WSJ.com redesign
Jinfo Blog

15th September 2008

Item

The Wall Street Journal has launched a redesign of its website, WSJ.com http://online.wsj.com/public/us, continuing the ongoing changes at the newspaper since its acquisition by News Corp, as part of the Dow Jones http://www.dowjones.com/ takeover. One of the major changes will be the increased monetising of content, through larger display adverts and more sponsored sections, according the Gordon McLeod, President of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. ‘Our WSJ.com redesign objective was clear – provide our users with a comprehensive experience that grants access to news and information on their terms while providing a unique platform for advertisers to reach our highly affluent and influential digital audience’ http://digbig.com/4xmme. The redesign is a catch-up on its main rival, The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com, which gets more traffic than the Journal, due to its subscription-free status. However WSJ.com has proved to be a successful and growing paid subscription-based website. Users of the redesigned site will find more general news available to non-subscribers. Free content will be highlighted on the home page and icons will be used to show which stories can be viewed only with a subscription. There will also be an improved video player and a greater use of photographs. The new story pages will include a moving newsreel, with headlines and photos linked to related content. The redesign will launch some new features: a management issues section; a social networking site called ‘Journal Community’; a mobile version, which can be accessed on handheld devices; and, an expanded archive.

« Blog