Some news sites simply add their breaking stories to the top of the list, but that’s not enough.
Visitors expect the story to jump out at them. This is why it’s important to highlight breaking news in some way.
You have several options to help your clients highlight their latest stories so visitors always know what’s new and important on the site. Otherwise, it might be like they’re standing in a never-ending forest of stories with no way to tell what’s new.
Rearrange Content
One of the easiest methods is to simply rearrange content. Creating a layout with a large content section just below the header provides a section for the latest breaking news. In just a few clicks, a new story could be added to the breaking news section. A colorful tag at the top of the section could further highlight the story as “breaking” or “latest news.”
Layout plugins such as Conductor are ideal for this. Not only is it easy to create a custom layout, but your clients could change the layout as needed to better highlight single or multiple stories. Making it easier for visitors to find what they need quickly prevents them from moving on to a competing news site.
Use A Slider
Sliders are highly useful for highlight content. A simple slider at the top of the homepage is all that’s needed to showcase the top three or four breaking news stories. For sites that often have multiple breaking stories, this approach works well.
The only issue is visitors might not see more than one story unless they wait for the slider to switch between them. This is easily fixed by using a slider with a faster transition time or with larger dots that make it obvious to visitors that there are more stories to be seen.
Add A News Ticker
Trading sites are well known for their stock tickers at the top or side of the page. The same approach works for news websites. A special news ticker above the header or just below the header is a great way to constantly highlight breaking news and it grabs attention. This is best for sites that have regular breaking stories throughout the day.
Many free and paid tickers are available and they’re highly customizable. All a client has to do is add in the text and link to have the story appear in the ticker. Plus, they don’t take up much room on the homepage.
Use A Breaking News Widget
If your client doesn’t want to add or change anything in the meat of the homepage, a breaking news widget could be the best solution. The widget could be placed in the sidebar. While it doesn’t take away from other content, it does draw attention as many visitors glance at the sidebars to check for breaking news, most shared content, popular content and social share options.
While it’s not always the best approach, it could be used in conjunction with other methods. For instance, a site adding their latest breaking story to the top of the homepage might also use a widget to list all of the latest breaking stories from the last day or week.
Add To The Header
The header is always noticeable and it falls in the crucial above the fold area. Adding in a special section in the header for breaking news gives your clients a great place to put one or two top stories in a prominent place. This is usually best for larger headers where clients have space to add not just a headline, but an image as well. It also ensures the breaking stories load with the header, so visitors see them first and faster than the rest of the site.
Conclusion
Breaking news needs to stand out from the rest of your content. Make life easier on your visitors who are looking for breaking stories. Suggest these options to your clients and help them learn how to make the most of them.
Let your clients rearrange their content quickly and easily. Install the Conductor plugin and they’ll be able to highlight any stories they want in just a few clicks.