Google Sites was the top-ranked Web property in August 2012, attracting some 187 million unique visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites with 170 million and Yahoo Sites with 164 million, according to data from the comScore Media Metrix service.
Making its debut among the Top 50 was Instagram, at No. 48, with 26.0 million unique visitors.
Facebook was No. 4, attracting 152.4 million unique visitors in August. Other social sites ranked among the Top 50 were LinkedIn (No. 26) with 40.9 million visitors, Twitter (No. 38) with 38.2 million, Tumblr (No. 39) with 29.8 million, and MySpace (No. 43) with 28.0 million.
Display Ad Ecosystem Rankings
For the August 2012 report, comScore expanded its display ad ecosystem reporting to provide additional granularity in the classification of ad publishers, networks, and other platforms that comprise the ecosystem.
Among syndicated Ad Focus entities, ShareThis ranked first, reaching 87% of the 220 million Americans online in August. Google was second with 81.6% reach, followed by Yahoo Sites (74.3%), Outbrain (72%) and Facebook.com (69.2%).
Among Ad Networks and Buy Side Networks, PulsePoint was No. 1 with 96.4% reach, followed by Vibrant Media (93.1%), Specific Media (93%), Google Ad Network (92.7%), and AOL Advertising (84.2%).
Among DSPs, SSPs, and Ad Exchanges (which will include several additional entities in the coming months), Rubicon Project REVV Platform reached 96.6% of Americans online.
Note on data:
With the release of August 2012 US Media Metrix data, comScore introduced three methodological enhancements to its estimates that will affect data on a go-forward basis:
- The incorporation of updated demographic universe estimates based on data from the 2010 US census, which provides an improved accounting of the percentage of the population falling into each demographic segment.
- An improvement in comScore's enumeration survey methodology to better represent persons in cell-phone only households.
- A new technique to account for cookie rejection in Safari browsers, for sites measured via comScore's Unified Digital Measurement (UDM) methodology.
Due to the effects of those changes, the August 2012 report excludes month-over-month percentage comparisons, which include the effects of inorganic increases or declines due to the methodological enhancements.
Standard reporting of both rankings and month-over-month percent changes will resume with the release of September 2012 data.
