How to prove traffic to advertisers?

[Spridel]

I want to sell advertising space on my website. How do I prove to potential advertisers how many hits my site gets? My host provides some stats packages such as Webalizer and Awstats, but I can't very well let customers into my control panel to view them. Plus, I don't really know how to read them myself.

[Spridel]

Oops, guess I should have started this thread in the Advertising forum.

[gengar56]

1) Learn to read them yourself.
2) Take a screenshot.

[Dan Grossman]

I've never had the privilege of working with a major company, but over the years I've sold traditional banner ads on my sites to dozens of internet businesses, primarily web hosts. Perhaps they as hosts are different, but they've at most asked for Webalizer or Awstats screenshots for proof of traffic. A free 3rd party tracker couldn't hurt if someone really wants independent verification.

[Zafar Ahmed]

Take a screenshot of the statz by pressing [print screen Sys Rq] on your keyboard to show the screenshots

[beley]

Moved to advertising forum...

[mvd]

you really should learn to read them yourself.....

Because I am wondering, if you dont know how to read them, what exactly are you telling your advertisers??

[downloads_be]

an awStats screenshot should do it

[lo0ol]

Screenshots can be faked (as pretty much anything can), but most advertisers will be fine with them.

[Mike Panic]

true - but people will only question a screenshot if you give them a reason to. google pr, alexa rating and a backwards link check in google can also help ease a potential advertisers mind

[TLE]

In addition to awstats (or webtrends), i've also offered raw log files (selective dates) to qualified potential advertisers.

[makom]

Everything depend on type of ads you want to place, if it is just text link, banner or ad network's ads...

[Spridel]

So it sounds like it's pretty much a matter of asking the advertiser to trust me. I guess I had in mind an independent third party that would verify my traffic, like print circulation is verified. But I hear that third party trackers like extreme-dm are not accurate.

[krohnathlonman]

I generally send them to alexa for third party verification of the relative size of the site like this http://www.alexa.com/data/details/tr...amnotageek.com

Obviously its completely useless if your not in the top 60k but if you're not that big you're not likely to pull all that much off advertisers. The key stat is the reach ranking.

I don't want to debate the accuracy of Alexa, but I've found the reach ranking to be reasonably accurate relative to other sites in my sector. It's the bloated pageviews/person that throws their system off so much.

[noxcel.com]

awStats screenshot should be good enough for anyone

[billiousness]

A screen shot given by the publisher of smaller websites to an advertiser as people have previously said is sufficient but for publishers chasing a major advertsiers you need to either serve your ads via a 3rd party or have third party stats. Big company's marketing staff, media buyers and ad agency types are used to having 3rd party verification of circulation or ratings from traditional media outlets like print or broadcast and need it to justify spending to their account departments/boards. Therefore to compete with traditional media you need to use similar 3rd party tools persuade advertisers to buy space at you sites.

[chrisranjana]

YES screenshots would be the answer

[billiousness]

If you are interested, these are a couple of third party advserving companies:
http://www.ad-rotator.com/
http://www.valuead.com/products/adxpress/index.html

[jwiedner]

IMO, as an advertiser, I would want third-party verification, whether that comes in the form of an adserving company or a hosted/ASP analytics company, where I have direct access to their data. Personally, I wouldn't trust a screenshot of a report--too easy to dink with. In a pinch, Alexa would be fine. But I wouldn't be willing to pay too much based on that. Third-party verification lends a bit more credibility.

My 2 rubles.

[yodaddy]

I don't believe you have to give them access to your Control Panel to see the Webalizer or AWStats. These should be capable of being publicly viewable. Try accessing the page without going through CPanel or whatever control panel you use.

Edit: Actually I think you have to create a subdomain or virtual folder off your root website directory for this to work. I tried it through my CPanel and it didn't work, but I remember a previous host had a "How-To" for setting this up on a sub-domain. Maybe someone here has a clue how to do this.

[madeonmoon]

you can also point them at alexa.com with a dispclaimer that only people who have their toolbar are counted. if your site is high trafficked, stats from alexa could be beneficial.

best,
james

[Digitalman]

Best prove is to give 1 month or 1 week for free.

[JakeCop]

I use Matrix Stats and can create login accounts for advertisers and PR companies with limited access. I can set the levels of access I want to grant, and as such how much I want them to see.

Generally visits and page views are sufficient. A screenshot wouldn't work for me, sometimes simply telling them the stats is enough - of course I can then prove it if need be.

[Anat]

If the screenshots aren't enough - you can suggest that they serve the image of the ad from their server. Then they can analyze their own logs to see how many adviews they actually had. If they have any decent stats software, they can also see how much traffic you sent them.

[Corobori]

Same as JakeCop, I am using Smarter Stats and create a login for them the advertiser. Otherwise I have been offering banner for a short period of time.