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Government website traffic
24/02/2008
The number of unique users on the Scottish Government website has increased for the fifth successive year, according to the latest independently audited figures.
More than 550,000 users came to the site in an average month in 2007, an increase of 12.5 per cent compared to 2006.
The number of visits was also up by eight per cent, while the average number of page views was down 13 per cent.
William Paul, Web Editor, said:
"This suggests that more people are coming to the website and finding the content they want without having to click through so many pages. This is very encouraging and we are continuing to examine further ways of improving the web in the future."
Finance and Sustainable Growth Minister John Swinney said:
"Web communications are an integral part of any open and efficient Government. Our website has established itself as an increasingly important channel for reaching new audiences and explaining the actions and policies of the Scottish Government. The continuing growth in the number of users demonstrates just how successful it is."
The audit for November 2007 was carried out by ABCe, a not-for-profit, media industry-owned organisation that provides third party auditing services.
Details of website traffic 2003-2007
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|
| Unique users | 263,628 | 292,145 | 407,053 | 493,706 | 555,402 |
| Visits | 493,997 | 585,123 | 752,865 | 879,367 | 951,323 |
| Page views | 2,555,628 | 3,066,295 | 3,765,658 | 3,929,497 | 3,479,004 |
The figures exclude staff using the external website and who account for an estimated 18 per cent of total usage.