Social networks the most popular online destination in the UK
Social networks registered 2.4 billion UK Internet visits during January 2011
User engagement the key to social networking success
Social networks still lag behind search engines as a source of traffic to transactional websites
London, 16 March 2011 – For the first time ever, social media has become the single biggest activity online in the UK, overtaking the Entertainment category during January according to “Carpe diem - Seizing the moment in Social Media”, new report from Experian Hitwise.
During January 2011 social networks accounted for 12.4% of all UK Internet visits. Across the 9,000 social networks monitored by Experian Hitwise there were over 2.4 billion visits from UK Internet users during the month - more than in any other month on record.
Social media continues to be the fastest growing sector online in the UK and in 2010 alone visits to the Experian Hitwise Social Networks and Forums category increased by 17%.
User engagement the key to social networking success
Not only are people visiting social sites more regularly, the time they spend on these websites is increasing, with the average session time spent on a social network in January 2011 being 22 minutes.
The range and diversity of social networks is also on the up. Facebook may be the dominant social network in the UK, accounting for 56% of traffic to the industry during January, but social media users are rarely tied exclusively to just one social network. Indeed, the interaction between different social sites is significant, as users dart between multiple networks in order to chat to their various groups of friends and associates.
“While social networks of course compete amongst themselves for users, many of those users have a presence on multiple networks,” commented Experian Hitwise’s Research Director, Robin Goad. “One in every eight people leaving a social network visits another one immediately after, something that is encouraged by the connections that exist between the networks. Facebook, for example, is a key source of traffic for many smaller social networks; while almost a fifth of people leaving Twitter go on to visit another social network.”
Social networks still lag behind search engines as a source of traffic to transactional websites
Social networks account for 13% of traffic sent to other websites in the UK, but they play a much bigger role in sending visits to content based websites than transactional ones. The biggest recipients of traffic from social networks are news and entertainment websites; in January 2011 social networks sent only 16% of their traffic to transactional websites (i.e. online retailers, travel companies and business and finance websites). By comparison, search engines sent 33% of their traffic to transactional websites.
Robin Goad commented: “Social networks have become a key source of traffic from many websites, particularly those distributing content and chasing ‘eyeballs’. But transactional websites – those selling goods or services such as travel or insurance online – still rely primarily on search for their traffic and therefore sales. Successful transactional websites will be those that learn to harness the power of social networks, driving traffic through to their own websites.”
Ankur Shah, co-founder and CEO of Techlightenment, an Experian company, said: “Social networks and search complement each other. To reach new and existing customers, transactional websites need to use both channels effectively. Social networks, however, allow brands to tailor communication, reaching exactly the right audience at the right time.”
To download a copy of the full Experian Hitwise report, “Carpe diem - Seizing the moment in Social Media, please visit http://hitw.se/gVChOh
ENDS
UK Press Office
Experian Hitwise
+44 20 3042 4773
About Experian Hitwise
Experian Hitwise is the leading online competitive intelligence service. Experian Hitwise gives marketers a competitive advantage by providing daily insights on how 25 million Internet users around the world interact with more than 1 million Web sites. This external view helps companies grow and protect their businesses by identifying threats and opportunities as they develop. Experian Hitwise has more than 1,500 clients across numerous sectors, including financial services, media, travel and retail.
Experian Hitwise (FTS:EXPN), www.experianplc.com, operates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, France and Brazil. More information about Experian Hitwise is available at www.hitwise.com/uk.
For up-to-date analysis of online trends, please visit the Experian Hitwise research blog at www.ilovedata.com and the Experian Hitwise Data Centre at www.hitwise.com/datacentre
About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 90 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2010 was $3.9 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and São Paulo, Brazil.
For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.