Quantcast: All metrics are not equal

Here is how the system works: publishers and site owners sign up and get a measurement tag. That tag is then placed on their website and each time a page is viewed, the information is captured and logged. Publishers can then review their site stats to see how their websites are doing. Advertisers can use the information to determine which sites and even which site pages are the best fit for their products and services.

Konrad Feldman, CEO and co-founder of Quantcast said, "Time on site is important to show the audience is available for a certain amount of time. [But] The absolute number of people [visiting] are important to advertisers. We believe the right approach is to provide as many [metrics] as are necessary for people to make their own opinions."

Both time on site and visitors are logged through the Quantcast system.

Which measurement is right for your website? It depends on the type of site. Social networking sites, blogs and content sites will best be served by time on site. This will measure when users log on and how long they remain active. For a sales website, simple visitor and traffic information is probably the best resource.

Tags: online measurement, online metrics