemo agent is best for my mother.’  When it comes to matters of health and wellness, consumers are solving not seeking information.  Therefore, search plays a critical and distinct role for our clients to engage and help people solve problems.”

About Healthline Networks

Healthline Networks is the leading provider of intelligent health information services, enabling 100 million consumers a month to make more confident, informed healthcare decisions. The company's proprietary consumer healthcare taxonomy, the largest of its kind, powers a suite of intelligent health search, content and advertising services. Combining advanced search technology with deep medical expertise, Healthline partners with a network of more than 31 trusted destination sites that include publishers, portals, search engines, employers and health plans. Headquartered in San Francisco and named to Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 in 2010 and 2011, Healthline is backed by Aetna, Comcast Ventures, GE, Investor Growth Capital, Kaiser Permanente, Reed Elsevier, U.S. News & World Report, and VantagePoint Capital Partners. For more information, visit http://www.healthlinenetworks.net

* Source: comScore Media Metrix U.S. data, September, 2012

** comScore's monthly analysis of U.S. web activity of the top online properties. Based on a calculation by aggregating comScore Media Metrix's com Source/Loss Report Entries for listed companies. Healthline HealthWeb partners include Y! Health, Drugs.com, Medhelp, Healthline, AARP, Sharecare, iVillage, Merriam-Webster, EmpowHER, SkinSight, DailyRx (with duplication). September 2012