Online media buying firm WebConnect last week announced the availability of Site Price Index, an Internet cost-per-thousand-impressions tracking service at www.webconnect.com.
The Site Price Index tracks fluctuations in the cost of placing banner advertising on about 140 sites that WebConnect has deemed benchmark properties, and will be updated six times per year, according to the company.
“This index is the Dow Jones Industrial Average of Web pricing,” said Jay Schwedelson, corporate vice president of WebConnect, the online arm of list firm Worldata, Boca Raton, FL.
The index tracks sites in 12 categories: computing, download/shareware, entertainment, financial/investment, gaming, news, search engines, business executive, sports, travel, children and women.
The highest priced category in November was computers with an average CPM rate of $78, according to WebConnect. The lowest priced category was search engines, with an average CPM of $19.
There were also significant ranges within categories. In the women's category, Elle had the highest CPM at $60 and Southern Living had the lowest at $30. In sports, CNNsi charged $46 while the Sports Network charged $17. Also, Biztravel.com was the most expensive travel site at $58 while the Internet Travel Network's CPM was $25.
