The battle to be Top Of The Portals continues, with the latest com.score results showing that The Digital Property Group’s portals; Primelocation.com, FindaProperty. com, Homesandproperty.co.uk and FindaNewHome.com are the fastest growing in the category.

The Digital Property Group say that by analysing absolute figures, rather than a percentage increase, the number of unique visitors acquired month-on-month provides a clearer indication of which brands property searchers are choosing to visit. This ensures a clarity that’s often lost, with portals claiming to be the fastest growing within the category based on a month-on-month percentage increase alone but benefit from a low starting point due to a lack of consumer traction.

TDPG’s Head of Research Andrew Smith confirms, “Working in percentages, especially over such a short period, can be deceptive. When assessing unique visitor performance, we are interested in absolute figures, certainly not an erratic percentage which reflects an already low base. Our figures show the true volume of consumer preference which is really what estate agents should be interested in.”

The data also reflects the ever decreasing gap between TDPG and its nearest rival, Rightmove. Smith continues, “When taking absolute unique visitor growth into consideration, TDPG is the fastest growing portal group and have also closed the gap on Rightmove by 123,000 unique visitors between June and July 2009 alone. This is further evidence that Rightmove’s No.1 position is coming under pressure.”