Rob Powell Hyperlocal UK

Rob Powell is a web publisher and CEO of Hyperlocal.co.uk Hyperlocal.co.uk is the strand name that covers the local website publishing activities of Uretopia Limited. Uretopia operate several local websites around London and the South East and have developed scalable platforms to handle business listings and user generated event guides. We caught up with him to do the following interview.

Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration of getting involved in launching hyperlocal websites?

I’d been publishing websites in different sectors for a while that were profitable but not particular satisfying. I wanted to work on a project or projects that had more value to a returning reader so started work on my first local site which at that point consisted of putting together a mix of static local information, automated feeds and linking to relevant stories in the mainstream media. It was a while later that I started to try and source local news myself.

It looks like you are setting up your sites to monetize itself through a few different ways with the primary two ways being online advertising and then an online business directory, can you tell us a little bit about your plans here?{{{gold}}}

The business directory seems a logical add on to an authoritative local website. It gives businesses the chance to be seen for what I think is quite a small price and helps support what we’re doing. I think it’s a fairly good proposition for a local business but it would be fair to say uptake is slow than I would like so it might be that it requires a more proactive sales approach.

In addition to that, I also use affiliate marketing to promote businesses that have some local resonance such as local hotels, nationwide retailers that have a local presence and local venues selling tickets for events. That all works on a commission basis and requires a bit of research locally to see what opportunities are available.

What has your experience been with pulling in online visitors? It seems that if having the blog by Andrew Gilligan is generating considerable online comments. Would you recommend to other hyperlocal blogs to look for some well know personalities to come in as guest writers on blogs?

Andrew Gilligan has been an excellent addition to the site in terms of raising the profile of the website, and also in terms of delivering regular content that attracts readers, comments and links – these are the important indicators I look at when judging if an article has been successful or not. Certainly if other hyperlocal bloggers have a high profile writer in their patch with a strong interest in what’s happening in their community, it’s worth asking if they want to get involved.

Another element which I see in what you are doing is that you are mixing your sites to accommodate both locals and travelers by placing hotel and accommodation links on the individual websites as well. Can you talk a little bit about the idea of Travel / Local and then how you are networking several different sites around the UK.

With a location based site, I think it makes sense to cater for readers who live there and those who are interested in finding out about the area with a view to visiting. Listing local hotels through commission earning links is quite an “easy win” in terms of revenue.

What do you think local users are really searching for when they are browsing your sites. Is it the news, comments, or other? How do you keep them coming back for more?

The search data for my sites suggest people are looking for news and information about things to do in the area. As long as I can keep providing that information on a regularly basis, I think my websites can serve a useful purpose and become more popular as more people find out about them. I’ve also developed a “self serve” what’s on guide so people can add their own events to the site which enables it to be a tool for use by local stakeholders.

Do you feel like a town can have more than one hyperlocal website serving it, or are we in the early stages now people trying to establish territory?

I certainly think a town can have more than one hyperlocal website. In Greenwich for instance, there’s some very excellent blogs which also cover local news and events and I think it’s good to have a mix of sites which take a different approach.

Compensation for writers? Thoughts and techniques?

If someone is a professional writer, I fully expect to pay them a proper commercial rate for their work. I don’t have a fixed rate that I pay but will generally just discuss with them what they’re expectations are reach an agreement. If it’s someone that doesn’t want to be paid such as was with the case with a local MP, I instead made a donation to a local charity of their choice as an incentive.

A Few Sample Sites in Rob Powell’s Hyperlocal Network:

Greenwich
Greenwich.co.uk has regular news from Greenwich and a weekly column from Andrew Gilligan.

The City
Local information for people that work and live in the Square mile, with a job section coming soon.

Mayfair
Resource for people who live in or are interested in Mayfair, W1