Net Market Share Frequently Asked Questions
Net Market Share is the standard in tracking key internet technology usage market share. The methodology used by Net Market Share proves to be the most accurate way to represent
usage market share. We at Net Applications work to continuously add reports and functionality to Net Market Share. Several samples of the reports and segmentation options can be seen here.
Note:
These sample reports are intended to demonstrate the format and capability of Net Market Share reports. The data within these sample reports is either out of date or fabricated.
FAQ's
Learn more at the NetMarketShare.com website
What effect do hidden pages and prerendering have on your usage share statistics?
What are the upgrade features and options?
How do I subscribe to the service?
What are the Net Market Share subscription Terms and Conditions?
Can you explain the Net Market Share methodology for collecting data?
What is country level weighting, and why do you do it?
What is a daily unique visitor, and why do you count those instead of pageviews?
Can you explain the Net Market Share quality control process?
Why does the usage share reported by different sources vary?
What browser versions does Net Market Share track and report?
How far back does Net Market Share historical data go?
Am I allowed to post subscriber reports/data on my site?
Can I share the subscriber reports/data with my coworkers?
What is the Base Package with Geolocation Upgrade?
How does the MarketShare Worldview report work?
What is the Browsing by Device Category Trend report?
What is device type (desktop/mobile/console) segmentation?
What does the Top ISPs report show?
Can you explain the Share by Company or Organization of Origin report?
How do I use Demographic Segmentation?
How do I use Geolocation Segmentation?
What is Search Engine Effectiveness?
What effect do hidden pages and prerendering have on your usage share statistics?
In order to improve performance and usability, browsers are increasingly loading pages that are never seen by the user. However, this traffic varies significantly by browser and should not be
included in the usage share for the browsers. Starting in Chrome 13, Google implemented a feature called ‘prerendering’, which loads a hidden page or pages while the user is typing in search
queries in order to load that page faster when the user clicks on the associated search result link. Chrome prerenders pages based on either HTTP headers inserted by the site creator or based
on an algorithm that predicts the likelihood the user will click on the search result link.
Chrome is the only major desktop browser that currently has this feature, which creates unviewed visits that should not be counted in Chrome’s usage share. However, the pages that are eventually viewed
by the user should be treated normally.
Additional, Chrome and other browsers load hidden pages. An example of a hidden page is when a user launches a browser, and the browser reloads all the tabs from the user's prior session. A percentage
of the background tabs are never viewed by the user and therefore should not be used to measure usage share.
In the month of June, 2013, the measured amounts of prerending and hidden pages by browser was:
Internet Explorer |
0.00% |
0.70% |
0.70% |
Firefox |
0.00% |
6.38% |
6.38% |
Safari |
0.01% |
0.15% |
0.16% |
Opera |
0.00% |
6.33% |
6.33% |
Chrome |
12.08% |
5.60% |
17.58% |
For information on the measurement methodology,
click here.
Can you explain the Net Market Share methodology for collecting data?
About our Methodology:
We collect data from the browsers of site visitors to our exclusive on-demand network of HitsLink Analytics and SharePost clients. The network includes over 40,000 websites, and spans the
globe. We ‘count’ unique visitors to our network sites, and only count one unique visit to each network site per day. This is part of our quality control process to prevent fraud,
and ensure the most accurate portrayal of Internet usage market share. The data is compiled from approximately 160 million unique visits per month. The information published on
www.netmarketshare.com is an aggregation of the data from this network of hosted website traffic statistics. In addition, we classify 430+ referral sources identified as search
engines. Aggregate traffic referrals from these engines are summarized and reported monthly. The statistics for search engines include both organic and sponsored referrals.
This data provides valuable insight into significant trends for internet usage. These statistics include monthly information on key statistics such as browser trends
(e.g. Internet Explorer vs.
Firefox market share),
search engine referral data (e.g. Yahoo vs. Bing vs. Google traffic market share) and operating system share
(Windows vs. Mac vs.
Linux market share or even the
iOS market share vs. Android)
The data is made available free of charge on a monthly basis that includes monthly usage market share and trends for browsers, operating systems and search
engines. An
upgraded version is available that provides reports by geolocation, preview weekly data and
other features.
Additional estimates about the website population:
76% participate in pay per click programs to drive traffic to their sites.
43% are commerce sites
18% are corporate sites
10% are content sites
29% classify themselves as other (includes gov, org, search engine marketers etc..)
Competing methodologies are not as accurate as using global analytics data. Competing methods include:
Surveys or Panels: The results from a survey are based on a subset of the general internet population (those willing and able to take surveys). Also, surveys are generally not provided in all languages
and for all regions. This can skew the results significantly.
