Plenty of websites went viral in 2016. Here are a few of the tops based on averaged rankings from Alexa Global Traffic Rank and U.S. Traffic Rank from both Compete and Quantcast.
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- BuzzFeed – This independent internet entity describes itself as a “social news and entertainment company” with focus on digital technology and media. It claims to provide “the most shareable breaking news, original reporting, entertainment, and video.” As of November 1, 2016, BuzzFeed had 150,000,000 estimated unique monthly visits. It was ranked #88 by Compete, #13 by Quantcast, and #126 by Alexa.
- Upworthy – Established in 2012 by Eli Pariser and Peter Koechley, this site promotes stories with a slant toward political and social issues. It was described in 2013 by a Fast Company article to be the “fastest growing media site of all time.” As of November 1, 2016, Upworthy had an estimated 45,000,000 unique monthly visits. It was ranked #305 by Compete, #37 by Quantcast, and #429 by Alexa.
- ViralNova – This website wholesales a wide variety of stories, ranging from entertaining to intriguing to inspiring. It gives an interesting and often positive spin on the world around us. It was described by BuzzFeed as a connection between “the dark internet – chain-letter internet – and Facebook.” As of November 1, ViralNova had an estimated 26,000,000 unique monthly visits. It was ranked #221 by Compete, #505 by Quantcast, and #591 by Alexa.
- Zergnet – A startup based in Indianapolis, Zergnet has distinguished itself from the pack by focusing on quality and less-spammy content. Its popularity earned it a comparison to the highly popular BuzzFeed. The website describes itself as a “content recommendation company.” As of November 1, Zergnet had an estimated 26,000,000 unique monthly visits and was ranked #290 by Compete, #76 by Quantacast, and #1179 by Alexa.
- LittleThings – LittleThings started with an entrepreneur who turned a pet food startup into a website visited by more than a million a day. It had its beginning in Petflow, which sold pet food and supplies. By 2014, the site began to create more content for its blogs and traffic took off. Later, the company leveraged its Petflow audience and spun out the business into LittleThings, which posts animal videos and other feel-good content. As of November 1, LittleThings had an estimated 25,500,000 unique monthly visits and was ranked #271 by Compete, #27 by Quantcast, and #1404 by Alexa.