How to check a website's real traffic before you buy an ad
Before you pay for a sponsorship, find out how many real people see that page, and how they got there.
Facts checked 29 Sep 2026 · by the AdSworn team
Ask for numbers from the site's own Google Search Console and Google Analytics, not a media kit or an SEO tool's estimate. Search Console shows how often people clicked through from Google and which searches they used; Analytics shows page views. Ahrefs' own study found its traffic estimates were off by a median of 49.52% against Search Console data. Screenshots are easy to edit; read-only access, or a service that reads the data directly, is proof.
The three kinds of traffic number
| Number | Where it comes from | How far to trust it |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks from Google | Google Search Console: how often someone clicked a link from Google to the site | Measured by Google. Only counts visits from Google search |
| Page views | Google Analytics (or Plausible, Fathom): every time the page was viewed | Measured on the site. Counts every source |
| Estimated traffic | SEO tools such as Ahrefs or Semrush, modelled from rankings and search volume | An estimate. Good for comparing sites, not for pricing one |
Ahrefs is open about this: in a study of 1,635 websites, its estimates differed from real Search Console traffic by a median of 49.52%, while still ranking sites well relative to each other.
Look at the searches, not just the total
Search Console also shows which searches bring people to a page. That tells you who the readers are. "Best video editing service for agencies" means buyers; "how to trim a video" means learners. Two pages with the same traffic can be worth very different amounts to you.
The 12 Best Online Video Editors of 2026 (Free and Paid)
- Banner ad$25 / 4 weeks
- Featured post$2,000 / year
What to ask a publisher for
- The last 28 days for the exact page you'd sponsor, not the whole site.
- Clicks and top searches from Search Console, and page views from Analytics.
- Read-only access or a live screen share rather than a screenshot, which is easy to edit.
- Where visitors come from: search, social, direct or referral. Search traffic arrives with intent.
- A delivery report after the campaign, counted independently of the publisher.
Red flags
- Only site-wide totals, never page-level numbers.
- Round numbers with no source or date.
- Traffic quoted from an SEO tool as if it were measured.
- No reporting after the ad runs.
How AdSworn does it
- Publisher connects GoogleRead-only sign-in to Search Console (and Analytics if they use it). No passwords shared.
- AdSworn reads the numbersClicks from Google, the searches behind each page and page views. For this page: 24 clicks from Google in 28 days.
- Buyers see the proofEvery figure shows its source and the day it was read (30 Sep 2026 for this site).
Every listing shows where each number came from and when it was read, and the ad itself is counted by AdSworn after it goes live. You pay only once the publisher approves, and the payment is held until the ad is verified live.
Straight answers
Are SEO tool traffic numbers accurate?
They're estimates. Ahrefs' own study found a median deviation of 49.52% from Search Console data across 1,635 sites, though rankings between sites were consistent.
What's the difference between clicks and impressions in Search Console?
Impressions are how often someone saw a link to the site on Google; clicks are how often someone clicked through to it.
Can a publisher fake Search Console numbers?
A screenshot can be edited. Read-only access, or a service that reads the data directly from Google, can't be.