An accurate measure of site traffic must be found

I recently came across an interesting suggestion: that everyone should go out and get hold of every piece of online audience data available, in the interests of learning as much as possible about this new medium.

In most circumstances, I would agree with this statement. But not in this case. The reason is simple: why would anyone want, or find useful, multiple sets of data that are not consistent or comparable?

There are three main suppliers of Internet traffic measurement data (MMXI, NetValue and Nielsen/Netratings). All three use panels of Internet users, balanced to represent the spectrum of users across the UK. Unfortunately, all three use slightly different methodologies and measure subtly different parts of the Web as well as different types of online advertising. At present they also miss out large swathes of Internet users – those people who log on at work.

None of the measurement tools are fundamentally inaccurate. The problem is that they all give different answers to the same question: how many people visit a site. The answers differ drastically in some cases. For example, MMXI records MSN.com’s reach for October 2000 as 42.7 per cent whereas NetValue has it at 52.6 per cent.

These differences are recognised by the measurement companies and there are good explanations as to why they exist. But that is not the point.

The differences highlight the lack of standards within the online environment. There must be standard measures for online advertising. How else is it to be compared with other media as part of the overall communication mix and therefore grow and mature as a medium?

Within the industry, virtually nothing is being done to define and deliver these required standards.

Standards will never be introduced and maintained until advertisers and their agencies demand robust and consistent measurement data from all of the sites that appear on their online advertising schedules. This will lead to one measure of site usage for planning and buying purposes.

Some of the bigger sites are trying to qualify their site traffic data using the Audit Bureau of Circulations Electronic (ABCE), but they are few and far between. If sites don’t get their traffic and usage measured, then the same thing will happen to them as happened to the satellite TV channels that weren’t measured by BARB – they will be missed off the schedules.

Media specialists such as ourselves will no doubt continue to work with advertising customers to ensure that the guesswork is removed from the online planning process and that the websites they use meet with their advertising objectives. But if the industry isn’t careful, advertisers will lose confidence in the medium as a worthwhile communication tool. This would cost the industry millions of pounds in lost income and put jobs in jeopardy.

So, let’s get the right people in a room and set up a proper joint industry research body.

Tony Squires is head of New Media at The Billett Consultancy