These are the top-ranked Maltese sites in terms of traffic

Published: December 2, 2013 at 12:06am

1. Times of Malta
2. Maltapark
3. Malta Today
4. Yellow Pages
5. OK Malta
6. Daphne Caruana Galizia
7. Bank of Valletta
8. The Malta Independent
9. HSBC Malta
10. iNews (GWU news site – there’s a big gap between this one and HSBC)

– Alexa

I don’t wish to make a meal of it, but it’s time to point out that one of those is run by a single individual in her spare time and with absolutely no budget or staff to speak of.

If you knock out the non-news sites, these are the top-ranked Maltese sites for news in terms of traffic:

1. Times of Malta
2. Malta Today
3. Daphne Caruana Galizia

Meanwhile, the Labour Party’s news site, Maltastar, has plummeted to around the thousandth place and its excuse is that all its staff are now on the state payroll and there’s nobody left to keep it going properly.

And lest they be tempted to come back with another excuse – that it’s easier to acquire readership when you’re criticizing the government, let it be known that last year this website was at ninth and 10th place.

To paraphrase the Law Commissioner and Chief of Constitutional Reform: hekk, hudu go fikom (you know who you are).




43 Comments Comment

  1. Joseph Bus-Cat says:

    Maltastar – When was it ever? “Going” perhaps…. but never properly

  2. Philip says:

    We, certainly I, are not surprised, D. First and last read of the day and some quick peeps in between to boot; the only way we are kept informed. Well done, Daphne.

    • Thoughtful says:

      Exactly. Keep it up.

    • Spock says:

      Exactly .

    • A+ says:

      Dear Daphne, I know for a fact, that the Times of Malta people refer to your website for ‘inspiration’. Your website IS the reference point for news in Malta.

      You should hire a cameraman and a journalist to do the interviews that nobody has the spine to do in Malta, and run an online news programme.

      [Daphne – ‘You should hire a cameraman and a journalist’: and who’s going to pay for them?]

      • Maltease says:

        Donations/Sponsorships and the occasional volunteer. All you need is a cameraman – you are THE journalist

      • Kevin Zammit says:

        You should definitely create a donations area in this website. Collect some donations and employ a part-time secretary. Will do you good to have less on your plate. You are the idol of the true PN supporters. We will help.

    • Cikku says:

      The same goes with us. It’s our first and last read of the day with peeps in between. We get to know what’s in the news quicker and at first hand.Daphne keep it up. Prosit.

  3. Angus Black says:

    Prosit Daphne!

    Surely you must be getting more views from those who decided to vote Labour because they desired a ‘change’.

    And a change they got and unfortunately they dragged us down the same disastrous road.

  4. Neil says:

    Excellent. This is where we come for proper news, Daphne. But you don’t need me to tell you that! Just, well done OK!?

  5. canon says:

    Nahseb li Kitten of Malta hadha ir-risposta. Prosit Daphne..

  6. P Shaw says:

    Kudos. My first site every morning.

  7. Dissident says:

    Print it, frame it, box it and mail it to Kitten from Malta

  8. CRITS says:

    Simply the best, Daphne – prosit, keep up the good work – you make my day.

  9. Manuel says:

    Keep them coming, Daphne. Thank goodness we have your site to get the real news and goings-on on this island.

  10. Galian says:

    Hekk, hu go fik MarkBiwwa.

    [Daphne – Who? Who is MarkBiwwa?]

    • Galian says:

      A blog owner with delusions of grandeur. He recently tweeted “Someone please tell Daphne that she’s the last person on the plant (sic) to go by and actually give a shit about Alexa rankings”.

      [Daphne – Oh. Does he have a real name and identity? Tell him that it is a major factor. People don’t take anonymous stuff seriously.]

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        He isn’t anonymous. He writes well – for a Maltese blogger. And he is more or less the rational type (a rarity). But he doesn’t have Daphne’s wide readership.

        [Daphne – So who is he then, and why doesn’t he use his real name if he is not anonymous? More to the point, what’s his problem with me, when I don’t even know who he is and haven’t got a problem with him?]

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        He’s something of a techie. As I read it, he doesn’t have a problem with you, but with your reliance on Alexa rankings. Alexa doesn’t differentiate between repeated hits from the same IP address, and hits from different addresses. Google Analytics does a better job. Techies must be humoured, for the future belongs to them.

        [Daphne – Not so much a better job, H. P., as a more detailed insight into the same result. Google Analytics is hardly going to place Times of Malta at 5th place and Bank of Valletta in first place. The rankings are reality. And yes, he clearly does have a problem with me otherwise he wouldn’t be bitching.]

      • La Redoute says:

        His problem is his lower Alexa ranking.

