comScore introduces new suite of "visit" metrics

comScore has just announced improvements to the way it measures web traffic.

by Helen Leggatt

In order to better measure user engagement, and to acknowledge the introduction of new technology such as AJAX, comScore has introduced new metrics based on “visits”.

The new set of measurements comes as a result of continuing pressure from web publishers who want explanations as to why comScore traffic figures differ so significantly from those reported by their own servers. In December, 2006, Yahoo complained after comScore rankings put them behind MySpace for page views.

The increasing use of software such as AJAX, which allows sites to constantly update data without the user needing to reload the webpage, is skewing traditionally used analytics, another reason for comScore’s update. The very nature of AJAX will cause page view figures to decline and comScore’s new “visits” metric will address this scenario by measuring the number of distinct times people visit a site each day, with around 30 minutes between each visit.

"With 'visits,' we get an added layer of data that, combined with reach (the number of users) and engagement (how long they stay), yields a much more comprehensive and meaningful portrait of people’s interactions and activities online," wrote Peter Daboll on Yahoo’s Yodel Anecdotal blog.