The changes were based on months of reader consultation and reader research, conducted by strategy consultants OC&C on behalf of the site’s owner, Incisive Media.
Risk.net provides risk management, derivatives and regulation news and analysis. The website is now cleaner and easier to navigate, with a simpler and more accessible design. The site itself is ‘responsive’ – meaning it resizes and reformats automatically for the device on which it is being viewed, with attendant benefits in terms of speed.
Adverts are viewable and can be bought on time viewed as well as impressions, recognising the changing needs of advertisers and commercial partners.
The top-level navigation for Risk.net now mirrors the organisational structure of its editors and journalists, who began to work as a single newsroom in September. The newsroom’s five desks were chosen after analysing the topics that appeal across its global readership – and the same five topics provide the basic skeleton for the site.
“We believe our readers want deep, analytical coverage of topics other outlets tend to ignore – a conviction strengthened this year by our consultation with readers. The new Risk.net website allows us to deliver this content in a flexible format that will help those who are pressed for time, and give all our readers a variety of ways to find the information they want,” says Duncan Wood, editor-in-chief, Risk.net.
The number of stories that can be reached from the front page of the site with a single click has tripled, while clutter has been tidied away. Individual article pages have also been revamped to make them cleaner, with line lengths informed by research into the optimal online reading experience. Long-form articles are now prefaced by story-at-a-glance bullet-points, helping busy readers.
More changes will follow in the coming weeks – first, author profiles, so readers can follow journalists that are covering particular topics; then, in 2016, a revamped – and more granular – line-up of email newsletters, making it easier for readers to stay on top of their chosen subjects. All these improvements have been designed to give Risk.net’s subscriber base better access to content, regardless of device or format, says Incisive.
John Barnes, managing director for Incisive Media’s Insight division, said: “The evolution of how, when and where our users read our content means the new Risk.net responsive platform gives our subscribers the best possible reading experience and also represents a significant opportunity for our clients, who seek to target those readers.
“Whether through increased viewability of digital advertising campaigns or innovative content marketing solutions, such as native, clients have more options in which to reposition their brand and educate our readers within a trusted environment.”
The site has been redeveloped by Incisive Media’s in-house digital team.
