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The City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) has entered into an agreement with Godengo, Inc., a leading web services company, to establish a group web program that will greatly benefit member publications with increased traffic and offer the potential for increased web ad revenues.

James Dowden, executive director of CRMA, explained that CRMA’s goal is to establish an interlocking network of participating member websites to increase traffic to each site and to the collective network of publications, as well as to share in advertising opportunities and revenues.

“The secret to driving web traffic is content,” Dowden said. “City and regional magazines are the definitive source of content regarding living in their area…..the system developed by Godengo will facilitate rapid deployment of each magazine’s content to their website and then will link each magazine’s site with all other participating magazines. We expect to see a significant increase in traffic as a result.”

Milt Jones is publisher of Palm Springs Life. This city and regional title in the beautiful desert communities of Southern California is the first CRMA member to adopt and implement the Godengo product line. Jones explained, “Since launch in January, our web site’s reach as measured by Alexa has increased 226% in three months. We made the transition to the new host and software without losing any of our existing search engine positions.”

Jones added, “The transition to the online publishing software for staff has allowed them to publish twice as many pages, in half the time as before. The training on the new software takes hours -- not days.”

Based in Oakland, CA, Godengo devised this comprehensive solution for city and regional lifestyle magazine publishers looking to generate online advertising revenue and increase circulation. Godengo’s Rivista Platform includes fully managed online marketing and advertising services, along with easy-to-use applications that streamline online publishing of new and archived content. Case study results show the Rivista program drives thousands of visitors to a magazine web portal each month, thereby introducing new subscribers and advertisers to the publication and increasing revenue.

Business owners who have been through the process of setting up a commercial website know that the three most challenging components to develop online are attention-grabbing content, advertisers and a large subscriber base. These are components that lifestyle magazines have already established through their publications. The Rivista program is a complete online solution for the regional lifestyle magazine publisher that leverages these assets to harnesses the same revenue-generating online advertising opportunities that most national magazine publications and newspaper conglomerates are already profiting from.

“We are excited to be working with city and regional magazine publishers that have built robust communities of readers and advertisers around their beautiful glossy lifestyle publications,” said Godengo CEO Tim Sullivan. “As an increasingly larger percentage of advertising budgets continue to move online, Godengo provides a solution that enables lifestyle magazine publishers to leverage their existing assets and capture their slice of the online revenue pie, positioning their publications for continued growth well into the future.”

*Godengo*

Godengo provides a turnkey web solution, specifically designed to meet the needs of lifestyle magazine publishers. The Rivista Solution includes web design and implementation, a content management system with photo galleries, events calendars, blogs, newsletters, polls, surveys and more, comprehensive local search and business listings, fully managed online marketing and online advertising services, and website hosting and technical support. The Rivista program is a partnership opportunity that leverages the assets of magazine publishing with the latest web development and online marketing technology, resulting in multiple streams of new online revenue and accelerated growth in the publisher’s print business.

Godengo founders include Tim Sullivan, president and CEO; Louis Gottfried, COO; and Ken Coffee, CFO. The management team’s combined experience comes from working with such well-known companies as NTT Communications, Microsoft, Intuit, NBC, CBS, Nextel and Macy’s. More information about Godengo, Inc. can be found online at godengo.com.

*CRMA*

CRMA represents 95 regional and local general interest consumer magazines in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The combined circulation of CRMA members is more than 5 million readers, making city and regional publications a powerful medium for local news coverage/opinion and for advertisers seeking to reach an affluent, upscale consumer audience. Created in 1978, CRMA offers a venue for publishers and key staff to find ideas, solutions, support, increased revenue and decreased expenses. For additional information on CRMA, its members and services, visit citymag.org or call 323/937-5514.

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