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Nov 22, 2006

comScore Reveals U.K. Top Sites and Web Traffic Trends for October: Google Becomes Most-Visited Web Property in U.K.

London, U.K., November 22, 2006 - comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today revealed the top U.K. Internet properties for October, based on data collected through its comScore World Metrix audience ratings service.  Google Sites (not including YouTube) edged out Microsoft Sites in October to become the most-visited Web property in the U.K. for the first time, followed by Microsoft Sites and eBay.

 

Top 20 Online Properties by U.K. Unique Visitors, Age 15+

October 2006 

Total U.K. - Home and Work Locations*

Source: comScore World Metrix 

 

Sept.-06 (000)

Oct.-06

(000)

Percentage Change

Total U.K. Internet Audience, Age 15+

29,589

29,553

0%

Google Sites

24,748

24,816

0%

Microsoft Sites

24,958

24,798

-1%

eBay

19,825

19,905

0%

Yahoo! Sites

19,670

19,474

-1%

BBC Sites

16,704

16,339

-2%

Time Warner Network

13,081

12,990

-1%

Amazon Sites

11,875

12,386

4%

Ask Network

12,021

11,771

-2%

Fox Interactive Media

8,739

9,245

6%

Wikipedia Sites

8,217

8,630

5%

DMGT

8,629

7,958

-8%

British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)

7,040

7,604

8%

Apple Computer, Inc.

7,495

7,528

0%

YOUTUBE.COM

5,852

7,252

24%

GUS

6,802

6,993

3%

MULTIMAP.COM

7,465

6,964

-7%

France Telecom

7,347

6,906

-6%

CNET Networks

6,494

6,879

6%

Tesco Stores

5,958

6,674

12%

NTL

6,555

6,663

2%


* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

 

"We have watched the popularity of Google consistently grow over time," said Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe.  "While the current month-over-month increase was small, it was just enough to earn them the number one spot."

 

Added Ivins: "Also notable was YouTube's 24 percent increase in traffic in October.  YouTube's ascent in popularity around the world and in the U.K., demonstrated by the site's month-after-month double-digit percentage increases, has been remarkable."

 

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Retail sites represented nearly half of the top 20 gaining sites in the U.K. in October, indicating an early interest in holiday shopping.  Leading the top gainers were Woolworths Group plc with 2.6 million visitors and HMV with 2.4 million visitors, growing 65 and 30 percent, respectively.  U.K. traffic to the Wal-Mart Web property, which includes ASDA, grew 14 percent to 2.3 million visitors.  Littlewoods Shop Direct Group grew 12 percent to 3.9 million visitors, followed by Tesco Stores (also a top 20 site), which grew 12 percent to 6.7 million visitors.  Other retail sites rounding out the list of top gainers include Marks&Spencer, up 10 percent to 2.4 million visitors; Play.com sites, up 10 percent to 3.6 million visitors; and Dixons Stores Group, up 10 percent to 4.2 million visitors. 

 

In addition to shopping, Britons were apparently busy booking holiday travel in October, with traffic to British Airways gaining 26 percent to 3.5 million visitors and British Midland gaining 11 percent to 2.6 million visitors.

 

Top 20 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in U.K. Unique Visitors*

October 2006 vs. September 2006

Total U.K. Visitors, Age 15+ - Home and Work Locations**

Source: comScore World Metrix 

 

Sept.-06 (000)

Oct.-06

(000)

Percentage Change

Total U.K. Internet Audience, Age 15+

29,589

29,553

0%

Woolworths Group plc

1,577

2,602

65%

HMV

1,837

2,380

30%

British Airways

2,803

3,530

26%

Vodafone Group

3,967

4,994

26%

YOUTUBE.COM

5,852

7,252

24%

Bank of America

2,200

2,713

23%

Disney Online

2,804

3,275

17%

NATIONALLOTTERY.CO.UK

3,760

4,361

16%

Reed Elsevier Group

2,368

2,706

14%

Wal-Mart (includes ASDA)

1,998

2,277

14%

HSBC

4,353

4,945

14%

EA Online

1,932

2,180

13%

Littlewoods Shop Direct Group

3,462

3,888

12%

Tesco Stores

5,958

6,674

12%

Sony Online

2,537

2,840

12%

British Midland

2,338

2,591

11%

Marks&Spencer

2,217

2,445

10%

Play.com Sites

3,306

3,639

10%

Dixons Stores Group

3,806

4,177

10%

BEBO.COM

4,458

4,886

10%

*Ranking based on the top 100 U.K. properties in October 2006.

** Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

 

 

Online advertising by banking sites Bank of America and HSBC paid off with sizable traffic gains in October with Bank of America growing 23 percent to 2.7 million visitors and HSBC growing 14 percent to 4.9 million visitors.

 

"Banks have invested in online advertising ahead of retail spending this holiday season, offering low rates on credit cards, as well as refinancing opportunities," Ivins commented. 

 

About comScore World Metrix

comScore World Metrix is the first service to continuously measure and report online behaviour on a world-wide basis, providing visitation metrics and demographic characteristics for Web site audiences around the world.  With active representation of countries that comprise the vast majority of the global Internet population, World Metrix provides its clients with worldwide Internet population estimates and harmonized online performance metrics based on a consistent methodology across all countries.  More than 100 clients subscribe to comScore's World Metrix service, including 8 of the top 10 interactive advertising agencies.

 

About comScore Networks
comScore Networks is a global leader in measuring the digital age. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behaviour, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panellists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behaviour and attitudes.  comScore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI.  comScore services are used by global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestlé, MBNA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia.  For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.   

 

 

 

 


Contact:
Andrew Lipsman
comScore Networks
(312) 775-6510
press@comscore.com