Advertising trade magazines sometimes write about the inaccuracy of counting users. However, web statistics are very accurate during short time periods and become less accurate over time. Anyone who lives on the accuracy of Nielsen or Arbitron ratings should be able to swallow daily web statistics. If used responsibly, web statistics can paint a more accurate and timely picture of your audience's preferences than any poll your newsroom has ever taken. Web statistics are based on actual numbers, not an extrapolation of a small sampling.
Internet users tend to be younger, wealthier and better educated than the general population.
That group tends to be in the prime advertising audience, and it also includes the GenXers who have been hard to hook on TV news. Remember too that web statistics can be misleading. Story placement and the site's navigation tools can distort user preferences. These are the basics of web statistic analysis. Required user logins, cookies and user surveys provide even more insight.