EL PAÍS registers more than 100 million monthly unique visitors

The digital edition of EL PAÍS has set a new in-house record after registering 100.3 million unique visitors in October, according to internal web analytics based on ComScore data.

Of these, half live outside Spain, chiefly in Latin America, underscoring the news organization’s recent growth in the American continent.

October was also a record month on social media, where EL PAÍS accumulated 20 million followers

The October figure places EL PAÍS within the world’s Top 10 most-read online news outlets, behind organizations such as Xinhua (1st), The New York Times (2nd) and The Washington Post (6th).

In the space of three years, EL PAÍS has tripled its online readership and consolidated its leadership position in Spain.

Some of the keys to this growth are news content that’s been adapted to new formats and time frames, live coverage of events, in-depth features, investigative reporting, and a blog section where content can be easily shared on social media.

New video content has also been a determining factor. On October 1, EL PAÍS Vídeo provided detailed live coverage of the illegal independence referendum in the region.

“One of the keys to video growth is cross-platform distribution,” says Carlos de Vega, the deputy chief of video and photography. “EL PAÍS is not only viewed on the website, but also on social media, which brings us closer to another type of audience.”

The Op/Ed section has contributed significantly to the digital success of EL PAIS

The Op-Ed section has also contributed significantly to the digital success of EL PAIS, experiencing a 200% rise in unique visitors in a single year. Out of the 10 most-read articles in October, seven were editorials and opinion pieces. Nearly half of all readers of this content live outside Spain, and particularly favor articles signed by Mario Vargas Llosa, Moisés Naím and Antonio Navalón.

EL PAÍS América, which is based in Mexico City, has also seen record figures, as has EL PAÍS Brazil, which currently ranks among the six most-read news outlets in that country, according to ComScore data.

October was also a record month on social media, where EL PAÍS accumulated 20 million followers: 11.4 million on Facebook, 8.1 million on Twitter and 495,054 on Instagram. EL PAÍS has a years-long partnership with digital companies such as Facebook and Twitter, which distribute its stories.

EL PAÍS has also been a pioneer together with Google and the founders of the Digital News Initiative (DNI) in developing new publication formats to make reading easier on mobile devices. More recently, EL PAÍS reinforced the security of its web system to ensure greater privacy for its readers.

English version by Susana Urra.