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Top 50 June Websites: Facebook Rises, Twitter Cracks List »
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Top 50 June Websites: Facebook Rises, Twitter Cracks List
Though Google and Yahoo were still the most visited web properties in the US in June, Facebook rose to #6, and Twitter - which has displayed astronomic growth over the past year - has cracked the list for the first time at #46, according to the monthly analysis of US web activity at the top online properties from comScore’s Media Metrix service.
Google continued to lead as the most visited property in June with nearly 157 million visitors, followed by Yahoo Sites with 154 million visitors, and Microsoft Sites with 127.4 million visitors.
Facebook.com moved up two positions, from #8 last month, marking its highest-ever ranking. Career Builder rose six spots to #39 with 21.7 million visitors, a reflection of a gain in the Career Services & Development category as out-of-work Americans continue to search for jobs, comScore reported.
The Mozilla Organization jumped 13 spots to #28 with nearly 27 million visitors, primarily because of the release of Firefox 3.5 which, comScore said includes new and improved features.
June also represented Twitter.com’s debut in the ranking of the top 50 properties. After numerous reports of high growth, the microblogging site finally cracked the list, with 20.1 million visitors.
Jack Flanagan, EVP at comScore commented on Twitter’s impressive rise. “It’s hard to believe that Twitter.com had fewer than a million visitors in June 2008, and now attracts more than 20 million visitors a month and ranks among the top 50 US properties,” he said.
Travel, Gaming & Job Search Sites Gain in June
On the trends front, online visitation to travel sites gained in June as Americans began planning and preparing for their summer vacations. The end of another school year resulted in an increase of interest at gaming sites. Career services and development sites saw strong growth because of the influx of recent college graduates entering the job market and the rising unemployment rate.
Online Vacation Planning Jumps
Visits to travel-related sites showed typical seasonal increases as Americans planned their summer vacations. The Airlines category ranked as the top-gaining category for June, growing 22% to 33.2 million visitors. Also among the top gaining categories were Travel Transactions, Online Travel Agents, and Travel Information.
Southwest Airlines, the top-ranked site in the Airlines category, achieved particularly strong gains growing 64% to 16.4 million visitors and grabbing the #2 position among the top-gaining properties.
Online travel agent sites also experienced growth in June, increasing 9% to 42.8 million visitors. Expedia led the category with 27 million visitors (up 12%), followed by Orbitz with 12.5 million visitors (up 10 percent), Priceline with 11.3 million (up 7%), and Travelocity with nearly 9.8 million visitors (up 8%).
Americans Say “Game On”
The beginning of the summer vacation season also saw a typical, seasonal increase in activity at travel sites and online gaming and entertainment properties.
Online gaming sites saw a surge in activity in June, as the beginning of summer vacation provided students with more leisure time. The Gaming Information category attracted 50 million Americans in June, up 6% vs. the previous month. Top destinations included GiantRealm and GameStop, which both ranked among the top-10 gaining properties in June.
GiantRealm jumped 25% to more than 7 million visitors while GameStop grew 19% to nearly 5.8 million visitors, comScore said.
Job-Seekers Still Searching
Rising unemployment during the past year - in addition to many students’ quests for summer employment - also has led to an increasing number of Americans seeking jobs and career opportunities online, comScore said.
Both the Career Resources and Career Training & Education categories ranked among the top-ten gaining categories for June as the unemployed, underemployed and recent grads scoured the Web for opportunities. The Career Resources category grew 6% to 46.8 million visitors, while Career Training & Education grew 13% to 6.7 million visitors.
Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking
Platform-A led the June Ad Focus ranking, reaching 91% of all Americans online. Yahoo Network ranked second, reaching 88% of the population, while ValueClick Networks ranked third with an 84% reach.
Fox Audience Network and 24/7 Real Media each climbed one spot grabbing the #7 and #8 positions, respectively.