ISP data: While the amount of ISP data can be voluminous, ISPs are regional. So, unless the ISP data is an aggregation of all ISPs, there will be a built in regional bias
to the market share reports.
Toolbars or Other Tracking Components Installed on Computers: Since the components would need to be developed indentically for every possible platform and language and distributed evenly across all platforms and regions, this collection method is inherently flawed.
What is country level weighting, and why do you do it?
The Net Market Share data is weighted by country. We compare our traffic to the CIA Internet Traffic by Country table, and weight our data accordingly. For example, if our global data shows that Brazil represents 2% of our traffic, and the CIA table shows Brazil to represent 4% of global Internet traffic, we will count each unique visitor from Brazil twice. This is done to balance out our global data. All regions have differing markets, and if our traffic were concentrated in one or more regions, our global data would be inappropriately affected by those regions. Country level weighting removes any bias by region.
What is a daily unique visitor, and why do you count those instead of pageviews?
Net Market Share data is an aggregation the traffic of all of our HitsLink clients, but instead of counting pageviews we count daily unique visitors. A daily unique visitor is counted only once per day per website we track, regardless of the number of pageviews the visitor has. While this may seem to greatly reduce our sample size from the billions of monthly pageviews we process to only the daily unique visitors, we do so to provide a more accurate picture of market share showing the number of users of a technology instead of the number of clicks. Counting unique visitors also renders bots designed to influence market share harmless. Counting pageviews for market share reports would be susceptible to bot attacks and inexplicable jumps in market share that don't represent the true nature of the market.
Can you explain the Net Market Share quality control process?
Quality control for Net Market Share reports starts with our
methodology, including our use of
daily unique visitors as opposed to simple pageviews. We also maintain close working relationships with most of the major Internet technology providers, allowing us to work through any data that may appear to be anomalous with the providers. We will release reports at the end of each time period on schedule, and include a stamp on the report noting whether or not we've completed the quality control process for that report.
Why does the usage share reported by different sources vary?
It could be a number of reasons. One of the key differences is in
methodology of data collection and reporting: Is the report based on
unique users or pageviews? Is
country level weighting
used? Is there a
quality control process in place to filter out anomalous data? In addition, having a global coverage versus data collected on a few individual websites also yields
drastically different results.
What browser versions does Net Market Share track and report?
We report on all browser versions that have measurable market share, which is currently about 300. We also report on all major browser editions (browsers based on extending Internet Explorer or
Firefox, for example).
Note: When browser and version usage share is reported, Net Market Share combines certain values where it is meaningful (For example, Internet Explorer usage share includes third party browsers such
as Maxthon and Lunascape with Trident rendering engine). Internet Explorer 8 usage share includes both Internet Explorer 8 share and Internet Explorer 8 compatibility view share.
How far back does Net Market Share historical data go?
Our historical data goes as far back as 2004, but our data with
country weighting begins in 2007. For access to data prior to 2007, contact
sales.
Am I allowed to post subscriber reports/data on my site?
Net Market Share licensing does not allow public sharing of our subscriber reports/data without prior written approval. To obtain approval, contact
sales and include your contact information, account ID, the report/data you want to post, the site where you would like to post it, and the reason for posting.
Can I share subscriber reports/data with my coworkers?
Net Market Share licensing allows for sharing of our subscriber reports/data within one organization at one physical address. Multiple organizations or locations require multiple subscriptions. Any sharing of subscriber reports and data outside of one organization at one physical address is prohibited without prior written approval. To obtain approval, contact
sales and include your contact information, account ID, the report/data you want to share, the method you would like to use to share it, and the reason for sharing.
What is the Base Package with Geolocation Upgrade
The Net Market Share base package with geolocation upgrade includes:
· Usage market share for browsers, operating systems and search engines with trends, versions and version trends.
· Interactive Worldview Report, allowing for cross selection and segmentation between specific browsers, operating systems and search engines by geolocation.
· Geolocation segmentation (country, region, designated market area, city and postal code) and combination reports for browsers, operating systems and search engines. Postal code segmentation is for the U.S., U.K. and Canada only.
· Country and operating system segmentation for screen resolutions report.
How does the MarketShare Worldview report work?
