Here's the impact of the BBC's 'from other local news site' box has on a hyperlocal news site

Blog Preston stories are now appearing in the 'from other local news sites' box on BBC Lancashire

It's been nearly a month since the BBC recognised the hyperlocal site I run in Preston, Lancashire, in its 'from other local news sites' box.

This might sound like a small thing, but here's how it is making a big difference and why linking out is such a crucial policy for the BBC to support so it helps both hyperlocal sites and traditional local and regional media.

Since Blog Preston was added on 21 September it has referred 5,134 visits to the site, with 64% of these being people who had never visited Blog Preston before.

So it's helped introduce a new audience to our site and helped them to discover more news they want to see about the Preston area.

The BBC has in the space of a month become our fourth biggest referrer of traffic, behind Facebook, Twitter and Google.

It may be a small box, but it's an important one.