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Creating a news site: basic principles and best practices

Table of contents

Picture of Simeon Nenov

Simeon Nenov

Owner of Simplfix Studio
Simeon has been helping businesses increase their brand awareness through digital solutions for many years.

Basic features of a news site

Dynamic content management

Example: WordPress with Elementor

WordPress provides a powerful content management system that makes it easy to add, edit and publish articles.

With a plugin like Elementor, you can create unique and functional pages without the need for programming. You can also create different templates to use for different news categories. In addition, you can put information that is only visible to users who have paid for a subscription.

Easy navigation and news categorization

Example: BBC News

The site uses clear categorisation, with the main sections – news, sports, technology – easily accessible via the menu.

Users can filter content according to their interests.

Integration of social networks

Example: CNN

CNN uses share buttons to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn below each article. Additionally, it allows users to comment via their social profiles.

UX and UI for news sites

How to create an intuitive structure

Example: Reuters

Reuters provides an intuitive menu that guides to major topics, and includes visual cues for popular news stories.

Importance of loading speed for news portals

Example: Yahoo News

The site supports fast loading using optimised images and a CDN (content distribution network). In addition to the CDN, it is good to have all images optimized for size and pixels. Separately, when there are more articles, it is also good to optimize the server and all WP processes.

Responsive design: How to look good on any device

Example: The Guardian

The Guardian offers a highly mobile-friendly design, making it convenient to read anywhere.

SEO for news websites

Optimization for news keywords

Example: The Verge

The Verge focuses on keywords like “tech news” and “tech reviews” to improve its visibility in search engines.

The role of AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)

Example: Washington Post

The site uses AMP for all mobile versions of articles, which speeds up loading and improves Google rankings.

Structured Data and News Schema

Example: New York Times

Through the News Schema, the site displays rich Google results, including title, date and author of the article.

https://schema.org

From here you can see all possible types and choose the right one for your service.

Don’t forget the XML news card

Example: HuffPost

HuffPost uses an XML sitemap to ensure that its content is properly indexed by search engines.

How to monetize your news site

Advertising: How to include banners and sponsored content

Example: Forbes

Forbes integrates ads in key areas of the site, such as the home page and at the end of articles.

Subscription models and paid content

Example: Bloomberg

Bloomberg offers subscriptions to premium content and analytics.

Common mistakes when making a news website

Lack of easy access to basic information

Example: local news sites

Many local news portals fail to provide clearly visible links to major categories such as “news” or “contacts”.

Improper management of large volumes of content

Example: Sites with no filters

Some sites do not use adequate filters, making it difficult for users to find specific news.

Conclusion

Successful examples, such as those of the BBC, Forbes and The Guardian, show that a news website should combine functionality, intuitive design and SEO. Create a platform that is user-friendly while achieving your business goals.

Contact us for professional building of your news website!

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