TownConnect.co.uk was created to give people another useful way to discover local businesses, services and places.
September provided an encouraging sign that this approach is beginning to gain momentum.
Visitor numbers increased by 321.4% from August to September, meaning the September audience was more than four times the size of the previous month.
Total visits increased by 194%, bringing them to almost three times the August level.
For a platform still in its early stages, this is significant growth. The more important question, however, is what people do once they arrive.
Growth beyond visitor numbers
Traffic is useful, but numbers alone do not make a discovery platform valuable. People need to find something relevant and have a clear next step. Across TownConnect business profiles, tracked contact actions averaged 8.3% of listing views during the period measured.
These actions included visits to business websites, telephone number reveals and direct enquiries. They should not all be treated as completed leads. A website click does not guarantee a sale and a telephone reveal does not necessarily result in a call.
They do, however, show intent.
A visitor has moved beyond simply looking at a listing and has chosen to find out more about the business.
That is an important measure for TownConnect discovery platform.
Helping people discover what is around them
People do not always begin a search with the name of a particular business.
They may simply need an electrician nearby, somewhere to eat or a company that provides a particular service.
They may want to see what is available in their town before deciding who to contact.
TownConnect is being built around that type of discovery.
Businesses can be found through locations, categories, maps and individual profiles. Journal content also provides another route into local topics and businesses.
The aim is not to replace search engines, social media or a company website.
It is to provide another useful route between someone looking for something and a business that may be able to provide it.
Another place for businesses to be found
Digital visibility has become increasingly important for businesses of every size.
A good website remains valuable. Search visibility matters. Social media can be useful and personal recommendations remain powerful.
TownConnect adds another layer.
For a business, being present on the platform creates another opportunity to appear when someone is exploring a town, category or service.
For the person searching, it creates another source of information and another way to discover businesses they may not already know.
That becomes more useful as TownConnect coverage develops.
More businesses create greater choice. Better profiles provide more information. Stronger local coverage makes browsing by town or nearby location more useful.
The value comes from connecting those elements rather than simply building the largest possible list of business names.
Early growth in context
TownConnect is still developing from an early base, so strong percentage growth should be viewed in that context.
Month to month increases can be larger during the early stages of a platform. Even so, a 321.4% rise in visitors and a 194% increase in total visits represent clear momentum.
The significance is not limited to traffic.
People are also moving beyond business profiles to visit company websites, reveal telephone numbers and make direct enquiries. Tracked contact actions averaged 8.3% of business profile views during the period measured.
Together, these figures show that TownConnect is doing more than attracting visitors. It is helping people discover businesses and take the next step towards contacting them.
As TownConnect expands its coverage, that growing audience and measurable contact activity provide a strong foundation for the platform's continued development.
Building a useful discovery platform
TownConnect exists for both sides of local discovery.
Businesses need ways to be found.
People need useful ways to find them.
That sounds simple, but creating something useful between those two points takes more than collecting listings. It requires relevant local coverage, clear information and sensible ways to explore it.
September's results suggest that TownConnect is moving in the right direction.
Visitor numbers grew by 321.4%.
Total visits increased by 194%.
Tracked contact actions averaged 8.3% of business profile views.
Those figures are encouraging, but they also provide a useful benchmark for what comes next. TownConnect will continue to expand its coverage while improving how people discover businesses, services and places.
The goal remains straightforward.
Help more people discover what is around them and make it easier for local businesses to be found.