The figure, which comfortably beats the previous record of 77.9 million in January 2013, saw month-on-month traffic increase by 1.1% while year-on-year figures rose by 23%.
March also saw the Guardian’s mobile site attract its highest ever level of traffic, with 17.9 million monthly unique browsers, up 3.9% month-on-month and 46.5% year-on-year. The previous record was set back in February 2013, when 17.2 million monthly unique users accessed Guardian mobile content. The record figure demonstrates further success following the site’s responsive design relaunch in November last year, say the publishers.
A strong news agenda - which included coverage of the election and inauguration of Pope Francis, the ongoing Eurozone crisis in Cyprus and a US child ‘cured’ of HIV - contributed to March’s record traffic levels, with the HIV article alone attracting 1.1 million unique browsers.
David Pemsel, Chief Commercial Officer at Guardian News & Media, said: “The Guardian continues to lead the way, with another record-breaking month for web and mobile. In such a fast-moving, changeable market, the Guardian’s continued global success across our digital platforms is testament to the talent, investment and continued efforts we have put into our digital-first and open strategies.
“The recent launch of GuardianWitness - our new user-generated content platform in partnership with EE - is yet another great example of how we are constantly looking to innovate and provide further engagement with our readers and commercial partners alike.”
