Here’s a quick improvement idea for your site - where is your newspaper website located?

Take a fresh look at your website - the way a first time reader might, if they happened upon a story link or a classifieds page. Looking at the header (the top part of a website that has the site name and slogan) - can your first-time reader identify where your paper is located?

I gave this a test on randomly selected AAN papers.

Where is this paper located?

This paper has a great name, but it’s not immediately clear where it is located.

Some information is better than none …

But to a worldwide audience, a city name or county might not be descriptive enough

I like the header on this site, which lists the internationally-known city name three times, and gives a clear overview of what this site is about: Everything Toronto.

Scroll down to the bottom of your site to check the footer navigation.
This is an easy place to list the full address and contact information for your paper - without making any design sacrifices.

Counter Argument

So what? Our readers know our name. They certainly know what city they live in! I don’t see how this matters.

Well …

it is true that your print readers certainly know what city they are in when they pick up a copy of your paper. But your online readers could be, well - anywhere. And while there is some truth to the argument that local online readers are the most valuable to your paper and your advertisers, it’s just not good business — or journalism — to confuse potential audiences.

Recently, the editor of an AAN paper asked for suggestions on improving his paper’s website. I received permission to blog my answer to him - so that we all could offer ideas.

Above the fold

“Above the fold” is a term leftover from print newspaper days, but it has relevance in the online world, where users rarely scroll down the homepage to view additional content. [See Poynter’s EyeTrack Studies.]

So what’s visible above the fold? Navigation, ad content, a rotating story/image teaser, a link to the cover story, and 3 upcoming events.

What’s below the fold? Tons of articles, more ad content, and listings search engines.

Five Quick Ideas for Improving this Site

1. Revamp the ‘above the fold’ space on the homepage. Move search for events and restaurants into a prominent position. Shrink the size of the rotating image (if it is kept), and add navigational elements that allow readers to flip back to the 3rd or last image they saw.

2. Make it a conversation. Add commenting functionality to articles. Consider displaying user comments on your homepage or on the section fronts to let readers know their voices are being heard. Including “bloggers linking here” links from technorati on articles.

3. Write headlines for the web. “Lonely Rose,” “Hay Ride,” and “Fuzzy Math” are clever headlines that work well in print layouts with images and subheads as context clues, but to readers who scan online, they don’t contain enough information. (Nor are they particularly search engine friendly.)

4. Invest in events listings. It can be a tremendous amount of work on the backend, but users expect the robust events listings functionality that they can find from sites as varied as Pollstar, Upcoming.org, and Eventful. I could only find 1 music event on this site, but I know there are many in the print edition.

5. Consider a ‘daily’ content strategy. This one is a toughie. But no matter how well designed a site of Thursday’s content is, it will be old hat to readers on Tuesdays. Brainstorm ways to get material on the website daily - publishing syndicated or feature stories online before they are printed, for example. Create robust events listings that feature ‘things to do today’ on the homepage every day.

Does anyone else have ideas for improving this website? What has worked for you?

What are your readers actually seeing when they visit your website? Eyetrack studies may help you make some educated guesses.

Eyetrack studies started back in 1990. Today, odd gadgets on people’s heads track exactly what users are looking at when they visit sample websites. The studies have progressed over the years, becoming more sophisticated.

More about Eyetrack Studies

• History of Eyetrack Studies
• Eyetrack Accuracy
• Poynter’s Overview of the first Eyetrack study

The most recent batch of Eyetrack data was taken in late 2005. The full results will be debut March 28 at the 2007 ASNE conference in Washington, DC, but the USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review [ojr.org] has published a highlights article this week.

Among the findings?

Write - or reformat - for the web

• Readers get through material faster, remember it better, and have better reading experiences.

Use precise titles and simple navigational structure

• Use scannable text and eliminate useless graphics

Use only relevant images

• No stock photography.

If you’re not familiar with the Eyetrack studies, it’s worth taking the time to read through the complete Eyetrack III report from 2004. It will change the way you think about your paper online.

The full results from the 2007 study will be published at Eyetrack.poynter.org.