The Belfast Telegraph's new-look website has seen increased traffic and a first case of reverse publishing.

Belfasttelegraph.co.uk has seen page impressions rise by 29pc since the facelift with publishers expecting to reach 4m page impressions per month if the trend continues.

Reader interactivity has also increased with the first instance a reader comment creating its own follow-up in print for reporters.

The new-look homepage is brighter and contains more headlines and photos than its previous format.

The site also sits on a so-called 'tri-site platform' which links the Telegraph website with those of sister national titles www.independent.co.uk and www.independent.ie.

Sam McIlveen, digital publisher of parent company Independent News and Media (Northern Ireland), said: "The new tri-site platform has given us an enhanced level of functionality that a standalone paper would not be able to achieve.

"This huge resource greatly expands what we have to offer and means we can do more than just shunt newspaper copy online.

"We are thrilled with the huge increase in audience the website has seen so soon after launch.

"If this trend continues, we would be tracking 4m page impressions per month which we would be delighted with but our ambition is to be bigger."

Another new element to the site is a travel section featuring content written by the www.independent.co.uk editorial team, led by Simon Calder, but for the Northern Irish consumer.

Visitors can watch videos of different travel locations, comment on stories and post their own reviews.

The new business section provides a searchable events planner which will include dates for exhibitions, seminars and other networking opportunities across Northern Ireland along with company profiles.

The makeover of www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk has allowed for greater interaction with its users via video news, opinion polls and competitions.

There are also regular blogs on football, property and motoring.

Sam added: "It was frightening when our readers started to interact with us.

"Within ten minutes of us switching on the new website we had our first comment – it was amazing.

"Since the relaunch, we've had our first case of reverse publishing where a comment from a member of the public became a story in the main newspaper."

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