Zoopla has dismissed the latest claims by OnTheMarket (OTM) regarding their website traffic and being the second highest ranked most trafficked portal in the UK.
Zoopla has shared with the trade press an email it sent to its client database, including agents, on Friday to highlight what it believes are ‘the facts’ and rubbished OTM’s latest marketing push, which includes literature that states it has ‘overtaken Zoopla’s website traffic’.
Since OTM was acquired by CoStar Group in December last year, the portal, supported by a multi-million pound marketing media campaign, has repeatedly claimed to be on course to replace Zoopla as the number two property portal in the UK on its way to achieving its longer-term objective of challenging the market leader, Rightmove.
To-date a lack of consumer traffic has held OTM back in its quest to gain power over the homebuyer audience, but the company claims that is changing.
Citing data from Google Analytics, OTM claims to have attracted 56 million website visitors in September 2024, compared with what it says is Zoopla’s 47 million. But Zoopla has rejected what it refers to as ‘misleading headlines’.
Zoopla sent the below email to its entire customer base:
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Dear {{Recipient.FirstName}},
You may have seen recent claims from OnTheMarket (OTM) regarding their website traffic and being the No. 2 most trafficked portal (again).
While we typically avoid engaging in public debates, we believe it’s important to share the facts so you can better understand the claims and tactics being deployed to “Win your appreciation”. In this instance, we believe that OTM dramatically increased traffic to their website in September using low-quality display advertising, with the aim of creating a headline.
The figures shared by OTM in their recent advertising highlight the month of September and do not accurately reflect the entirety of 2024. Looking back at 2024 to date, Zoopla users consistently spend twice as long on site compared to OTM.
Looking deeper into OTM’s September traffic spike* reveals an interesting story:
- Visit duration dropped by 9.8%. This means visitors spent less time on OTM’s site, indicating to us that they are engaging less with the content and services offered.
- Bounce rate increased by 12.4%. A higher bounce rate shows us that more users left OTM’s site after viewing just one page, suggesting that they didn’t find what they were looking for or weren’t motivated to explore further.
- Pages viewed per visit declined by 20.8%. This sharp drop highlights that visitors are clicking through fewer listings or exploring less of the platform overall, further suggesting to us that OTM has lower engagement and intent.
- Paid traffic increased by 209%. A significant spike in display ads on external websites suggests to us that OTM relied heavily on paid traffic to drive visits. In our experience paid traffic often consists of low-quality, less-motivated users compared to organic (traffic from search engines or social media) or app-driven audiences.
Why this matters to you: These metrics reveal to us that OTM’s strategy seems to be focused on increasing traffic numbers rather than engaging serious movers. Low visit duration, higher bounce rates, and fewer pages viewed means, in our experience, that users are less likely to convert into leads for your business.
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What UK homeowners really think
We recently commissioned a poll** with OnePulse to better understand which property websites consumers would expect to see their homes on if they put them up for sale and here’s what they said:
- 68% Rightmove
- 38% Zoopla
- 4% OTM
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| Our mass consumer awareness supports this, with 94% of consumers*** recognising the Zoopla brand. This level of awareness takes years to build and can’t be bought overnight.
Four million homeowners have now claimed their home on Zoopla, with one in four of these properties going on to be listed on the site for sale. Those who claim a home on Zoopla are primed to sell, with personalised insights into their local property market and the opportunity to connect with the UK’s best agents.
We’re committed to your success and won’t engage in ongoing debates or headline-chasing tactics. Instead, we’ll stay focused on what matters most, delivering high-quality leads and helping you succeed through measurable results.
Thank you for your continued trust in Zoopla.
Best regards,
Charlie Bryant
Zoopla CEO
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