Hyperlocal Sites ‘Boost Value’

A local newspaper editor has asserted that the creation of hyperlocal community websites is helping his firm boost the commercial value of its digital operations.

Darren Thwaites from the Teesside Evening Gazette revealed that the categorisation of local news by postcode location on gazettelive has added value to the publication’s online presence and enabled him to hire more staff, reports Press Gazette.

Speaking at the recent Society of Editors Scotland conference, the editor also claimed that the hyperlocal content is proving to be the most successful part of the Gazette’s online services.

“We have new advertising opportunities and it has generated great content that we can reverse back into the paper,” said Thwaites.

He added that the hyperlocal pages have “proved such a success that Trinity [Mirror] has launched print versions of the microsites”.