One of the visits that impressed me in London trip was that at the Daily Mail - Mail Online. It is one of the most successful online newspapers in UK since 3 million people read it every day.
What is the secret of success? The front-page sidebar with links to popular celebrity stories? The long titles of the stories? A balance between speed and accuracy maybe?
According to Audit Bureau of Circulations Electronic published in January 2011, the daily average browsers for 'Mail Online' are 3,044,961 . The number is impressive compared to The Guardian's which are 2,234,360.
In an extent it makes sense as Mail Online has an office in LA with three editorial and advertising staff, so it boosts traffic and it hosts many topics that are universally interesting. In addition, there is an american team in UK for different time zones.
Mail Online is fed by Press Association and Reuters most of the times and journalists come really early in the morning to renew the pages by 8am.
Many people, including me, believe that the big headlines which kind of describe the story, attracts many readers. It grabs attention. It is quite controversial, since all journalists are taught to write short and tricky - but not vague - headlines. But it works!
Another thing that works, as well, is the comment facilities at the end of the stories. In the beginning, people in Mail Online didn't believe that people would be interested in leaving a comment for what they read, but they do and they are excited, as the comments reflect. It proves for one more time the power of interactivity that new media encourage.
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