Real online reach at last
Internet usage The Net-Metrix-Profile study published on June 11 provides real reach data for Internet usage in Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the first time.
Internet usage The Net-Metrix-Profile study published on June 11 provides real reach data for Internet usage in Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the first time: Those from Net-Metrix-Audit and those from the MMXI panel. However, both had and still have their shortcomings. The main problem: they did not provide any real online reach. MMXI electronically tracks the surfing behavior of panel participants who have software installed on their PC. Although the panel provides socio-demographic information, the data measured is largely limited to usage from a home PC. Net-Metrix-Audit is different: it is not user-centered, but site-centered: On each site participating in the study, the effective number of visitors is measured electronically. It tells you which site was visited when, for how long and from which PC (unique client), but not by which people.Net-Metrix-Profile is different: for the first time, this study provides data on website usage in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, based on technical measurements and survey data. Specifically, the measurement data from the Net-Metrix-Audit web statistics are supplemented with socio-demographic data from an online survey and a telephone survey. In contrast to Internet studies, which are based exclusively on survey data, the inclusion of measurement data from Net-Metrix-Audit makes it possible to collect reliable reach data for websites and also for thematic sub-categories, writes Wemf.
The unit for this reach is the "unique user" (UU), a figure that indicates how many people use a website in a given period (see box). In the Net-Metrix-Profile 2007-1 study, the reach of unique users is published for an average month and an average week in the survey period of the study. The survey period of the Net-Metrix Profiles 2007-1 study covers the three months from October to December 2006. The first Net-Metrix Profiles study publishes the reach for a total of 44 websites or website combinations and for 74 sub-categories.
The published data shows that the Bluewin.ch portal is the most visited of the sites registered with Net-Metrix-Profile, with 39.9% of all Internet users visiting it. However, Bluewin.ch is more popular among German-speaking users (40.7 percent) than among Italian-speaking users (32.7 percent). Important: Google.ch, which did not take part in the study, is not shown, nor are SBB.ch or Post.ch. Naturally, foreign sites are also missing.
Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that Teletext.ch ranks quite highly for Italian-speaking users, while this site appears in eleventh place at the earliest for users of other languages. What is also striking is that Italian-speaking users often find their way to sites in other languages, whereas for German and French-speaking Internet users, sites in other national languages rank much lower.
In addition to the pure reach data, website operators can also analyze a range of target group information according to 35 different variables (socio-demographics, Internet usage habits and topic interests). Here is just a sample: 51.3 percent of Bluewin.ch users throughout Switzerland are female, whereas Cash.ch has only 32.9 percent female visitors. Bluewin also has the most highly educated visitors (38.4 percent), with search.ch a distant second (25.5 percent). Among young people (14 to 34-year-olds), Bluewin is also very popular (36.3%), but search.ch follows relatively closely with 28.6% - while 20minuten.ch still lags far behind with 14.9%.
Unique clients and unique users The basis for the new range of unique users is the measured unique clients (computers) via which a website is accessed. However, since a person can access a website from several locations (clients) and several people can use a website from the same computer (client), the number of unique clients (computers) cannot be directly equated with the number of unique users (people). The Net-Metrix Profile survey therefore collects various information on the Internet usage habits of the respondents, such as usage locations, number of computers used or number of people per computer. This information is used to estimate the number of unique users in a complex evaluation process based on the unique clients measured.
General information on Net-Metrix-Profile The Net-Metrix-Profile study is published twice a year. The data collection for the second study wave 2007 will be completed at the end of June and the results will be published in fall 2007. The basic population of the study consists of all persons resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein who have used the Internet in the last three months.
The Net-Metrix-Profile study is a module of the Net-Metrix Internet research system, which includes the following additional modules: Net-
Metrix Audit (web statistics), Net-Metrix Tracking (Internet panel) and Net-Metrix Base (basic study on Internet use in Switzerland and Liechtenstein). (mk)
Markus Knöpfli
The unit for this reach is the "unique user" (UU), a figure that indicates how many people use a website in a given period (see box). In the Net-Metrix-Profile 2007-1 study, the reach of unique users is published for an average month and an average week in the survey period of the study. The survey period of the Net-Metrix Profiles 2007-1 study covers the three months from October to December 2006. The first Net-Metrix Profiles study publishes the reach for a total of 44 websites or website combinations and for 74 sub-categories.
The published data shows that the Bluewin.ch portal is the most visited of the sites registered with Net-Metrix-Profile, with 39.9% of all Internet users visiting it. However, Bluewin.ch is more popular among German-speaking users (40.7 percent) than among Italian-speaking users (32.7 percent). Important: Google.ch, which did not take part in the study, is not shown, nor are SBB.ch or Post.ch. Naturally, foreign sites are also missing.
Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that Teletext.ch ranks quite highly for Italian-speaking users, while this site appears in eleventh place at the earliest for users of other languages. What is also striking is that Italian-speaking users often find their way to sites in other languages, whereas for German and French-speaking Internet users, sites in other national languages rank much lower.
In addition to the pure reach data, website operators can also analyze a range of target group information according to 35 different variables (socio-demographics, Internet usage habits and topic interests). Here is just a sample: 51.3 percent of Bluewin.ch users throughout Switzerland are female, whereas Cash.ch has only 32.9 percent female visitors. Bluewin also has the most highly educated visitors (38.4 percent), with search.ch a distant second (25.5 percent). Among young people (14 to 34-year-olds), Bluewin is also very popular (36.3%), but search.ch follows relatively closely with 28.6% - while 20minuten.ch still lags far behind with 14.9%.
Unique clients and unique users The basis for the new range of unique users is the measured unique clients (computers) via which a website is accessed. However, since a person can access a website from several locations (clients) and several people can use a website from the same computer (client), the number of unique clients (computers) cannot be directly equated with the number of unique users (people). The Net-Metrix Profile survey therefore collects various information on the Internet usage habits of the respondents, such as usage locations, number of computers used or number of people per computer. This information is used to estimate the number of unique users in a complex evaluation process based on the unique clients measured.
General information on Net-Metrix-Profile The Net-Metrix-Profile study is published twice a year. The data collection for the second study wave 2007 will be completed at the end of June and the results will be published in fall 2007. The basic population of the study consists of all persons resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein who have used the Internet in the last three months.
The Net-Metrix-Profile study is a module of the Net-Metrix Internet research system, which includes the following additional modules: Net-
Metrix Audit (web statistics), Net-Metrix Tracking (Internet panel) and Net-Metrix Base (basic study on Internet use in Switzerland and Liechtenstein). (mk)
Markus Knöpfli
