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TAX DEADLINE BOOSTS IRS.GOV’S
ONLINE TRAFFIC 61 PERCENT,
ACCORDING TO NIELSEN//NETRATINGS
Data highlights for April 10-16, 2000:
- Last Minute Taxpayers Rush to Tax Sites
- Allergy Season Blows Traffic to Health Sites
- Pogo.com Captures the Stickiest Site
NEW YORK – April 24, 2000 – The most recent data for
the week ending April 16 from Nielsen//NetRatings, the fastest growing
Internet audience measurement service in the industry from Nielsen Media
Research and NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTRT), indicates that the official
IRS Web site, IRS.gov, experienced significant traffic increases at-home
(61.3 percent) and at-work (49.2 percent). As the tax deadline neared,
many last minute filers surfed the Web at-home to get more information
and assistance to file their taxes. Other tax-related Web sites, which
saw significant growth in at-home traffic this past week, included TaxCut.com
(56.9 percent), Adobe.com (34.7 percent), TurboTax.com (22.7 percent),
and HRBlock (13.8 percent). Tax-related sites from IRS.gov to 1040.com
generated nearly 25 percent of Adobe.com’s traffic. Adobe’s
Acrobat Reader is required to view and print IRS tax forms.
"While more Americans are using online tax centers for downloading
tax forms and locating professional tax preparers, electronic filing
of returns has become the most popular service offered," said Betty
Cho, Internet Analyst, NetRatings. "With tax-paying procrastinators
in need of last-minute resources, companies offering e-filing services
must have infrastructure that can withstand influxes in traffic, particularly
during peak usage hours."
Nielsen//NetRatings Audience Traffic to Tax-related Sites, At-Home
|
Site
|
Unique Audience April 3-9
|
Unique Audience April 10-16
|
% Change
|
|
IRS.gov
|
729,681
|
1,176,800
|
+61.3
|
|
TaxCut.com
|
146,777
|
230,324
|
+56.9
|
|
Adobe.com
|
573,682
|
772,821
|
+34.7
|
|
TurboTax.com
|
383,943
|
471,210
|
+22.7
|
|
HRBlock.com
|
136,813
|
155,660
|
+13.8
|
Allergy Season Blows Traffic to Health Sites
Spring is here, pollen floats in the air, and Internet users at-home
are going online to acquire useful information on how to treat their
allergies and other health-related symptoms. During the week ending
April 16, AllHealth.com showed the largest traffic growth among health
sites (at-home) with an increase of 58.6 percent. AllHealth.com had
308,000 unique visitors during this past week compared to 194,000 the
week prior. Other health sites that saw significant growth in at-home
traffic included Medscape.com (45.5 percent), ThriveOnline.com (42.4
percent) and Drugstore.com (38.8 percent).
Pogo.com Captures the Stickiest Site At-Home and At-Work
Pogo.com was the stickiest site among at-home and at-work users
this past week. While Internet surfers at-home spent about 84 minutes
on Pogo.com, Web users at-work spent nearly 94 minutes on the site.
Top Clicked-On Ad Banners
The top clicked-on ad banner among at-home users belonged to 4Anything.com,
a network of Web guides, with a 15.9 percent click rate. The top clicked-on
ad banner among at-work users belonged to Match.com, an online matchmaking
service, with a 26.8 percent click rate.
Most Popular Sites Among Females & Males
The top site drawing the proportionally largest female at-home audience
was eDiets.com, an online diet and fitness center. Of those Web surfers
visiting the site, 92.5 percent were female. The top site of the week
for female surfers at-work was WalMart.com, Wal*Mart’s official
Web site. Women accounted for 95 percent of those visiting the site.
The top site drawing the proportionally largest male at-home audience
was Smallworld.com, a developer of online fantasy sports games. Of those
Web surfers visiting the site, 88.4 percent were male. The top site
for male surfers at-work was Rivals.com, an online sports network. Men
accounted for 96.3 percent of those visiting the site.
