KM Group’s countywide website, Kent Online,
has more visitors than any other local press website in Kent.
Statistics from leading online information
service Hitwise show how Kent Online is more than 5,000 places
ahead of its closest county rival in the UK rankings.
Of almost 2,000,000 websites monitored across
the UK, the KM Group site was the 3,955th most visited in
February. It ranked 393rd among more than 12,000 UK news and
media sites.
Of the rival press sites thisiskent.co.uk, run
by Northcliffe, publishers of several Kent papers including the
Kent and Sussex Courier, was the closest. It was 9,223rd
overall and 702nd in the news and media category.
Kentnews.co.uk, run by KoS media, publishers
of Kent on Sunday, was ranked 24,005th overall and
1,271st in the news and media category while
kentonsunday.co.uk was ranked 223,820 overall.
KM Group’s commercial director, Brin Bucknor,
said: “The Hitwise findings are very gratifying and confirm what a
very busy and popular site Kent Online is. Having independent
verification that we are leading the way in Kent will be of huge
benefit to customer confidence in these difficult times."
The statistics come almost a year after KM
Group launched nine local websites to support its newspapers and
kmfm radio stations.
Online editor Sandra Hembery said: “As well as
the success of Kent Online we have seen visitors to these local web
sites grow steadily month after month as we have developed our
multimedia skills.
“Our newsrooms can break stories immediately
online or on radio, sometimes backing up with video coverage, and
then follow up for their press deadlines. It’s fast and furious –
but it works.”
Hitwise tracks how more than eight million UK
internet users interact with websites from 165 industries each
day.
(April 21, 2009)