AMAA launches new website auditing service

The Audited Media Association of Australia (AMAA) has announced a new website measurement service which will provide media agencies with a range of audited metrics to “bring more rigour” to online figures.

The service will consist of a comprehensive audited framework which includes average daily unique browsers, page impressions and session duration data provided by Commscore, which the AMAA announced in October as the endorsed analytics platform for Australia’s online currency.

Ricky Chanana chairman of the newly formed Digital Working Committee (DWC) which oversees the service, said it would give media buyers an audited product and greater piece of mind.

“We decided to get all of Comscore’s raw data, put all our auditing tags on there and launch this new audited measure,” said Chanana. “The way I see this working is media agencies can go to the website when you get numbers from a publisher to ensure the numbers are right and are not inflated.”“It just gives a media agency that extra element of satisfaction that someone is policing the numbers because at this stage Nielsen’s market intelligence product doesn’t have any auditing,” he said.

“This will bring more rigour to how we measure our impressions and unique browsers.”

This service will audit inventory as opposed to the Nielsen product, which looks at overall online audience.  The new audited website measurement service is based on global standards and is part of a broader suite of metrics the AMAA is exploring, which include unique devices and video activity.

Chairman of the AMAA Dr Stephen Hollings  said the new service would also help media agencies assess smaller publishers.

“The service builds upon our members’ desire for website measurement that carries the same level of auditing rigour and transparency that we apply to print and events. Our non-profit mission remains focused on bringing accountability and trust between advertisers, agencies and publishers in an ever- changing media industry,” said Hollings.

The AMAA’s audited website measurement service is made up of four key elements; a tag management system, automated site scanning technology, an analytics platform, and audit services along with data reporting.

Nic Christensen