The following set of at-home and at-work information includes: Top
25 Web Properties, Top 10 Internet Advertisers, Top 10 Banner Ads and
Average Web Usage statistics for the week ending April 16, 2000.
Nielsen//NetRatings: Top 25 Web Sites by Property
April 10 – 16, 2000
Ranking of the Most Visited Web Properties
|
Top 25 Properties, At-Home
|
Top 25 Properties, At-Work
|
| |
Property
|
Unique Audience (000)
|
Time Per Person (hrs:min:sec)
|
|
|
Property
|
Unique Audience (000)
|
Time Per Person (hrs:min:sec)
|
| 1. |
AOL Websites
|
25,749
|
0:12:36
|
|
1. |
Yahoo!
|
13,689
|
0:37:50
|
| 2. |
Yahoo!
|
24,408
|
0:27:56
|
|
2. |
AOL Websites
|
12,409
|
0:17:35
|
| 3. |
MSN
|
17,475
|
0:24:34
|
|
3. |
MSN
|
10,904
|
0:32:47
|
| 4. |
Lycos Network
|
9,778
|
0:09:06
|
|
4. |
Microsoft
|
6,019
|
0:07:47
|
| 5. |
Excite@Home
|
9,233
|
0:15:02
|
|
5. |
Lycos Network
|
5,880
|
0:08:44
|
| 6. |
GO Network
|
7,804
|
0:15:13
|
|
6. |
Excite@Home
|
5,440
|
0:17:41
|
| 7. |
Microsoft
|
6,994
|
0:05:40
|
|
7. |
GO Network
|
5,280
|
0:20:02
|
| 8. |
NBC Internet
|
5,098
|
0:09:24
|
|
8. |
AltaVista
|
3,685
|
0:16:19
|
| 9. |
AltaVista
|
4,777
|
0:09:16
|
|
9. |
Time Warner
|
3,207
|
0:20:56
|
| 10. |
eBay
|
4,659
|
0:53:13
|
|
10. |
NBC Internet
|
3,055
|
0:07:09
|
| 11. |
Time Warner
|
4,425
|
0:08:43
|
|
11. |
Amazon
|
2,873
|
0:10:50
|
| 12. |
Amazon
|
3,638
|
0:08:17
|
|
12. |
eBay
|
2,868
|
1:29:57
|
| 13. |
About.com
|
3,520
|
0:06:47
|
|
13. |
iWon.com Inc.
|
2,266
|
0:39:01
|
| 14. |
Ask Jeeves
|
3,274
|
0:07:17
|
|
14. |
About.com
|
2,209
|
0:05:15
|
| 15. |
iWon.com Inc.
|
2,979
|
0:26:40
|
|
15. |
CNET Networks
|
2,012
|
0:07:23
|
| 16. |
EarthLink
|
2,958
|
0:11:39
|
|
16. |
CNN
|
1,983
|
0:28:14
|
| 17. |
The Go2Net Network
|
2,939
|
0:07:17
|
|
17. |
ZDNet
|
1,962
|
0:09:33
|
| 18. |
LookSmart
|
2,833
|
0:03:35
|
|
18. |
The Go2Net Network
|
1,785
|
0:08:52
|
| 19. |
ZDNet
|
2,444
|
0:07:50
|
|
19. |
Ask Jeeves
|
1,778
|
0:06:32
|
| 20. |
CNET Networks
|
2,353
|
0:06:33
|
|
20. |
US Treasury
|
1,702
|
0:12:30
|
| 21. |
SmartBot.NET Inc.
|
2,316
|
0:03:47
|
|
21. |
Marketwatch.com
|
1,690
|
0:11:41
|
| 22. |
Real Networks
|
2,252
|
0:03:33
|
|
22. |
Real Networks
|
1,601
|
0:03:18
|
| 23. |
American Greetings
|
2,161
|
0:07:29
|
|
23. |
EarthLink
|
1,581
|
0:13:13
|
| 24. |
Viacom International
|
2,160
|
0:11:05
|
|
24. |
LookSmart
|
1,534
|
0:04:37
|
| 25. |
Fortune City
|
2,149
|
0:04:39
|
|
25. |
Weather Channel
|
1,435
|
0:10:09
|
Example: The data indicate that more than
2.1 million home Internet users visited at least one of the Fortune
City-owned sites during the week, and each person spent, on average,
a total of 4 minutes and 39
seconds at one or more of their sites.
