Audit 101: Part 4 of a Series

At Circulation Verification Council, we take pride in producing the most thorough and informative audits in the industry. By The Numbers "Audit 101" series is designed to provide a detailed, line-by-line explanation of every paragraph of our audit so that publishers and media buyers get the most out of the data.

Paragraph 6: Audited Average Web Site Reporting and Audited Online Edition Reporting

In 2007, CVC expanded its auditing capabilities to include Web activity and online edition circulation. This information, reported in paragraphs 6A and 6B of the audit, has quickly become a popular section of the audit for buyers.

"It's important to be able to show potential advertisers confirmed statistics about your Web activity, including circulation of an online edition," CVC CEO Tim Bingaman said. "Web site reporting is now a must, and Paragraph 6 is a permanent part of our audit reports."

6A: Audited Average Web Site Reporting
Web site traffic is reported based on a monthly average. These statistics are confirmed using support documentation from the publisher’s Web site hosting company, Web analytics or other host report.

Unique Visitors
Generally, unique visitors are determined by the number of computers or devices that visit a particular Web site. Each computer has a unique address, called an IP address, which Web sites can capture for the purpose of determining unique visitors. Users who visit a Web site multiple times each month are counted only once per cycle. The number reported in Paragraph 6A is the average number of unique visitors to a Web site each month.

Page Views
Page views represent the average number of Web site pages that all users combined open each month. A page view does not tell you how many people visited your Web site, but it does provide a sense of how active your users are with your Web site.

Expanded Web Site Reports
For publishers with more complex Web site auditing needs or multiple Web sites, expanded audits are available.

6B: Audited Online Edition Reporting
Many publishers now provide a complete carbon copy of their print publications online. For these digital editions, CVC can report online circulation figures. A growing number of online replica providers reliably report online circulation to CVC. If you would like a list of companies that currently provide this service, please e-mail Jim Kennedy.

Unique Digital Edition Visitors
This figure describes the average number of different people or computers that view the online edition. This figure is determined by IP addresses or by user login information. Visitors who open the edition more than once in a period are counted only once. The average unique edition visitors reported mirrors the frequency of the print publication.

Digital Edition Page Views
Digital edition page views refer to the number of pages opened during the audit period. A page view does not tell you how many people opened the online edition, but it does provide a sense of how many pages visitors look at overall. The average digital edition page views reported also mirrors the frequency of the print publication.


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