Sittingbourne News

04/08/2025

A sad update to bring you this afternoon

03/08/2025

How often do you click on a link after searching for something on Google? 🔍💭

If you are anything like us, the answer will be a lot less than you used to.

Google’s AI Overviews, those little snippets of information that answer whatever question you are asking without having to visit a website, have soared in popularity and it’s not surprising. They are a much better way to quickly find the information you are looking for.

Unfortunately, they also have the side effect of making it almost impossible for publishers like us to run websites like KentOnline for free.

Google is taking all the information our journalists have researched and written to create its Overviews - but we don’t receive a penny for it. And with far fewer people feeling the need to click through to our site, our advertisers miss out too.

We don’t think that’s fair, but unfortunately Google is so big and so powerful there’s nothing we can do about it. 🙄

The model we have used to fund KentOnline since 1999 is fundamentally broken, which is why we are talking about digital subscriptions quite so often.

We are enormously grateful to the thousands of people who have already placed their trust - and their money - with us to take out a subscription. 🙏

We hope it will allow us to continue covering courts, councils and campaigning on your behalf for years to come, but the reality is the number of people subscribing is a tiny fraction of those who read KentOnline for free.

We are acutely aware of the financial pressures many are under at the moment, which is why we try to make as much of our content as we can free to read. But if you can afford to support us, it will make all the difference.

👉 Go to www.kentonline.co.uk/subscribe to find out more about the benefits a digital subscription provides, including an ad-lite experience and exclusive content. And don’t forget you can get 50% off with the special HALFPRICE code!

03/08/2025

There'll be music, street food, a vintage market and a classic car show...

03/08/2025

Police, fire crews and paramedics were at the scene...

03/08/2025

Our reporter went to try a sport that's more than 100 years old, but you probably haven't heard of it...

02/08/2025

Decades of hard work, sweat and tears went up in flames...

02/08/2025

02/08/2025

It got two thumbs up from our young reviewers 👍

01/08/2025

🗣️ "THERE ARE TOO MANY ADVERTS ON KENTONLINE!"

One of the most common complaints we receive is that there are too many adverts on our website.

Can we let you into a secret? We agree. 😬

Our pages have far more advertising on them than we would like, but unfortunately we are operating in an imperfect world.

The money we receive for those adverts does not come close to covering the cost of running KentOnline, meaning we have to add more and more as the years go by.

👉There is an alternative, though.

For almost a year we have been gently encouraging (or nagging, if you prefer) our most regular readers to sign up for a digital subscription.

It’s a brilliant way to help fund our journalism, but also a much better way to read our stories.

Our pages load faster, your reading experience won’t be interrupted by irritating pop-ups, and you will also get access to a whole load of exclusive stories.

Give it a try, we promise you won’t want to go back.

👉 Subscribe at www.kentonline.co.uk/subscribe and use the code HALFPRICE to enjoy a whole year’s access for just £27.44....just 53p a week

01/08/2025

Don't miss this week's Kent Politics Podcast for the latest news and gossip, including why a former MP left his party

01/08/2025

The Secret Drinker said the barmaid is the driving force at the pub who ensures the place is run efficiently and without bother of any kind 🍺🥷