Notes: Rankings are based on audience measurement of people who have
access to the Internet at-home and at-work. Work rankings are based
on persons at-work who have access to a non-shared personal computer.
A property is defined as a consolidation of multiple domains and URLs
owned by a single entity. Reach is a measure of the unduplicated audience
that visits a property. The data are expressed as the percentage of
the total universe of Internet users who logged onto the Internet at
least once during the reporting period.
Nielsen//NetRatings: Top Ten Advertisers
April 10 – 16, 2000
Top advertisers, ranked by banner impressions, are based on data from
BannerTrackSM, Nielsen//NetRatings' syndicated advertising
research report. An impression is counted each time an ad banner is
fully loaded onto a user’s screen.
|
Top 10 Advertisers, At-Home
|
Top 10 Advertisers, At-Work
|
| |
Advertiser*
|
Impressions (000)
|
Reach %
|
|
|
Advertiser*
|
Impressions (000)
|
Reach %
|
| 1. |
TRUSTe
|
450,801
|
25.3
|
|
1. |
TRUSTe
|
460,624
|
33.0
|
| 2. |
ClassMates
|
216,390
|
6.6
|
|
2. |
ClassMates
|
194,397
|
9.5
|
| 3. |
Yahoo!
|
201,774
|
28.3
|
|
3. |
Yahoo!
|
153,369
|
34.3
|
| 4. |
Amazon
|
124,208
|
29.8
|
|
4. |
Amazon
|
83,587
|
37.0
|
| 5. |
America Online
|
108,497
|
29.0
|
|
5. |
Ad Council
|
81,735
|
10.6
|
| 6. |
Microsoft
|
92,727
|
26.3
|
|
6. |
Microsoft
|
67,373
|
33.2
|
| 7. |
Ad Council
|
76,716
|
8.3
|
|
7. |
Datek
|
54,313
|
11.7
|
| 8. |
Next Card
|
58,813
|
13.3
|
|
8. |
E*TRADE
|
45,605
|
12.8
|
| 9. |
GetSmart
|
53,612
|
14.2
|
|
9. |
Excite
|
45,310
|
9.5
|
| 10. |
Barnes and Noble
|
51,199
|
16.1
|
|
10. |
GetSmart
|
42,218
|
22.0
|
*Impressions reported include house ads, which are ads that run on
an advertiser’s own web property.
Example: An estimated 51.2 million Barnes and Noble ad banners were
completely loaded on at-home users’ computers during the surfing
week. These banners were delivered to 16.1 percent or 9.5 million home
Internet users.
Nielsen//NetRatings: Top Ten Ad Banners Viewed
April 10 – 16, 2000
Top Banners, ranked according to reach percentage, are cited from BannerTrackSM,
Nielsen//NetRatings' syndicated ad research service.
Top 10 Ad Banners Viewed at Home
|
Advertiser*
|
Reach %
|
Creative
|
|
Bonzi Software
|
8.5
|
Warning: Your Internet Connection Is Not Optimized. Download
InternetBOOST ’99 Now!
|
|
GetSmart
|
5.5
|
Find a mortgage. On your terms.
|
|
GetSmart
|
4.9
|
New Home Loans – Refinance – Debt Consolidation –
2nd Mortgage
|
|
Mail.com
|
4.9
|
Free! All Domain Names!
|
|
Capital One
|
4.7
|
9.9% Fixed Rate - Not Just Another Pretty Card
|
|
Network Solutions
|
4.4
|
Get your Web address before someone else does!