MarketShare Worldview shows global usage market share by country, including margin of error. The interactive report allows cross segmentation between browsers, operating systems and search engines. Below is a sample:
March, 2009
Browser Group = Firefox; Platform Group = Windows; Search Engine Group = Google - Global
Visitor Country |
Market Share |
Margin of Error |
USA |
14.83% |
±0.0% |
United Kingdom |
14.96% |
±0.0% |
Canada |
17.78% |
±0.0% |
Australia |
17.91% |
±0.0% |
Germany |
36.70% |
±0.0% |
India |
24.56% |
±0.0% |
Italy |
21.54% |
±0.0% |
Mexico |
12.60% |
±0.0% |
France |
27.84% |
±0.0% |
China |
5.16% |
±0.0% |
MORE …
What is the Browsing by Device Category Trend report?
The Browsing by Device Category Trend report compiles all Net Market Share data into device categories:
· Desktop
· Mobile
· Handheld
· Console
The report shows the trend line for each device category.
What is Device Type Segmentation
Device Type segmentation is available within the browser, browser versions, operating system, operating system versions, search engine, and search engine versions reports. It allows you to segment each of those reports by device type for the visitors to our network of tracked websites.
A sample report showing mobile operating system usage market share can be seen here:
Mobile Browsing by Platform |
Total Market Share |
iPhone |
69.54% |
Java ME |
8.40% |
Windows Mobile |
7.59% |
Symbian |
5.28% |
Android |
5.02% |
Palm |
2.12% |
BlackBerry |
1.70% |
BREW |
0.35% |
What does the Top ISPs report show?
The Top ISPs report shows the usage market share by Internet Service Provider across our network. From this report, you are also able to view the browser, operating system and search
engine usage market share reports for any given ISP. Below is a sample:
January, 2009
Organization |
Market Share |
|
|
Comcast Cable |
10.15% |
Road Runner |
6.05% |
SBC Internet Services |
5.62% |
Verizon Internet Services |
4.77% |
Cox Communications |
2.89% |
BellSouth.net |
2.62% |
America Online |
2.39% |
British Telecommunications |
2.17% |
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS |
2.11% |
Optimum Online (Cablevision Systems) |
1.62% |
Qwest Communications |
1.55% |
Virgin Media |
1.33% |
Easynet |
0.94% |
Rogers Cable |
0.88% |
Shaw Communications |
0.83% |
Telstra Internet |
0.81% |
Embarq Corporation |
0.81% |
Deutsche Telekom AG |
0.81% |
Telewest Broadband |
0.77% |
MORE…
Share by Company or Organization of Origin
The Share by Company or Organization of Origin report shows the browser, operating system and search engine usage market share from a specific company or organization, or a group of companies/organizations. Examples of how to use this report include identifying usage market share from IBM, or usage market share for any organization with the work 'school' in its title.
This report can provide incredibly useful information for anyone seeking to sell into an organization or groups of organizations. To learn more, contact sales. A sample report is below:
Platform Usage for 'IBM' – Sample
March, 2009
Platform |
Market Share |
Windows |
98.49% |
Mac |
0.88% |
Linux |
0.57% |
iPod Touch |
0.06% |
How do I use Demographic Segmentation
Apply demographic segmentation to many of our reports where you see a link to Geographic and Demographic Filter. You can select a demographic category, such as Percent Household Income $100K+. Then select an operator such as greater or equal to. Then select a value, such as 50%. And click accept to activate the filter. This example would filter to include only postal codes with at least 50% of the households with income of at least $100K.
Multiple demographic and geolocation filters can be used with standard And/Or logic and parentheses to further segment the data.
How do I use Geolocation Segmentation
Apply geolocation segmentation to many of our reports where you see a link to Geographic and Demographic Filter. You can select a geolocation category, such as Country / Region / City. Then select an operator such as equal to. Then select a value, such as California. And click accept to activate the filter. This example would filter to include only data coming from California.
Multiple geolocation and demographic filters can be used with standard And/Or logic and parentheses to further segment the data.
Search Engine Effectiveness
This option allow you to view metrics on how effective search engines are. Search engine reports will include the following metrics:
1) Time on Site - This measures how long the average visitor remains on the site after a search engine referral. This is a measure of how relevant the search engine's results are.
2) Page Depth - This is a measure of how many pages the average visitor accesses after a search engine referral. It is also a measure of search engine effectiveness.
The Search Engine Effectiveness data with this report will show up within your browser, operating system, search engine and mobile reports. And, any segmentation options in your subscription will work with this data as well.
Search Engine Market Share
January, 2010
Search Engine |
Total Market Share |
Avg. Minutes On Site |
Avg. Page Depth |
Google - Global |
85.78% |
xx |
xx |
Yahoo - Global |
6.16% |
xx |
xx |
Bing |
3.17% |
xx |
xx |
Baidu |
2.56% |
xx |
xx |
Ask - Global |
0.62% |
xx |
xx |
AOL - Global |
0.47% |
xx |
xx |