schoold of journalism and mass communications missouri

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Measuring Media Site Traffic:The pitfalls of using computer programs to measure Web activity

Clyde Bentley, Ph.D. Associate Professor University of Missouri at Columbia

Greg Harmon, A.M.Director, Interactive ServicesBelden Associates

The Digital Revolution:The Impact of Digital Media and Information TechnologiesOct. 14-16, 2004, Columbia, SC.



Greg Harmon, A.M.Belden [email protected]

Digital Revolution Newsplex 20004Clyde H. Bentley, Ph.D.Missouri School of Journalism

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Problem: What Counts?

How big is the Web audience?

Who is in that audience?How do audience members usethe Web?

S eemingly simple questions are hard toanswer.





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A question of importance

R each and frequencycalculations determine revenueWith the Web no longer ³novel,´

it must compete with traditionalmediaSurvival of the medium may

depend its marketability





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We are what we compute

As a digital medium, the Webrelied on digital measurementComputer-tracked numbers wereautomatically viewed as reliableCookies and logfiles became the

norm





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T esting the assumptions

Proprietary research by BeldenAssociates50 surveys of 40 newspaper

sites70,000 Web visitors





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N umbers and numbers

Compares acrossmethodologies:

Log file information ( WebTrends,Omniture, Accrue « )Survey data based on online

questionnaires





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T he S urvey Method

Sample users of newspaper Websites via ³popups´ ³Nth selection´ randomization of users presented with popupSurvey appeal operates 24/7 to

minimize time bias





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T he popup appeals

Altruistic appeal ³Help us build a better site´

Selfish appeal ³A chance to win $1,000´

Belden sweepstakes every 3-4months





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D ense data

Survey includes 80 questionsSome questions customized for

the siteSoftware tracks popup offers

and indicates 5-10% responseratesMore than 50% of those who

open the survey finish it.





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Major survey findings

Nearly 2/3 of users are from thelocal marketAverage users acces 3-4 daysper week.Often access more than once a

day





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T he Log conflict

Logfiles show averages of only2-3 visits per monthEven major metros seldom

average more than five visits permonth



Greg Harmon, A.M.Belden Associates

[email protected] Revolution Newsplex 20004

Clyde H. Bentley, Ph.D.Missouri School of Journalism

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Conflicting alternatives?

Logfile overcountSome visitors

counted toooftenIdentities of usermisinterpreted

Biased surveyHeavy users

surveyed moreoftenInfrequent users

missed






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Census/ S urvey model

CensusLogfile counts allvisits andpageviewsContinuouscount

SurveyA sample is a

³snapshot´ intimeIt moderates theeffects of

³averages´






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I n the ballgame

U se the analogy of an athleticevent with both season ticketholders and one-game spectatorsEv en if 80% of the fans are seasonticket holders, the majority of people

who attended a game in a longseason will be ³ incidental ´ fans.






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Look again, sports fan

1 00-game season (a month on a Website)5 million people passed through the

turnstiles (Logfile of all visits)Only 1 .0 million indi v iduals actually

watched a game that season (Survey findings of actual use patterns)






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A new math

4% of all ³unique visitors´ to theballpark account for 80% of alltickets soldThe value of repeat customers is

undervalued






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A vid fans=regular readers?

10% of newspaper site visitorswere ³incidental´ Less than 10% of all page viewsLogfiles count them as 60% of

all visits.






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Less is more?

Table 3: Incidental use of online newspapers SegmentTypes/TotalAudienceE stimate

SegmentTypeE stimates

Propor-tion

Pagesper Visit

DaysVisiting

Visits ProjectedPage-views

Propor-tion

I ci t l( i ri r 7 s)

71,397 62 5.19 1 1 37 ,55 5

4x+Visit rs

44,439 3 5.19 16.9 1. 4 7,171,932 95

T t l 115, 36 1 7,542,4 2 1S rc : B l ss ci t s 2 3






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What is happening?

Cookies are being blocked orclearedNational counts miss people

checking sites from workU sers have multiple computersLike newspapers, core readers

are loyal






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A nd in the future?

New, more accurate measuresare needed.R egistration offers some hope,

but is resistedCombination of logs and surveys

might workComputer users must be seenas individuals

schoold of journalism and mass communications missouri

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