|
|
AmeriDebt
|
4.1
|
Danger! Bill Problems? We Can Help You Save $!
|
|
Mail.com
|
3.9
|
Free E-mail with Personality
|
|
American Red Cross
|
3.8
|
Imagine you’ve lost your home to a disaster. Imagine you’re
four. Call 1-800-HELP NOW!
|
|
NextCard
|
3.4
|
As low as 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR
|
Top 10 Ad Banners Viewed at Work
|
Advertiser*
|
Reach %
|
Creative
|
|
Bonzi Software
|
15.9
|
Warning: Your Internet Connection Is Not Optimized. Download
InternetBOOST ’99 Now!
|
|
GetSmart
|
10.2
|
Find a mortgage. On your terms.
|
|
GetSmart
|
8.4
|
New Home Loans – Refinance – Debt Consolidation –
2nd Mortgage
|
|
Capital One
|
7.1
|
9.9% Fixed Rate - Not Just Another Pretty Card
|
|
GetSmart
|
6.6
|
Find: A Loan for Me Refinancing – Second Mortgage –
Debt Consolidation
|
|
Network Solutions
|
6.4
|
Get your Web address before someone else does!
|
|
Mail.com
|
6.3
|
Free! All Domain Names!
|
|
Mail.com
|
5.6
|
Free E-mail with Personality
|
|
FreeLotto
|
5.5
|
Scratch > $$$$
|
|
AmeriDebt
|
5.3
|
Danger! Bill Problems? We Can Help You Save $!
|
*Ad banners that run predominantly on an advertiser's own property
or house ads are not included in the above.
Nielsen//NetRatings: Average Internet Usage
April 10 – 16, 2000
Data below represent activity for the average Internet user during
the designated weekly period.
| |
Current Week At-Home
|
% Change from Last Week
|
|
Current Week At-Work
|
% Change from Last Week
|
|
Number of Sessions per Week
|
6
|
0
|
|
11
|
0
|
|
Number of Unique Sites Visited
|
6
|
0
|
|
12
|
0
|
|
Page Views per Week
|
215
|
-1.8
|
|
355
|
-2.5
|
|
Page Views per Surfing Session
|
36
|
0
|
|
34
|
0
|
|
Time Spent per Week
|
3: 00: 25
|
-1.9
|
|
5: 25: 16
|
-2.7
|
|
Time Spent during Surfing Session
|
0: 30: 04
|
-0.6
|
|
0: 30: 47
|
-1.2
|
|
Duration of a Page viewed
|
0: 00: 50
|
-0.6
|
|
0: 00: 54
|
-1.2
|
|
Average Click Rate for Top Banners
|
0.27
|
+8.0
|
|
0.3
|
+7.1
|
|
Active Internet Universe (actually surfed)
|
59.2 million
|
+0.1
|
|
28.4 million
|
+0.9
|
|
Current Internet Universe Estimate (had access, but did not necessarily
go online)
|
130.5 million
|
0
|
|
32.9 million
|
-0.1
|
About Nielsen//NetRatings
Nielsen//NetRatings, the audience measurement service from Nielsen
Media Research and NetRatings, Inc., collects real-time data from more
than 51,000 panel members in the United States. The U.S. panel sample
consists of 43,000 at-home users and 8,000 at-work users. These panels
collectively represent the largest representative media research sample
of Internet users in the industry. Worldwide, in partnership with ACNielsen
eRatings.com, Nielsen//NetRatings measures the Internet experiences
of nearly 95,000 people.
Nielsen//NetRatings uses unique technology capable of measuring both
Internet use and advertising to provide the most timely, accurate and
comprehensive Internet usage data and advertising information in the
global marketplace. Nielsen//NetRatings leverages proprietary data-collection
technology from NetRatings, Nielsen Media Research's 50 years of expertise
in research and audience measurement, and ACNielsen’s international
leadership in supplying market research information covering more than
100 countries.
Editor’s Note: Please source all data to Nielsen//NetRatings.
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