An independent local news website for Ipswich promising “positive and purposeful” journalism has started raising seed round investment for the next stage of its growth.
Ipswich.co.uk was founded by former Archant digital product director Oliver Rouane-Williams one year ago and has just been shortlisted for the best regional/local website of the year at Press Gazette’s Future of Media Awards alongside the likes of the Belfast Telegraph and Kent Online.
In its first year, Ipswich.co.uk has received more than 528,000 website visits, published 1,928 articles (or 37 per week), and signed up about 4,000 newsletter subscribers of whom 90% read at least one issue per month, according to data shared by Rouane-Williams.
The publisher is now raising up to £225,000, its remaining allowance for receiving tax relief under the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.
The site launched last year with Rouane-Williams investing £70,000 of savings and a further £90,000 of investment from friend and fellow local resident Ash Read who co-founded a health and wellness media brand called Wellworthy and sits on the Ipswich.co.uk advisory brand alongside former Archant CEO Lorna Willis.
Rouane-Williams told Press Gazette that, depending on how much is raised, he hopes new funding will go towards growing the team and funding high street regeneration projects, about which he could not yet share specifics.
The Ipswich.co.uk editorial team is currently Rouane-Williams as editor with a community impact reporter working 12 hours per week and a civic pride reporter working six hours per week.
Rouane-Williams would like to hire an economic growth reporter, initially part time but potentially going full time if the seed round closes.
Ipswich.co.uk does not have traditional website advertising or a paywall, saying the lack of banner ads, clickbait, data walls or pop-ups “respects its readers’ time, attention and privacy”.
Instead it works with local business partners – 21 so far – who can pay for perks such as a verified business page, a listing in the supporter directory, co-produced content, and advertising “shares”.
Buying ad shares means a partner is likely to appear at the bottom of an article with information like: “This article is free to read thanks to…”
This model has so far had an RPM (revenue per 1,000 page views) of £61.76 in 2025.
Rouane-Williams expects the media business to be profitable within six months, although admitted that involves him working long hours and taking a low salary.
He said: “Twelve months ago, I sold my car to buy a domain name. Today, that domain has been visited more than half a million times by people who share our vision of what good local journalism should look like.
“We still have a long way to go, but in a sector that is all too quick to shout about its woes, I think it’s important to take a step back and acknowledge that what we’ve achieved in our first 12 months is pretty phenomenal – especially given that we’re operating in a hugely competitive market that has been dominated by three titles for over a hundred years with a fraction of the resource.”
Other newsbrands in the area include Newsquest’s Ipswich Star and East Anglian Daily Times (both formerly owned by Archant before its acquisition) and Iliffe Media’s Suffolk News.
Rouane-Williams added: “It’s now all eyes on the future as we look to raise a seed round to accelerate our growth and realise our vision of transforming Ipswich into a town residents are proud to call home, visitors envy, and businesses and entrepreneurs thrive in.”
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