About.com is about to change its name

SAN FRANCISCO — About.com has changed its business, so why not change its name?

Although a few undisclosed company names remain in the hopper for the April reveal, the change will reflect the website's year-long pivot from general-interest to expert-authored content.

"We had a hard time defining ourselves," admits company CEO Neil Vogel, who calls About's metamorphosis a "happy accident."

The 250-person company, based in New York, has shifted its energies and focus into five categories: health, finance, tech, home and travel. The specialized content reflects the heightened interests of consumers and advertisers, and has vastly improved About's online traffic, says Vogel.

The proof is in the numbers: Traffic for Very Well, its health-based site is up more than 50% since it launched in April 2016; the online audience for The Balance, on finance, has improved 65% since its summer 2016 debut; and traffic for Life Wire, on tech, has soared 65% to 70% since its October 2016 launch.

The last two categories for home and travel are expected this year.

"It's content, based on people's interests and needs," Vogel says. "That simple."

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