TheBusinessDesk.com takes on media giants

THEBUSINESSDESK.COM is competing against some of the biggest names in the media in the finals of this year’s Newspaper Awards.

The regional business news website which has grown to three sites and has attracted more than 100,000 registered users since it was launched four years ago, will compete with national and international media websites including The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Huffington Post to scoop the prestigious title of ‘Digital News Service of the Year’ at a ceremony at the London Hilton this evening.

TheBusinessDesk.com was first launched in Yorkshire in 2007, and now claims the lion’s share of online regional business traffic in its Yorkshire, North West and West Midlands regions with more than 250,000 visits each month to its three sites.

“We’re delighted to have received national recognition for the quality of our site, emails and journalism.  Just being shortlisted in such established company already feels like we’ve won, and the hard work of our 15-strong team has paid off with recognition on a national stage,” said managing director David Parkin.

The free business news websites, that are designed and managed by Liverpool-based web design specialists Rippleffect, publish more than 1,250 pages of unique business content each month, and send a total of 1.6m regionally tailored emails to a registered user base of senior business leaders in and around its Yorkshire, Northwest and West Midlands offices.

“Our growth has been rewarding, and we’re looking at breaking the £1m revenue barrier this year, which is testament to the position we have taken in the business markets we operate within.

“Uniquely in this market, every single one of our readers came to our site and requested our daily business news emails. This, coupled with the quality of our journalism and content, means that more than 30% of emails we send are opened every day,” he added.

The Newspaper Awards feature 19 categories designed to showcase the best in both printed and digital media.

Newspaper Awards director Gary Cullum said: “There’s no denying how tough things are. Newspapers are not only having to face dire economic conditions, but also have to look closely at how to make real money out of this brave new digital world. 

“The 2012 Newspaper Awards will give everyone a chance to celebrate what our industry has to offer and to look forward to a brighter, more positive future.”

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