Patch Traffic Triples in 2011; Rises to No. 4 on comScore List

Patch, AOL’s platform of more than 850 hyperlocal news, information and engagement sites, is now the fourth-largest regional/local property, more than tripling its Unique Visitor (UV) traffic between December 2010 and December 2011, per the comScore data released this week. In addition, in December 2011, Patch showed a 5 percent traffic bump over November (9.9 million UVs versus 9.5 mllion UVs), bucking the trend of seasonal declines in comScore’s local news and information category.

“Given that the average Patch site is just over a year old, we couldn’t be happier with the traffic growth we’ve shown to date,” commented Warren Webster, president of Patch Media. “We are incredibly proud of the role we play in our communities every day—and of the consistent positive feedback we receive from our users—so seeing this rise in traffic is very gratifying for our entire team.”

The other properties in the category are Yelp (No. 1); CityGrid (No. 2), Yahoo! Local (No. 3), and CBS Local (No. 5). In December of 2010, Patch ranked No. 10 in the category.

Patch presently has 863 sites in 22 states plus Washington, D.C., with more than 1,000 professional journalists managing those sites and more than 13,000 bloggers contributing content. In recent weeks, Patch launched its first three Patch Latino sites and its coverage of the 2012 election season across its primary-state Patches and beyond.

About Patch

Patch launched in 2009 with the mission of becoming the most trusted source of local news and information via a platform of hyperlocal sites, managed by professional local journalists and photographers. Patch is also the premier online destination for residents who want to participate in discussions, post announcements and event information, share their perspectives via Patch's blogging platform, and get involved in their communities. In addition, business owners and advertisers benefit from Patch's unique ability to geotarget new and existing customers. Serving as the eyes and ears for what is happening at the grassroots level across the country, Patch is now in more than 850 communities in 22 states plus Washington, D.C.

• Editor's note: This is an AOL press release, but we wanted to share some of the good news. If you'd like to learn more about our little Patch in Geneva, e-mail Jackie Lobdell at jacquelyn.lobdell@patch.com or rickn@patch.com.