Building reader trust and increasing revenue for local news media
Context
A non-profit, local news organization in the US.
The client reached out to Boyle Software as a solution provider who has deep experience and knowledge in Arc XP - a CMS developed and offered by The Washington Post. The client needed to bolster online reader trust, grow their paid subscriber base, and address various technical issues hindering overall online visibility.
Business problem
The news business is highly competitive, and its concentration is mainly in large corporate entities, leading to hindered growth for local news. This can result in revenue loss an becoming potentially unsustainable in the long run.
Expected goals
Key goals included:
Increase readers' trust in this local news source and grow the client's paid subscription base to 100K and beyond
Offer a better UX to their online readership, emphasizing their quality local journalism
Improve revenue generation on the site from various streams: paid subscriptions, donations, and better ad unit placement.
Solution
Improved website experience and visual appeal
Boyle Software enhanced and upgraded the client's existing news article page using Arc XP as a solution.
Multiple technologies were leveraged across the front- and back-end
Several feature updates and new components were developed to improve the overall visual appeal of the website
The new solution offered the client a more focused and effective website UX.
The redesigned article page went into production within 10 weeks from kick-off
The visually refreshed homepage launched soon after
Clearer delineation of ad units and sponsored stories bolstered trust from the client's readership
Outcomes of the Engagement
Improved UX grows reader trust and promotes revenue growth
Enhanced reader experience
Led to immediate subscriber growth, more insightful and actionable internal reports, and streamlined editorial publishing processes (EX). Upgraded placement opportunities for non-intrusive ad units and clearly indicated sponsored articles achieved better trust from readers.
Focused and performative customizations
Improved Core Web Vitals and significant projected improvement to business KPIs like “Average Session Duration.” New, desirable features were introduced: reader personalization based on geolocation; special article templates for popular sections like "Sports" and "Food & Drink"; intelligent recirculation for article selection.
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Key project outcome metrics:
Increase in average user session duration
Increase in paid reader subscriptions