Quantcast

A real pet peeve of mine is the lack of transparency in site traffic claims.  A while back I wrote about the need for a traffic widget from a reputable third party:

Returning to the world of widgets, I think that the public stats world is crying out for widget that displays a snapshot of some limited traffic data, direct from a Web sites server or javascript based stats package.  The obvious candidate to offer something like this would be Google Analytics.  A check box on their free service could allow users to "make my stats public."  Of course, a widget would be generated that would serve as a seal of transparency on the host site.

There is now such a service.  Quantcast, a free web site traffic estimator similar to Alexa and Compete, is offering a "quantification" option for site owners to accurately portray their macro traffic stats to the world.  Site owners wishing to populate their Quantcast profile with real data may do so by adding a javascript tag to their site template.

So why would would a site publisher choose to make their macro stats public?  I think the main reason is that services like Alexa, Compete, and Quantcast are notoriously understated in their projections, yet are often cited as being truth by bloggers and journalists.  A site that is willing to be transparent with their traffic numbers will be rewarded with a more favorable portrayal on these third party services than those that don't. 

In other words, if everybody is going to believe these services anyway, and these services are understated, why not populate your site profile with real data?

Handily, a variety of traffic widgets are available through Quantcast for display as a seal of transparency. 

I've added the Quantcast tags to RateItAll.  We should be quantified in a few days.

If more publishers follow, Quantcast has a real opportunity to solve this traffic transparency issue, in the process becoming the de facto, free third party traffic estimator.

Comments

[lawrence]

The more I think about this, the more I think that Google dropped the ball on this one. They seem to appreciate the value of having a distributed footprint on other sites (AdSense, Google Maps, YouTube widgets), and they're sitting on the perfect property in Google Analytics to increase this footprint. All they needed to do is turn on a widget for site publishers to "validate" their site traffic. But instead they let Quantcast beat them to the punch. I wouldn't be shocked if they decide to follow suit sooner rather than later.

[Mark]

I can't tell you how many sites have approached me to say how happy they are to finally have data they can share with investors, advertisers, colleagues, etc.

If you or anyone else wants or needs more information on the program, send them my way.

My best,
Mark Schulze
Quantcast Corp

[erug]

Question regarding security alert box.
After adding javascript code provided by Quantcast.com, I am getting security alert when navigation is from non-secure to secure.

How to avoid this problem?