September on the Web
Relief sites servicing hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims gained attention in September; TV networks also received traffic as the fall season began.
In September, traffic patterns on the Web gravitated toward hurricane-related sites like the American Red Cross and faith-based organizations. Online consumer behavior for September was released by comScore Media Metrix, which also found the entertainment and financial sectors gained traction during the month.
Traffic to the American Red Cross site grew five-fold, making it the highest-gaining property for the month. RedCross.org received 9.6 million visitors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was the second-highest gaining property. The site experienced a 369 percent increase over the previous month, with 4.9 million visits.
“The Internet is truly a community of communities, bringing together people and services to play critical roles in the process of recovery and rejuvenation,” said Peter Daboll, president and CEO of comScore Media Metrix.
| Top Growth Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors, August and September, 2005 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | August, 2005 (000) | September, 2005 (000) | Percentage Change | Rank by Unique Visitors |
| Total Internet Population | 168,482 | 169,232 | 0 | N/A |
| RedCross.org | 1,745 | 9,579 | 449 | 75 |
| FEMA.gov | 1,040 | 4,875 | 369 | 166 |
| SportingBet PLC | 2,967 | 5,397 | 82 | 147 |
| NationalGeographic.com | 2,075 | 3,375 | 63 | 246 |
| Lexico Publishing Group | 6,444 | 9,514 | 48 | 77 |
| Belo | 4,068 | 5,965 | 47 | 127 |
| SnapFish | 2,744 | 3,953 | 44 | 205 |
| Equifax Inc. | 2,437 | 3,509 | 44 | 235 |
| CSTV: College Sports TV | 5,277 | 7,554 | 43 | 104 |
| AnnualCreditReport.com | 2,469 | 3,472 | 41 | 237 |
| Notes: 1. Visitors are U.S. home, work, and university Internet users. 2. Ranking is based on the top 250 properties of September, 2005. |
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| Source: comScore Media Metrix, 2005 | ||||
Smaller grassroots sites also saw higher traffic. The highest-gaining category was religion. Faith-based sites experienced a 10 percent traffic increase, with 14.9 unique visitors in September. People visited daily commentaries, audio broadcasts, and e-greetings on faith-based sites; they looked to help others and themselves in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
As the premier of the fall season approached, many viewers turned to the Web to check out what was new. The television category grew eight percent in September to 69.3 million unique visitors. ABC.com was the top-gaining network with 7.6 million unique visitors, a 90 percent increase over the previous month. Attention to the network was attributed to hit shows “Alias,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Lost.”
AOL Television received 10.6 million unique visitors, a 45 percent increase. MSN Television got 10.2 million unique hits, a 76 percent jump. Yahoo TV garnered 8.3 million uniques with a 30 percent boost.
| Top Growth Categories by Unique Visitors, August and September, 2005 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | August, 2005 (000) | September, 2005 (000) | Percentage Change | |
| Total Internet population | 168,482 | 169,232 | 0 | |
| Community: religion | 12,610 | 13,897 | 10 | |
| Retail: mall | 28,198 | 30,403 | 8 | |
| Entertainment: TV | 64,421 | 69,280 | 8 | |
| Business/finance: Online trading | 10,914 | 11,672 | 7 | |
| Health: pharmacy | 14,901 | 15,836 | 6 | |
| Education: information | 42,488 | 44,818 | 5 | |
| News/information: general news | 92,961 | 97,046 | 4 | |
| Sports | 60,917 | 63,480 | 4 | |
| Government | 76,075 | 79,104 | 4 | |
| Community: teens | 24,521 | 25,268 | 3 | |
| Note: Visitors are U.S. home, work, and university Internet users. | ||||
| Source: comScore Media Metrix, 2005 | ||||
Data was derived using comScore’s Media Metrix Internet audience measurement service. The panel reporting tracks media usage for home, work, and university audiences to gain insight on visitor demographics and online buying power.
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