ON: Web Metrics Studies

For those of us who are responsible for analyzing and translating digital consumer data back to our clients then optimizing our campaigns and sites to align with consumer feedback loops -  two studies have confirmed what we digital marketers have hypothesized about for years.

The use of page-views and cookies to determine the size of Web audiences may be failing to keep up with changing user habits, according to two new reports.

A study from comScore has concluded that cookies may be over-counting serial Web surfers who regularly reset them. A separate report from Nielsen NetRatings determines that counting time spent on a site, rather than page views accessed, may offer a better metric for evaluating usage in the Web 2.0 era of video and audio features.

Nielsen's Top Ten Websites By Time Per Visit