ABCe Figures: Traffic counts

previous years is still a spurious business. However, for the first
time, we are able to segment results according to the sector in which a
site operates.

This allows some comparison between the relative traffic statistics of
competing sites, such as in the recruitment or finance sector.

The figures come from the series of audits of media owners' sites
conducted by ABCe. The tables below offer a comprehensive listing of
these sites with the figures for their most recent audit. ABCe's main
role is not to measure the traffic to sites, but to assess the way in
which publishers do so. For a fee, ABCe can test the way in which web
sites measure their traffic, according to standards set by industry body
JICWEBS, which sets guidelines for traffic measurement and defines what
is meant by things like 'page impressions' and 'unique users'.

Thus, ABCe offers its stamp of approval when things are done according
to JICWEBS-agreed standards. This gives advertisers - particularly media
planners and buyers - the luxury of being able to compare traffic and
make informed decisions in the knowledge that sites have been measured
in the same way.

As the growth of digital advertising prompts higher online media
budgets, this luxury is becoming a necessity. As web spend grows, so the
risks attached to making the right media choice rise accordingly. Being
able to trust a web site's claimed traffic statistics is vital to help
support this growth and ensure it continues.

In this vein, ABCe has just signed an agreement with media owners in the
US, via the IAB based in New York, on how to eliminate 'non-human'
traffic from web-counting measurement. This means not counting traffic
from the web 'robots' and spiders that visit sites, most commonly to
generate results for search engines.

Richard Foan, MD of ABCe Electronic, says: "It further illustrates the
increasing comparability of data. It means the robots list is based on
standards agreed with the IAB in New York and over here, and that we all
operate under the same rules."

'Comparability' is at the heart of the issue. Media buyers are seeking
tools that allow them to judge a site's traffic in the same way as ABC
does for the print world. The complexity of web measurement makes this
task more difficult, but as ABCe-audited sites increase, so comparison
is becoming fairer. However, Foan is keen to highlight that these
figures should only be used alongside other measurement tools. "This is
just one tool in the armoury. If you're doing media planning and buying,
you want to be able to choose a group of sites that might be
appropriate, and one way of ranking those is using ABCe-audited data,"
he explains.

"But people have to make their own minds up about which other tools
might be useful. The onus is on our industry to make the most of the
information available, and to make an effort to help advertisers
understand what that data means," adds Foan. "This will help the medium
grow more quickly."

For media planners, data such as the ABCe-audited traffic statistics is
invaluable, but they agree that these are only a starting point.

Karenza Hodge, a senior planner working on the BA account at Agency.com,
says: "(Using ABCe figures), you can rank sites, but the majority of the
planning we're looking at is certain areas of a site; for example, The
Times' travel channel. "First and foremost, it's about getting the right
traffic, rather than numbers."

However, Hodge adds: "ABCe is especially important for clients who are
not particularly new-media savvy. They need to know they are getting the
traffic numbers they want. It is also helpful for above-the-line
advertisers.

It marries up with what they're used to and they can understand that
kind of currency."

Ella Capel, media and ad manager at advertiser trade body ISBA, is right
behind the ABCe-audited measures. She believes the development of an
industry standard is vital for the medium's growth.

She explains: "As advertising spend online continues to grow, so does
the need for a continued commitment by site owners to industry-agreed
standards for site traffic measurement. So, it's hugely positive to see
so many sites delivering independently audited traffic data to the
market.

They support the online buying decisions of advertisers and enable them
to justify their spend. As more site owners adopt these standards,
online will continue to reap the benefits, increasing its share of
advertiser budgets and instilling trust in the internet as a valuable
part of the marketing mix."

So far, the recruitment sites have been most keen to sign up for ABCe
audits. The sector offers 36 sites in our listings. Part of their
commitment is derived through a joint recruitment sector initiative
called NORAS (National Online Recruitment Audience Survey), which works
with ABCe to offer comprehensive data to recruitment advertisers. The
sector also highlights advertisers' ability to target the right traffic
rather than big numbers.

Sites have specialised to provide recruiters and job-seekers with a
resource that is dedicated to their vertical sector.

The publishing sector has also been a good source for ABCe, perhaps
reflecting its heritage as an auditor of magazine and newspaper
circulation figures.

Sites in consumer and business publishing feature prominently in the
tables, although, for consumer, the listings are dominated by web sites
owned by the national daily newspapers. L

ABOUT THE FIGURES

The tables below come from audits by ABCe of how web sites measure their
traffic.

Only the figures for each site's most recent audit are published. ABCe
is a not-for-profit body that administers JICWEBS (The Joint Industry
Committee for Web Standards in the UK and Ireland) standards in the
UK.

JICWEBS develops standards for measuring the use and effectiveness of
advertising in digital media, and gives definitions for terms like 'page
impression', 'unique user', 'visit' and 'visit duration'. The sites are
organised by sector and alphabetically by publisher thereafter.

