ABCe: Mail Online retains clear lead despite month-on-month dip

Mail Online, the most popular UK newspaper website network, suffered a fall in online traffic in February after a period of sustained growth. The Daily Mail & General Trust website network's daily average users fell 1.4% in February on the previous month to 3,143,141 and monthly users were also down 9.08% month on month, according to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations published on Thursday. However, Mail Online remained by some distance the UK's most popular newspaper website with its daily average and monthly traffic figures both up by about 40% year on year. February is a traditionally tough month for news websites, due to a shorter calendar month and an unfavourable comparison with January. Mirror Group Digital's network of sites suffered the heaviest fall in online traffic in February, with a 9.02% slide in daily average users to 548,303 compared with January, when it had its best ever figures . UK users, a lucrative audience for newspaper advertisers, accounted for 58% of Mirror Group's online traffic – the largest proportion of all British national newspaper sites. Independent.co.uk recorded the biggest jump in daily users last month, up 10.8% to 621,129 – with 42% of visitors in the UK – leapfrogging back ahead of Mirror Group Digital in the process. Telegraph.co.uk also recorded a significant rise in daily average users – 36% based in the UK – in January, up 7.88% to 1,851,554. Guardian.co.uk, which is part of the network that publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk, posted a 6.85% rise in daily users last month, to 2,460,009. UK users accounted for 40% of Guardian.co.uk traffic last month. Associated Newspapers' Metro did not publish online traffic figures for February, having done so for the first time in January. Mail Online Daily average browsers: 3,143,141 Month-on-month change: -1.4% Year-on-year change: +38.73% Monthly browsers: 50,927,975 Monthly change: -9.08% theguardian.com Daily average browsers: 2,460,009 Month-on-month change: +6.85% Year-on-year change: +31.59% Monthly browsers: 39,485,496 Monthly change: -0.26% Telegraph.co.uk Daily average browsers: 1,851,554 Month-on-month change: +7.88% Year-on-year change: +19.6% Monthly browsers: 32,845,994 Monthly change: +0.51% Independent.co.uk Daily average browsers: 621,219 Month-on-month change: +10.8% Year-on-year change: +33.5% Monthly browsers: 12,070,535 Monthly change: +3.33% Mirror Group Digital Daily average browsers: 548,303 Month-on-month change: -9.02% Year-on-year change: +16.8% Monthly browsers: 10,900,788 Monthly change: -15.48% • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook