Hitwise Methodology
Hitwise monitors a range of Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks to capture the usage patterns of Internet users. The ISPs represent a diverse range of metropolitan and regional areas including Internet access from home, work and educational institutions. Each day, Hitwise extracts from its partner ISP networks a list of websites visited and ranks them according to a range of industry standard metrics - including 'Visits', 'Pages' and 'Average Session Duration'. Hitwise also extracts Clickstream data which analyzes the movements of visitors between websites. Hitwise abides by local and international privacy legislation and analyzes all data in aggregate form. The Hitwise methodology is audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers on a quarterly basis. To view the Hitwise privacy policy and methodology in full please visit www.hitwise.com.