AUDITED SITES
URL Publisher Page Unique Last
SPORTS Impressions Users Audit
www.arsenal.com Arsenal
Broadband 14,888,625 1,031,251 Mar 05
www.liverpoolfc.tv Liverpoolfc.tv 64,029,432 2,909,421 Jul 05
www.skiclub.co.uk Ski Club of
Great Britain 4,340,460 272,494 Jan 05
NOT-FOR-PROFIT
www.scotland.gov.uk Scottish
Executive 3,765,658 407,053 Nov 05
www.businesslink.
gov.uk Small Business
Service 3,684,823 422,279 Jun 05
www.businesslink.
gov.uk/kent Small Business
Service 21,895 2,389 Jun 05
www.ucas.com UCAS 67,289,583 1,330,969 Nov 05

TRAVEL
www.thisis
travel.co.uk Associated
New Media 2,410,963 518,659 Mar 05
www.baa.com BAA 13,252,512 1,018,199 Sep 05
www.cheap
flights.co.uk Cheapflights 21,303,349 2,871,130 Jul 05
www.teletext
holidays.co.uk Teletext 29,723,913 2,605,433 Jul 05

BROADCAST
www.sky.com British Sky
Broadcasting 355,953,569 10,054,831 Dec 05
N/A Capital
Radio Group
(site network) 8,529,140 900,937 Mar 05
www.gay QSoft
darradio.com Consulting 2,011,894 579,071 May 05

COMMUNITY
www.faceparty.com CIS Internet 1,486,168,121 5,113,643 Mar 05
www.girguiding.
org.uk Girl-
guiding UK 841,821 79,841 May 05
www.friends
reunited.co.uk Friends
Reunited 224,366,135 5,100,408 Oct 05
www.habbohotel.co.uk Sulake
Corporation 148,661,499 4,420,090 Nov 05
www.upmystreet.com UpMyStreet 10,090,810 1,055,552 Oct 05

BUSINESS PUBLISHING
www.ameinfo.com AME Info
FZ LLC 4,209,634 651,193 Oct 05
www.applegate.co.uk Applegate 6,346,842 1,217,493 Nov 05
www.bmj.com BMJ
Publishing
Group 6,223,190 931,527 Oct 05
www.thelawyer.com Centaur
Holdings 1,212,504 83,605 Nov 05
www.silicon.com CNET Networks 2,341,458 529,223 Oct 05
www.zdnet.co.uk CNET Networks 10,582,249 2,118,578 Nov 05
www.edie.net Faversham
House Group 508,734 76,009 Oct 05
www.ft.com FT.COM
(combined
internet
business) 45,700,645 3,911,561 Jan 05
www.insuranceday.
com (email) Informa
Professional
Publishing N/A 546 Jun 05
www.inpharm.com InPharm
Internet
Services 263,530 25,110 Nov 05
www.inretail.co.uk InRetail 1,006,480 69,844 Feb 05
www.ipa.co.uk Institute of
Practitioners
in Advertising
(IPA) 414,412 14,176 Jan 05
www.ppa.co.uk Periodical
Publishers
Association 106,226 17,296 Jul 05
www.newscientist.com Reed
Business Info 9,931,858 1,693,469 Oct 05
www.theregister. Situation
co.uk Publishing 28,287,472 4,122,526 Nov 05
www.totallylegal.com Totallylegal.com 1,195,693 40,303 Oct 05
www.ukaop.org.uk UK Association
of Online
Publishers (AOP) 21,163 3,638 Oct 05
www.vnunet.com VNU Business
Publications
(network) 8,535,794 2,189,367 Oct 05
www.vnunet.com VNU Business
Publications
(IT PRO) 4,292,717 1,557,292 Oct 05
www.warc.com World
Advertising
Research Center 399,230 39,823 Nov 05

CONSUMER PUBLISHING
www.thisis
london.co.uk Associated
New Media 17,383,343 2,649,066 Mar 05
www.metrocafe.co.uk Associated
New Media 1,463,514 133,862 Mar 05
www.dailymail.co.uk Associated
New Media 13,438,963 969,180 Mar 05
www.radiotimes.com BBC Worldwide 12,219,523 648,211 May 05
www.guardian.co.uk Guardian
Unlimited 123,278,684 12,121,030 Nov 05
www.
hellomagazine.com Hello 20,089,453 955,440 Apr 05
www.ireland.com Irish Times 13,035,523 858,502 Mar 05
www.thesun.co.uk News Group
Newspapers 131,080,433 5,413,682 Nov 05
NEP 'this is'network Northcliffe
Electronic
Publishing 31,742,999 1,366,220 Nov 05
Newsquest
Media Group Newsquest
Media Group 23,860,886 2,394,416 May 05
www.parkers.co.uk Parkers 13,041,247 706,054 Oct 05
www.rte.ie Radio
Telefis Eireann 16,238,950 758,587 Oct 05
www.telegraph.co.uk Telegraph Group 46,626,144 6,315,549 Nov 05
www.scotsman.com The Scotsman
Publications 20,501,295 3,080,222 Jan 05
www.timesonline.co.uk Times
Newspapers 51,947,821 6,954,043 Nov 05

CORPORATE
www.royalmail.com Royal Mail
Group 27,819,757 2,429,731 Oct 05
www.postoffice.co.uk Royal Mail
Group 5,183,809 761,779 Oct 05
www.parcelforce.com Royal Mail
Group 4,098,871 371,528 Oct 05

