Thanks for that. We can now enjoy an extra pack of pork scratchings at the Xmas party.
😀
[i]Agree that due to the pop ups and the time it takes to load, the site is now pretty much un-useable on an iPhone or tablet when away from a fast Wifi connection. That's when I normally use the site, via 3G on the tram on the way to or from work. Don't often bother now because its so frustrating, which kind of defeats the point in having ads I guess if I'm not seeing them any more? [/i]
Completely agree, I used to browse the site on iPhone/iPad and seldom bother now, the floating banner ad just annoys me after a couple of minutes as does the constant page resizing..
On paying £1.49 a month, well I used to subscribe to the mag and did so for years but cancelled my subs as the mag didn't really suit the kind of cycling I do now. So over the years I've contributed much more than £1.49 a month. I'm not going to be pressured into paying for something I don't want just to make a site usable on a mobile device.
Last year we turned over 650k
Our profit margin was 1.8%
The site gets 1.6 million unique users a month. We haven't recorded a drop in monthly uniques in the last 12 months.
Making money out of publishing is really ****ing hard.
I think someone asked..
I understand that, but the floating ads and resizing that have started in the last few months are turning people off the site.
1.6 million unique users a month
that's, like, nearly all the IT managers in the UK! 😯
define "unique users a month"...
But Gary, the stats are showing that we are getting more visitors a month... not fewer. You can argue that if the ads were not there there would be even more but the fact is the ads are funding the site. I accept it's a balancing act and you may think it's tipped to far towards the ads but with margins as tight as they are it's a tough and risky game to play - especially when there's the wages of 18 people to consider.
Stoner.. a Unique users is a unique user as defined by Google. It's the industry standard measure of traffic to a website. It's a unique IP address belonging to a device that has accessed the site. It is easily argued that it is not a measure of individual humans but it is the closest that the internet has to that measure. What the actual stat represents is less relevant to the fact that it is used as a standard 'ruler' to compare websites.
There are currently 605 people active on this site right now as I type this. The average user stays for 4 minutes.
[i]But Gary, the stats are showing that we are getting more visitors a month... not fewer.[/i]
But how long are new users staying for?
Hi to the 604.
Can we give it a rest now for another month? Spleens have been vented, points made, explanations have been given, let's not keep arguing over the fine details.
Making money out of publishing is really **** hard.
Quite a few manage it though. I know that the big Future names probably support each other, but the likes of Dirt and MBR produce a good product and seem to do a fair bit of overseas stuff too.
Do you know how your figures compare to those mentioned? Is it a stupid thing to ask (and expect and answer)?
Also, what % of these unique visitors only visit the classifieds?
Thanks for the input Mark. Advertising is fine , I don't mind and understand the need for it.
But the problem now is this latest type of advertising is making the site very unpleasant to use on a mobile device.
What I can say is that for a vision of the future have a look at what we are doing with Grit.cx
But the problem now is this latest type of advertising is making the site very unpleasant to use on a mobile device.
This + 1. It's not the advertising that people object to, it's the banners and pop ups that are making the website almost completely un-useable on any mobile device.
As mobile devices are making up an ever increasing percentage of internet useage then this is something the STW team should really be quite concerned about surely? Yet they seem quite blase about the issue?
Mark, are you soliciting feedback on the new site anywhere?
[i]Mark, are you soliciting feedback on the new site anywhere? [/i]
On the new site 🙂
On the site? It has a forum and I think Neil has asked for thoughts.
As mobile devices are making up an ever increasing percentage of internet useage then this is something the STW team should really be quite concerned about surely? Yet they seem quite blase about the issue?
Far from 'blase'. In fact as more mobile use happens the ads will follow - that's one of the fundamental issues that the whole publishing industry is scratching their heads about - how to make mobile pay. Standard ads don't work. The principal solution is to design mobile optimised websites, like we have done with Grit but they still currently bring in a small proportion of the ad revenue that desktop sites do. So far from being apathetic about mobile readeship, it's actually the principal driving force behind our current development of Grit and then STW. Grit really is prototype STW3
You can look at it now without registering. Go and have a look round. It's still limited in function right now but the way it adapts to screen widths and devices is the main point.
There does seem to be something a bit odd going on with the Nicorette/Reiss/whatever else ads - I don't get them at all on the PC, but they are a pain on the phone - slow the site down, get in the way, and open up a new window instead of closing the ad.
It doesn't seem to depend on the version of iOS either - we're running different versions on our phones and still get the same problem, to the point I now only go on to Singletrack when I'm on the PC.
Doesn't seem to be an issue on Windows Phone.. at least it wasn't last time I got logged out.
I'd love a mobile site though - there has to be a way to get the content and ads onto a mobile phone nicely. Perhaps do what FB does - the ads appear as posts inline with your news feed.
oooh. lets tuck this in here 😉
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That's not a misleading statistic, is it Stoner? From you?
