It's been a rough year at AOL. But recent data from comScore suggests there's at least one bright spot for the slumping internet giant -- traffic across its empire of branded and non-branded sites appears to be on the rise.

Traffic to AOL sites, including non-branded offerings like the male-oriented Asylum destination, has grown by about 15 percent, according to comScore.

The traffic surge appears to validate AOL's year-long strategy of rolling out new sites as it looks to redefine itself as a significant player in the online advertising business.

But the traffic hasn't exactly equaled advertising success. Platform A, AOL's attempt to put advertising under one roof, has been in turmoil these past few months. While Platform A is believed to be able to reach 90 percent of U.S. internet users, the company has been hard-pressed to monetize that reach. Most recently, AOL announced plans to offer a marketplace for advertisers to bid on unsold Platform A inventory.