Zoopla.co.uk increases market share versus property portal rivals
14th Oct 2009
Property-hunters flocked in record numbers to Zoopla.co.uk in September as the property website continued its ascent in the portal rankings, according to the latest figures from Nielsen, which tracks UK internet traffic. While unique visitors to the Digital Property Group fell 8% in September and Rightmove's audience remained flat, Zoopla.co.uk continued its double-digit month on month growth.
Unique visitors to Zoopla.co.uk rose 16% in September compared to August. And following its acquisition of the Propertyfinder Group this summer, Zoopla Limited now controls the 3rd and 4th most-visited online property businesses in the UK which it is shortly to integrate onto a single technology platform and combined offering to agents. Propertyfinder.com also grew considerably in September, up 9% month on month, further propelling Zoopla Limited's combined market share, seemingly at the expense of the Digital Property Group.
The figures show that overall visitor traffic to the leading UK property websites rose from 6.97 million in August to 6.99 million in September, a 0.3% month on month rise.
Alex Chesterman, CEO of Zoopla Limited, commented: "The latest figures highlight that the UK portal space has now crystallised around three key players and we are very encouraged by our increasing market share. Despite the overall number of visitors to the leading portals remaining relatively unchanged in September, traffic to both Zoopla.co.uk and Propertyfinder.com grew strongly. The upcoming integration of our businesses will bring clear advantages to all our agent members, in addition to the growing traffic we are generating. And, as a result of the differentiated services we offer, the uniqueness of our audience continues to provide a winning formula for our agent members in generating additional business."
Unique visitors to UK's leading property portals
| Sept 09 '000s | Aug 09 '000s | MoM Growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rightmove | 2,972 | 2,970 | 0.07% |
| Digital Property Group | 2,118 | 2,300 | -7.91% |
| Propertyfinder Group* | 1,098 | 1,009 | 8.82% |
| Zoopla.co.uk* | 810 | 696 | 16.38% |
| TOTAL | 6,998 | 6,975 | 0.33% |
* Owned by Zoopla Limited
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For further information, please contact PR Team on pr@zoopla.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3873 8770.
Notes to editors
About Zoopla.co.uk
Zoopla.co.uk is a unique property website offering users information and tools to help them make better-informed property decisions. Our aim is to provide the most comprehensive source of residential property market information in the UK to help buyers, sellers, owners and estate agents alike and give them an advantage in the property market.
In 2007, following the success of bringing DVD rental to the web with LOVEFiLM.com, Zoopla founders Alex Chesterman and Simon Kain realised that the UK property market had yet to fully enjoy the benefits of the internet in terms of its ability to deliver transparency and efficiency. They set out with the mission to transform the property market for both professionals and consumers by:
- offering users FREE access to instant value estimates, sold house prices and local information and trends
- enhancing estate agents' marketing efficiency by providing exposure/leads on a pay-for-performance basis
- helping users find local agents and other property professionals to assist them in the transaction process
- letting buyers make offers on ANY UK home and owners test interest in their homes before choosing to sell
- creating an environment where anyone can ask/answer questions and share their knowledge about homes
By providing FREE value estimates for EVERY UK home, sold prices and local information as well as hundreds of thousands of property listings for sale/to rent, Zoopla.co.uk is fast-becoming the ultimate destination for users to both search for property and to do their market research. We continue to be the UK's fastest growing property website and largest and most active property community, with over a million user contributions to our website in the past 12 months alone. We also offer unique features, like TemptMe. and AskMe., which allow consumers to gain an insight into the market and discover information they won't find anywhere else. Our estate agent directory, FindAnAgent and our unique AskAnAgent feature also help guide users to local professionals directly for their expertise.
Our value estimates are calculated using a proprietary algorithm (secret formula) that we have developed by analysing millions of data points relating to property sales and home characteristics throughout the UK. The algorithm works by comparing relationships between home prices, economic trends and property characteristics in given geographic areas. Our estimates are constantly refined, using the most recent data available and a variety of statistical methodologies, in order to provide the most current information on any home.
Zoopla Limited is a privately held company with a highly experienced and proven management team, backed by well-respected angel investors and leading venture capital firms Atlas Venture (atlasventure.com) and Octopus Ventures (octopusventures.com).