2019 was another amazing year for ConservativeHome. We covered a stunning General Election, a leadership election, a new Brexit deal, a packed Party Conference agenda, the emergence of a new generation of Conservative MPs, and all the various political crises which marked the end of the May years.
The hard work involved in providing that coverage produced the biggest year for the site ever in terms of traffic: 3.34 million people visited ConservativeHome at least once, over 1.3 million (68 per cent) more than in 2018.
We received over 14 million visits, up 5.1 million (58 per cent). And we enjoyed over 25.4 million pageviews, over 9.5 million (60 per cent) more than the year before.
ConservativeHome has always been as much about which people read us as about how many. But those are remarkable achievements for a small team producing political news and analysis.
They show that the site is even more relevant, and more widely read, than ever before. The new majority Conservative government opens a whole new range of topics for us to examine, and these are exciting times for all of us on the centre right.
ConservativeHome has thrived in the nearly 15 years since it was founded, thanks to a dedicated team, a committed and growing readership, and a generous proprietor. But the figures we report help to confirm that we have outgrown the structure which has supported the site for at least the last five years.
So given our continued growth, and the new opportunities and challenges presented by what is really the first truly stable Conservative majority in the site’s history, we’re making some changes to ensure that the business can build on its success, and that the editorial team are properly supported to make the site as best as it can be.
Essentially, we are establishing a leadership structure for the business as a whole, in addition to the editorial leadership of the site, as follows:
We’re pleased to announce that Mark Wallace will become Chief Executive of ConservativeHome. This is a newly-created role.
Mark has been Executive Editor of the site since 2013. He knows what ConservativeHome does, and the principles that it champions, as well as anybody. He will still write for the site, but his primary responsibility is now leading the company, setting its direction and strategy, and overseeing its development in order to secure its long-term future.
We’re also pleased to announce that Paul Goodman will remain Editor of Conservative Home, as at present. Paul has been Editor of the site for the same period, and under his editorship ConservativeHome has flourished. He retains editorial independence, controlling decisions on what the site and its media channels cover and how.
We will continue to do what we have always done best: providing our readers with excellent journalism with a campaigning edge, standing up for grassroots Tories, and serving as a critical friend to the Conservative Party.
As an editorial team, we have worked together every day for the last six and a half years, and are pleased to continue doing so, albeit in a new structure. 2020 is set to be the start of a new chapter for the UK, for conservatism, and for ConservativeHome, too. With the support of you, our readers, this site has achieved great things in the last 15 years; we hope you will join us as it achieves yet more in the years to come.
P.S. Should you be interested in joining the ConservativeHome editorial team, please see the advert for a new Deputy Editor here.