LIFESTYLE
www.topgear.com BBC Worldwide 6,647,702 414,822 May 05
www.confetti.co.uk Confetti Network 13,377,798 592,349 Apr 05
www.eurogamer.net Eurogamer
Network 6,793,607 977,349 Oct 05
www.getlippy.com Handbag.com 2,653,181 221,010 Apr 05
www.handbag.com Handbag.com 28,479,908 1,322,786 Sep 05
www.ivillage.co.uk IVillage UK 30,231,759 3,319,091 Jan 05

FINANCE
www.thisis
money.co.uk Associated
New Media 5,044,067 312,919 Mar 05
www.
efinancialnews.com Financial News 1,208,224 57,851 Mar 05
www.iii.co.uk Interactive
Investor 12,168,252 404,641 Jan 05
www.lloydslist.com Lloyd's List
(T&F Informa UK) 779,596 46,613 Mar 05
www.totally
financial.com Totally
financial.com 422,298 31,502 Oct 05

PROPERTY
www.homesand
property.co.uk Associated
New Media 1,000,294 67,110 Mar 05
www.
findaproperty.com Find a Property 89,882,677 1,423,945 Oct 05
www.myhome.ie MyHome 18,031,180 243,031 Oct 05
www.netlet.co.uk Netlet Holdings 659,599 12,462 Feb 05
www.rightmove.co.uk Rightmove.co.uk 222,451,607 2,591,661 Sep 05

CLASSIFIEDS
www.autotrader.co.uk Auto Trader 214,340,452 4,235,114 Apr 05
www.businesses
forsale.com Dynamis 4,312,787 273,807 Sep 05
www.find.co.uk Omnium
Communications 635,697 184,428 May 05
www.parkers.co.uk Parkers 13,041,247 706,054 Oct 05

RECRUITMENT
www.bmjcareers.com BMJ Publishing
Group 7,105,502 155,118 Oct 05
http://jobs.
mad.co.uk Centaur
Communications * Nov 05
www.efinancial
careers.com E Financial
Careers 6,874,688 506,189 Nov 05
www.exec-
appointments.com Exec-
Appointments 1,008,089 117,201 Nov 05
www.gaapweb.com Financial
Jobs Online 1,208,066 81,003 Nov 05
www.fish4jobs.co.uk Fish4 Trading * Nov 05
www.manchester
online.co.uk/jobs GMG Regional
Digital Media 973,734 55,798 Nov 05
www.prospects.ac.uk Graduate
Prospects 4,706,304 336,799 Nov 05
www.graduate-
jobs.com Graduate-
jobs.com 613,749 ** Jul 05
www.jobs.
guardian.co.uk Guardian
Unlimited 14,833,711 677,441 Sep 05
http://jobs.
brand republic.com Haymarket
Publishing * Nov 05
www.irishjobs.ie IrishJobs.ie 7,976,670 290,544 Jan 05
www.jobs.ac.uk Jobs.ac.uk 4,114,745 345,520 Nov 05
www.jobsgopublic.com jobsgopublic * Nov 05
www.jobsite.co.uk Jobsite UK 14,161,402 802,696 Jul 05
www.cityjobs.co.uk Jobsite UK 1,107,565 72,839 Jul 05
www.londonjobs.co.uk Jobsite UK 3,145,593 206,311 Jul 05
www.jobsgroup.net JustJobNetwork 1,984,982 153,387 Nov 05
www.monster.co.uk Monster UK 22,683,413 1,232,404 Sep 05
www.nijobs.com NIjobs.com 1,064,322 34,397 Sep 05
www.blueline
careers.co.uk Off Duty
Recruitment 644,643 54,926 Mar 05
www.office
recruit.com Office Recruit 1,721,010 93,459 Apr 05
www.totaljobs.nl Reed Business
Information 4,402,894 358,261 May 05
www.s1jobs.com S1jobs 7,669,241 210,685 Nov 05
www.
scotcareers.co.uk Scottish
Daily Record
& Sunday Mail 1,283,923 75,650 Nov 05
http://jobs.
telegraph.co.uk Telegraph Group 776,221 78,136 Nov 05
www.thecareer
engineer.com The
Career Engineer 588,773 52,667 Nov 05
www.workthing.com The hotgroup 5,893,943 414,462 Jan 05
The hotgroup network The hotgroup 16,482,217 1,147,224 May 05
www.hotonline.com The hotgroup 13,058,963 830,052 May 05
http://jobs.
scotsman.com The Scotsman
Publications 461,688 32,806 Nov 05
http://jobs.
timesonline.co.uk Times
Newspapers 1,125,154 115,870 Nov 05
www.tesjobs.co.uk TSL Education 5,857,529 222,042 Nov 05
www.accountancy
agejobs.com VNU Business
Publications 348,819 45,163 Nov 05
www.grocerjobs.co.uk William Reed
Publishing 568,067 31,834 Nov 05
www.workthing.com Workthing 16,482,217 1,147,224 May 05
* figures not confirmed at time of publication
** not available