UK national newspaper websites show large traffic gains

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The online editions of those UK national newspapers publishing monthly Audit Bureau of Circulation traffic data have recorded significant increases.

The recently renamed Guardian.co.uk, the UK's most popular newspaper website, recorded a 24 per cent month-on-month traffic increase in January. Moving to 19,708,711 unique visitors after recording 15,955,312 in December.

It also recorded a year-on-year increase of nearly 26 per cent.

The website of the Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday closed the gap on the Guardian by recording a 31 per cent month-on-month increase in users. Jumping to 17,903,172 unique users in January. Associated Newspapers didn't publish figures for January 2007, so a year-on-year figure was not available.

News International's Times Online and The Sun websites also registered significant growth.  The Times received 35 per cent more users in January than in December and grew nearly 39 per cent year-year to a total of 15,087,130.

The Sun jumped to 13,322,535 unique users, up from 10,474,814 in December - a growth of over 27 per cent. Year-on-year its traffic was up a shade under 40 per cent.

Of the national newspapers reporting monthly ABC web traffic figures the lowest haul came to The Telegraph. Although it showed a healthy 12,348,706 unique users in January, up from 7,473,939 the previous year - a growth of 65 per cent. Month-on-month its traffic grew by just over 17 per cent.

All five newspapers reported data as part of a new ABC report combining print and web traffic data . The report also provided a geographical breakdown of unique users from the UK and Republic of Ireland for the first time.

Guardian.co.uk remained the most popular UK newspaper website amongst UK users, registering 8,710,353 home-based uniques. The Times, Sun and Telegraph, all hovered just over 5,000,000 domestic unique users. However, the website of The Mail pulled the fewest domestic unique users - 4,966,575 - further evidence of its reliance on an international readership .