Web sites are interesting in so many respects. One aspect is accounting. We can and do receive monthly readership reports. We can’t mess with 'em. They’re handled through Web Trends accounting software. We print them out and read the results. That’s the extent of our involvement, except we can share the results with you. But over the years we found problems in the Web Trends system.

When I started Bikernet.com I had no notion of traffic levels. We just worked hard and hoped readers responded. I truly believe our society was forced into a learning curve, which was especially taxing for motorcyclists. We needed to learn how and why the internet was of any use. I only came face to face with it through producing Bikernet. The more I worked on it, the more I discovered it’s uses and capabilities.

Hell, the more it grows the more abilities pop to the surface. Below are some numbers that carry us from 2012 and 2013. For some years I averaged them to show our growth, and in the future I’ll update this report to show the direction Bikernet is taking with additional sites. Don’t hesitate to contact me, if you want additional info, have a question, or a suggestion to better our growth.

--Bandit

The number I track the most is the Unique User number. That’s the lowest number and the one representing the number of individuals who come to Bikernet.com in a month. If they come back that adds to the Visits number which Stat Counter doesn't report but Google Analytics does track. At the end of the month that info is erased and we start fresh.

This is an average of the monthly reporting:

Impressions: 191,000
Unique users: 110,700

I compare our unique user number to magazine circulations as a bench mark. It’s not exactly accurate, since how can I compare a unique user (or impression number) to a paid circulation number? Then again, how can a give-away mag compare their print numbers to paid circulation numbers or my stats. It’s just a bench mark. If you know 80,000 folks buy Easyriders each month and 110,000 come to Bikernet, that’s not bad.

Since we launched the Bikernet Blog, Bikernet Baggers, and Bikernet Trikes, we have combined our numbers. This year will be an interesting one since our growth potential is so vast.

I discovered, through another motorcycle web site, that ad agencies look at the Impression number when figuring the CPM (cost per thousand readers). That makes our CPM around 3.2 bucks compared to 40 dollars for many magazines. If we use the Unique user number our costs is still just over 4 bucks per thousand readers. Plus, we can share info 24/7 and make changes weekly, even daily.  Since the economic downturn put a major dent in the motorcycle industry, we have never raised our rates.

This is an average of our number up to July of 2013.

Impressions: 161,739 
Unique Users: 104,291

It’s a damn good thought and direction, and I’m stickin’ with it.

Ride Forever

--Bandit

I just got off the phone with my new web master. He went to Alexi and did some checking. He host 200 web sites. He was blown away. Bikernet is listed in the top 100,000 web sites world wide. He said he's worked with folks who spent millions and are not in the top 300,000 sites. He also works with a site that spends $5,000 a month with google enhancements and isn't even close. Good times ahead.

We recently spoke to one of our advertisers who also advertises on a blog. "I get about the same number of click-throughs, but let's check something," he said. He studied his Google report. He discovered that the Bikernet readers stayed on his site twice as long as the blog, and Bikernet delivered half the bounce rate.

It's all about finding what works for your company and sticking with it.