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Fox News? mobile traffic increases 20pc since optimization move

Fox News revamped its mobile Web site to an adaptive system mere months ago and has already seen a 20 percent increase in viewership.

The move to mobile-first shows a pursuit to please smartphone users, and these positive results likely arise from Fox News? established consumer base who have discovered the site and make repeat visits. While editorial content can be a challenge to grasp on a tiny screen, Fox News executives recognize this challenge and aim to make the receptive side of content stress-free.

?Mobile use continues to go up and we wanted to create the best possible experience for our users,? said Jeff Misenti, chief digital officer at Fox News, New York. ?Mobile is an especially important category for us because our users can be anywhere when news breaks. 

?We want to make sure that FoxNews.com performs well for our users regardless of how or where they might be accessing the site.?

Hot off the press
While the desktop version of FoxNews.com remains the same as before, its mobile counterpart now features a fit-to-screen appearance with editorial content and advertisements built into a seamless pattern. Ads are not an interruption and fit in between the editorial content. 

At the top left corner, users will see a menu icon offering direct links to each news sector and a search option. These links include Fox News Latino, Fox News Radio and Fox News Insider, along with the traditional links to politics, health and lifestyle genres.

?Our goal is to create an optimal browsing FoxNews.com no matter what the users screen size may be,? Mr. Misenti said. ?We want our users to notice that our pages are faster, less cluttered, and are more usable than other news sites.

?We believe that taking the design principal of mobile first will entice users to come to Fox News first to get the news and information they need or desire.?

Media on mobile
Media sources realize their consumer is on-the-go and needs news to be delivered in the most convenient way possible, pushing these sources to expand their presence to mobile through apps and mobile optimization.

Daily newspaper the New York Times released new features on its iPhone and iPad mobile applications, allowing users to customize their experience by choosing what types of news alerts they receive. 

The development of these features was introduced to encourage more engagement with the apps, given users can filter different news genres, depending on their personal interests. The features launch at a time when push notifications have become a crucial marketing tool to remind users of the brand (see story).

Women?s magazine Cosmopolitan, Hearst Corporation?s most influential publication, led the move within the media giant to all-around mobile-optimized Web sites, aiming for a ?post-banner world? and an overall seamless process.

Featuring native advertising components among the content marketing platform, the renovations provide both the reader and editor with a streamlined way of communication. Cosmo editors believe they will be able to produce 20 percent more daily content given the change (see story).

?With more mobile phone users on the web, people are making decisions about what websites they visit based on the ease of use on a smaller screen,? Mr. Misenti said. ?A person is much more likely to abandon the page than wait for it load or zoom in and out to get it to fit on their screens.  

?It is crucial that our users know they can get the news quickly and easily with us and will have a unified experience across devices.? 

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Marketer, New York