  11. Rumplestiltskin says:

    Congrats. I believe it’s only a matter of time for Malta Today to be surpassed. Times of Malta survives on its long standing ‘goodwill’ which, however, has certainly deteriorated this past year. I for one, hardly ever go there now.

  12. Finding Nemo says:

    Heartfelt congratulations, Daphne!

    Were it not for you, we would not be getting any proper news.

  13. Joe Micallef says:

    This is nothing short of impressive.

    In the eternal debate about which online site-attribute drives traffic, your blog is a flagship for those who argue that content is king. I would go as far as saying that this blog qualifies as a textbook example.

    Alexa delivers other industry-important data. One of these records average time on site.

    Visitors spend 8:35 min on this blog against 8:21 min on Times of Malta. If the ranking is impressive, this is an embarrassment to the other resource-rich news sites.

    I was wondering whether the useless Kenneth Zammit Tabona contributes to this outstanding achievement.

  14. Bob says:

    It is true you do not have a chief of staff and entourage, but do pay tribute to your international network of spies that outnumbers the present cabinet.

  15. Jonathan says:

    Prosit Daphne – keep it up

  16. one of us says:

    Well done Daphne! I think the only reason The Times is ahead is because it’s the only paper that carries obituaries.

    Malta Today is read by many to see what the other side is up to. I’m sure The Independent will continue to move up the rankings; I think it’s the best paper. But you surpass them all so huge congratulations.

  17. ciccio says:

    Prosit, Daphne. You deserve this high ranking. I also notice that those who work relentlessly to detract from your credibility have in turn lost their own own.

    [Daphne – They’re quite sad, really, especially the women who are still in the schoolyard, so we’ll let it go.]

  18. Il-Kajboj says:

    This is what I call meritocracy.

  19. Gaetano Pace says:

    Congratulations, Daphne, for your achievements. Thank you for being such an example of determination and hard work which are characteristic of Maltese people worthy of the name. We look forward to being here with you.

  20. manum says:

    Daphne, a very well-earned prosit. You are the only source in Malta which brings out news worth reading. Your ratings show that you are a total success.

    I take any criticism as a mere declaration of jealousy.

  21. Sheila says:

    Oy Kennie boy, eat your heart out sweetie.

  22. Il-Cop says:

    Congratulations are in order. Yes. But more fitting is a big massive thank you for everything you do.

    This is the only Maltese site I use to get all my information. Visits to other sites happen only through links you or other followers of this blog post here.

    In fact many posts have links to Times of Malta and Malta Today. So these sites are getting a lot of traffic directly through this blog.

    I stand to be corrected but I don’t think that this site gets much, if any, traffic directly through the other sites. It would be interesting, albeit impossible, if one could deduct the traffic other sites get through this blog.

    To conclude. Considering that this site is single-handedly run by someone who has a full-time job, a family and a home to take care of, the achievement is of mammoth proportions. Eat your heart out, Salvu.

    [Daphne – Just a small correction: I no longer have a family to take care of, as they’re all grown men who have long flown the nest.]

    Again, well done and a massive thank you followed by a plea. Malta needs this site. We need this site. Sane people need this site. Probably scum bags, aka switchers, need this site when they get a masochistic urge. So stay calm, keep firm and carry on. I was tempted to do a JPO and say keep it up, but there you go.

  23. Jozef says:

    Makes all those who won’t refer to you by name look even more ridiculous.

    If they have to engage an argument or counter the style, why not do it convincingly? But no, they’ll insist on brushing this blog aside as some minor irrelevance.

  24. TinaB says:

    Excellent.

    Congratulations, Daphne and keep up the good work.

    Heartfelt thanks for keeping us well-informed.

  25. Joan says:

    Well done, Daphne.

    Thanks for keeping us informed.

  26. Felix says:

    Well done, Daphne, and thanks. We will make sure that you stay up there.

    Do you mind if I ask you which is the site, that gives these statistics?

    [Daphne – http://www.alexa.com/topsites ]

  27. H.Galea (NRK) says:

    For me it is DCG’s Notebook for breaklfast, lunch and dinner. A big thank you for keeping us all au courant with the news from Malta.

  28. orapronobis says:

    The people thirst for the truth, and nothing but the whole truth, and the statistics are clear where they are searching and finding it – congratulations and thanks Ms Caruana Galizia!

  29. What? says:

    Thank you so much. Prosit.

  30. pleased individual says:

    Keep up the good work, Daphne.

  31. Last Post says:

    Congratulations. You deserve it.

    Please, keep it up.

    We appreciate.

  32. Gullible's Travels says:

    Daphne, i agree with the various posts that you might need to shore up your site’s financial resources so as to be able to do more. Your initiative is ripe for attracting funds via a “Crowdfunding” mechanism. Refer for further info to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdfunding

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