Websites are deemed the active representatives or the ‘faces’ of every company or organization on the internet. A website is the online version of every established business entity or organization. Evidence showing that the organization exists both physically and in cyberspace. We aim to investigate the most popular Nigerian websites based on their web traffic as of June 2023.
Many Nigerian websites (owned by Nigerians, and/or with Nigerian domain names) have come a long way in establishing a reputable online presence. We hope to find out why they have been so successful in attracting such huge numbers of visitors.
Top 10 Most Popular Nigerian Websites in 2023
We can categorically say that obtaining accurate and up-to-date statistics on the most popular Nigerian websites has not been easy. Particularly since the Alexa web rankings website has been taken down since May 2022. And the online public yearns for better alternatives.
However, Semrush – the renowned SEO and analytics website came to the rescue. The site produced updated metrics of Nigerian sites with the largest internet traffic at the end of the first half of 2023. The following interesting results were obtained. We will also make an attempt to find out why they have been so popular, and attract so much internet traffic.
General Name Domain Name Web traffic/Visits
NETNAIJA thenetnaija.net 74.27 million
NAIRALAND nairaland.com 12.24 million
BET9JA bet9ja.com 11.41 million
DAILY TRUST (newspaper) dailytrust.com 9.7 million
VANGUARD (newspaper) vanguardngr.com 8.75 million
NEWSNOW NIGERIA newsnow.com 8.63 million
TORIZONE torizone.com 8.62 million
PUNCH (newspaper) punchng.com 8 million
L-Earnify learnify.ng 7.16 million
9JAROCKS 9jarocks.net 6.4 million
The next 15 most popular Nigerian websites in 2023 include:
- jumia.com.ng (5.93 million);
- dailypost.ng (5.88 million);
- timeofgistng.com (5.22 million);
- my9jarocks.wf (4.9 million);
- sabishare.com (4.88 million);
- thecable.ng (4.69 million);
- legit.ng (4.57 million);
- naijanews.com (4.43 million);
- gossipinfo.com.ng (4.4 million);
- kemifilani.ng (4.34 million);
- lindaikejisblog.com (4.31 million);
- guardian.ng (3.61 million);
- saharareporters.com (3.14 million);
- channelstv.com (3.06 million); and
- thenationonlineng.net (2.95 million)
Time would not permit us to investigate all of the above-mentioned websites. So we will limit ourselves to the top 10 Nigerian websites, and why they were successful in drawing so much internet traffic. We may learn one or two business tips or ideas from our findings.
NETNAIJA
NETNAIJA is the largest Nigerian entertainment news and content website in Nigeria right now. You can get access to the latest in local entertainment: news, music, videos, and TV shows. And download Nigerian music and videos for free. The site was created in 2009. However, certain persons insist that the website is illegally distributing copyrighted material.
NAIRALAND
NAIRALAND is the largest and most popular internet discussion forum and information portal in Nigeria. It was created in 2005. Nairaland boasts of myriads of discussion rooms covering a broad range of topics that touch the hearts of Nigerians. That includes current news and trends, trading activities; education, ICT, real estate, product reviews – name it.
BET9JA
BET9JA is arguably the biggest bookmaker website in Nigeria – a sports betting (or staking) site with a huge following. The site offers betting services across a broad range of sporting events in Nigeria, Europe and worldwide – and not just soccer. It has somewhat become an alternative means of earning income for teeming, Nigerian youths (especially the unemployed).
DAILY TRUST Newspaper
DAILY TRUST is a physical and online newspaper, one of the products of Media Trust Limited. Media Trust Limited is a renowned Abuja-based media company in Nigeria, involved in newspaper publishing, printing, and consultancy. Media Trust also produces the following news media: Kilimanjaro (A Pan-African magazine), Weekly Trust, Sunday Trust, Aminiya (a Hausa language newspaper). In fact, the Weekly Trust and Daily Trust are the most popular newspapers in circulation in Northern Nigeria. As far as advertising proceeds are concerned, the two newspapers rank amongst the 7 highest newspapers in revenue generation altogether.
VANGUARD Newspaper
VANGUARD is a daily physical and online newspaper produced by Vanguard Media – a Lagos-based media publishing company. It was set up in 1984. It is one of the most popular Nigerian newspapers in circulation. And it has a wide coverage of events, news, and several sectors of Nigerian life. Vanguard Media is so prolific that it has produced a broad number of media publications since its inception. They include:
- Lagos Mirror
- Mr. and Mrs. Magazine
- Sports Now
- Vanguard Yellow Pages (business directory)
- Lagos Law Directory
- Saturday Vanguard
- Sunday Vanguard
- Daily Vanguard
- Financial Vanguard
- Sports Vanguard
- Hitech
- Cyber Life
- Allure
- Sweet Crude
NEWSNOW NIGERIA
NEWSNOW is an online Nigerian news website that promises to provide the latest news in Nigeria at the speed of lightning. The online media site covers breaking news largely in the political realm. But it also reports issues cutting across Nigeria’s economy, entertainment, crime watch, social happenings, and more – as accurately and unbiased as possible.
TORIZONE
TORIZONE is an online Nigerian newspaper that specializes in delivering real-time news and entertainment content as it is being released. Launched in 2022, it is a subsidiary of Netnaija.com. It covers both local and international entertainment, sports, and mainstream news. It also offers free downloads of the latest videos, music, and movies in Nigeria.
PUNCH (newspaper)
Punch is one of the oldest physical and online newspapers in Nigeria. It was established in 1970 by Punch Nigeria Limited. Punch newspaper today is the most widely read daily newspaper in Nigeria. It has wide coverage covering politics and national news, entertainment, business, and sports. Punch Nigeria also publishes other tabloids which include The Punch, Saturday Punch, and Sunday Punch.
L-Earnify
L-earnify is a skill acquisition and earning website that pays its members both through referral links and other means. It was set up in 2023. It allows interested persons to register on the site with a coupon that costs N4500. The site offers multiple options for making passive income for its members. Though it has a fairly huge following, some people are skeptical about its legitimacy or ability to continue its programs.
9JAROCKS
9jarocks is a Nigerian music and entertainment blog established in 2015. The site offers the latest Nigerian and international music, movies, TV series, and sporting events for free downloads. It also features entertainment news. We strongly believe the free content download may be the catch for its massive patronage by online followers.