The successful membership website strategy of Consumer Reports has earned them over two million online subscribers (as of November, 2005). Averaging well over 20,000 new online subscribers per month, it's obvious this site is doing something right. The site started with a clear product position—a valuable information resource that could not accept advertising. That led to only one choice in strategy: a paid membership website offering large archives of information. The hardest design question has always been how to make it immediately visually obvious what is free and what is paid content on the site. So how does ConsumerReports.org differentiate the free content from the paid content? How is the print product different from the Web product? Is that difference clear to the consumer? This Membership Website Review looks at how ConsumerReports.org scores in important design and usability principles, such as content webification, brand preference and community building.

This review is part of a handbook titled Membership Website Publishing.

• Handbook: Membership Website Publishing
• Chapter 20: ConsumerReports.org Membership Website Review