Infignos Media - WDNG.net passes one million

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WDNG.net passes one million

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Alexa.com WDNG.net July 2013 Late in the evening of July 1, 2013, Alexa.com reported that WDNG.net had passed the one million ranking level. The current ranking for WDNG.net, which is the website for WDNG Media, is 959,638. Alexa.com, an Amazon company, is the world’s authority on website ranking. The lower the number, the higher the site’s popularity ranking.

A ranking of one million or better is one of two major milestones sought by commercially viable websites. Achievement of that level signifies the site’s preeminence out of the approximately 48 billion websites on the Internet. Advertising agencies and major media companies and services generally view the one million ranking level as a sign that a media site has achieved the first level of respectability. It also signifies that it has credibility both as an information and entertainment resource and as a viable platform for potential advertisers. As a radio station’s website, the one million level places WDNG.net in the same category as medium sized stations in top US cities. The other major milestone is the one hundred thousand level.

WDNG.net’s two year growth path has been turbulent. As of January 2012, the site’s ranking was right at the 12 to 13 million level, which put it in the middle of the pack with the other local radio station websites. At that point the design and management of the site was taken over by Tim Brunson, managing partner of BuyersUSA Consulting. His goal was to show the station’s current management the potential of the site. Realizing that this small town AM radio station’s site needed a major redesign, he researched competitor’s sites. However, rather than looking at websites for similar sized city stations, he decided to model WDNG’s site after those of big budget radio companies in Atlanta, Miami, and Los Angeles. His challenge was to create a compelling site, which has the attributes of a large city radio website while realizing that there was virtually no budget or staff available to maintain the effort.

Based upon the initial excitement of the station’s staff, the site’s traffic rapidly changed. As of July 2012, thanks to the commitment of Operations Manager Pamela Bates and the involvement of Jacksonville State University interns Zandra Hall and Jerrod Smith, the site’s Alexa ranking peaked at around 2.5 million, which was still far short of its goal. Nevertheless, all of the progress was quickly destroyed once the station temporarily went off the air in August due to legal and financial problems associated with its soon to be former owner. From that point until February 2013, commitment to the site was tenuous.

Toward the end of February, a renewed dedication to WDNG.net by Charlene Gossett-Fuller, who had taken over as station’s new General Manager and owner in September 2012, led to a formal joint venture between the station and Anniston-based BuyersUSA Consulting. The vision of the site was again enlivened and future developmental goals established. The intent was to have the site support the renewed community focus of the station while seeking to establish a media entity that has a reach far beyond the boundaries of the local broadcast area. Additionally, the decision was made that the site should serve as an extension of the solution-oriented advertising focus, which had long been the hallmark of Jim Hensleigh, the station’s sales manager. WDNG.net has also greatly benefitted from Gossett-Fuller’s decision to recommit to local news coverage. The involvement of Michael Dean Smith, their news director, was the major factor in the improvement of the station’s ranking from 10 million to the 3 million ranking. Of course, the increasing popularity of Joseph Anthony’s talk show also served to help both the station and the website’s success.

Early March, the website took another significant turn. During a joint meeting between the station and BuyersUSA, it was decided that the venture would expand into other media such as video, animation, and website development. Reflecting this evolutionary change in direction, the principles decided that they would take the initiative and rebrand the joint venture as WDNG Media.

Back in July 2012 and again in mid-May 2013, WDNG.net clearly established itself as the top broadcast media website in the area. Not counting the disruption caused by the August 2012 shutdown, the site has closely competed with TV24’s site. However, as a result of several content changes and additions, in late May, WNDG.net substantially pulled ahead in ranking.

WDNG.net’s recent achievement is only a first step according to Brunson. The goal is to fully support the station’s desire to once again become a leader in community-based broadcasting while simultaneously establishing the venture as an entity with a state-wide, national, and international reach.

At this point the leading media website in the area remains AnnistonStar.com, which has a 150,151 ranking. (The Star’s site was initially created by BuyersUSA Consulting in 1999 and then later relinquished to Consolidated Publishing after a major management restructuring.) Currently TV24.tv hovers at around the 2.5 million level. The only other area radio stations with significant ratings are Ala810.com (4,225,902) and WDTRThunder.com (6,819,937). Alexa also tracks Anniston101.com (12,907,877), a recently founded Internet radio station, and 979wvok.com (26,338,853). WHMA, another major player on the local radio scene, has a website. However, its traffic is too low to warrant an Alexa ranking.

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Keywords: Alexa.com, WDNG, WDNG.net, BuyersUSA Consulting, Tim Brunson, Charlene Gossett-Fuller

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