You may or may not have heard the terms Web1, Web2 or Web3. Don’t worry if you haven’t. With so much technological change underway, it’s hard to keep up. In this article, we will cover the basic history of the World Wide Web and how Web3 will affect how marketers do business.

What is Web3?

Web3, or Web 3.0, is the third generation of the World Wide Web that is built, operated and owned by its users. New technologies are used to make a decentralized infrastructure of the internet, all while protecting personal privacy. Our GoViral Managing Director also talked a little about Web3 in the Takeaways from a Blockchain Convention blog. But before we dive deeper into Web3, here’s a little background information about how we got here.

Web1: 2001 to 2004

Web1 was the first iteration of the internet where you could view “read-only” content on static pages. Most of the users were consumers who didn’t produce any of the content. In this era the internet was decentralized, and there weren’t many protocols to govern what was posted.

Web2: 2004 to Today

In the Web2 era, the internet became a platform where you could create content, publish to forums, post on social media, create blogs, or buy and sell in marketplaces. This is the “read-write” second iteration of the net, where we currently stand today. Websites and social channels are centralized and governed by a few large tech companies. 

Large companies use the internet to market to target audiences by collecting data from individuals. In a few short years, our personal data has become a valuable commodity and a debatable topic in terms of privacy concerns.

Web3: Progressing Toward the Future

In 2014, co-founder of the cryptocurrency Ethereum Gavin Wood was the first to term Web3 as a “decentralized online ecosystem based on blockchain.” Web3 uses blockchain and decentralized technologies to create a more democratic and fair online environment. The idea is that users would own the material they post and create, and even get compensated for it. The use of personal data would be transparent, both in how it is used and by whom.

Web3 would be the “read-write-own” internet where large tech companies don’t own pools of data in centralized points. Instead, data would be stored across multiple servers and not owned by one entity or group.

Gavin Wood also founded the Web3 Foundation, which is building the blockchain infrastructure of this next era. The Web3 Foundation believes in an internet where:

  • Users own their own data, not corporations
  • Global digital transactions are secure
  • Online exchanges of information and value are decentralized

There are many other companies that are also working on similar projects to make Web3 a reality.

Why should you care about Web3?

We all get unwanted ads online. With Web3 and increased personal privacy regulations, marketers will have more difficulty accessing third-party data that is collected to run targeted campaigns. Marketers will have to find new ways to get customers to grant access to their personal data.

Web3 is still developing, but it’s good to stay informed and ahead to understand how these changes can affect your business. Here are some marketing tips that will help you grow your brand and customer loyalty in the next era of the internet:

  • Community and Relationship Building – this might seem obvious, but brands will have to genuinely build trust with their customers in order to access them and their data and to stay connected.
  • Better Products and Service Quality – over baseless ads and promises. Brands and businesses will have to live up to their promises to gain customer trust.
  • Non-Fungible Token (NFT) Limited-Items – brands have already been starting to play around with using NFTs to reach their customers, like Nike selling 600 NFT sneakers. You can read more in our Intro to NFTs for Marketing article to find out how you can apply this to your business.
  • New Loyalty Reward Systems – we all love loyalty reward systems and customers will want to be rewarded for sharing their personal information with other businesses. Digital tokens or other forms of reward systems will appeal to customers in the new Web3 era.

The Future of Web3: Is it Certain?

As we said before, Web3 is still in progress and there isn’t a complete Web3 infrastructure created as of yet. Some even are speculating that it’s a fad that won’t be developed, and questions of sustainability and scalability are at play.


What is certain is that as Web3 continues to develop, it’s best to stay informed and to prepare yourself for the possible changes in your marketing strategy. Need some help growing your blockchain business? Make sure to contact us below and we will be sure to reply!