theguardian.com vs thetimes.com

Market traction comparison · Updated Jul 2026

theguardian.com favicontheguardian.com
VS
thetimes.com faviconthetimes.com
 theguardian.comthetimes.comLeads
Monthly Visits304.5M33.3Mtheguardian.com
Bounce Rate47.1%60.5%theguardian.com
SEO & Keywords3030Tie
Domain Age32y 2m31y 7mtheguardian.com

theguardian.com leads in 3 of 4 dimensions, while thetimes.com leads in 0.

Growth Momentum

Growth Momentum
theguardian.comthetimes.com
 theguardian.comthetimes.comLeads
Monthly Visits304.5M33.3Mtheguardian.com
MoM Change+9%+18%thetimes.com
Avg. Session3m16s3m07stheguardian.com
Pages / Visit2.52.5theguardian.com

Growth Momentum · Insight

thetimes.com is growing +18% while theguardian.com grows +9%. At current trajectory, thetimes.com could close the traffic gap within 13 months.

Acquisition Strategy

 theguardian.comthetimes.comLeads
Primary ChannelDirect 52%Direct 54%
Bounce Rate47.1%60.5%theguardian.com
SEO & Keywords3030
theguardian.com
Search 33%Direct 52%Social 7%Referral 5%Email 2%
thetimes.com
Search 30%Direct 54%Social 9%Referral 4%Email 3%
SearchDirectSocialReferralPaidEmail
26
4
26
theguardian.com OnlySharedthetimes.com Only

Keyword Overlap Rate: 7%

KeywordVolumetheguardian.comthetimes.com
quentin griffiths64.2K#1#7

Acquisition Strategy · Insight

theguardian.com acquires users primarily through Direct (52%), while thetimes.com relies on Direct (54%). This reflects fundamentally different go-to-market strategies — thetimes.com's higher direct traffic suggests stronger brand recognition or product-led growth, while theguardian.com's search reliance means growth is more scalable but more vulnerable to algorithm changes.

Business Maturity

 theguardian.comthetimes.comLeads
Domain Age32y 2m31y 7mtheguardian.com
RegisteredJul 1994Jan 1995
ExpiresJul 2026Jan 2027

Business Maturity · Insight

theguardian.com has been in the market for over a decade, indicating established presence.

Market Position

 theguardian.comthetimes.comLeads
Global Rank#154#1.9Ktheguardian.com
Category Rank#4#16theguardian.com
theguardian.comthetimes.com
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
34%
59%
🇺🇸 United States
28%
17%
🇩🇪 Germany
3%
3%

theguardian.com only

🇦🇺 Australia 7%🇨🇦 Canada 4%

thetimes.com only

🌐 Ireland 2%🇫🇷 France 2%

Market Position · Insight

Each has untapped markets the other serves: theguardian.com could expand into Ireland, France, while thetimes.com could target Australia, Canada.

Key Takeaways

  • thetimes.com is growing +18% while theguardian.com grows +9%. At current trajectory, thetimes.com could close the traffic gap within 13 months.
  • theguardian.com acquires users primarily through Direct (52%), while thetimes.com relies on Direct (54%). This reflects fundamentally different go-to-market strategies — thetimes.com's higher direct traffic suggests stronger brand recognition or product-led growth, while theguardian.com's search reliance means growth is more scalable but more vulnerable to algorithm changes.
  • theguardian.com receives 9.1x more monthly traffic than thetimes.com (304.5M vs 33.3M).
  • Both are growing, with thetimes.com accelerating faster at +18% vs +9%.
  • theguardian.com has a 13 percentage point lower bounce rate (47% vs 61%), indicating better landing page relevance or more targeted traffic.
  • With only 7% keyword overlap, they target largely different search audiences.

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Report based on data from July 2026