Once giants in web search and email, Yahoo.com has fallen on hard times. Google’s rise to seemingly insurmountable heights left Yahoo feeling like an old dog, so the once-prominent Yahoo pulled off one of the more dramatic hires in business history. The Sunnyvale-based web portal named Google executive Marissa Mayer as its CEO in 2012.
After months of subtle internal changes, Mayer-led Yahoo unveiled its first major update: a revamped home page. Yahoo.com received its last update in 2008. Since then, Yahoo has seen its annual revenue fall by about 30 percent, according to Foxnews.com.
“We think this will be the new foundation for Yahoo,” said company Vice President Mike Kerns, according to Foxnews.com. A fresh look, functional structure and full range of capabilities may be just what Yahoo needs to get back in the game. Compare your website to Yahoo’s new-look page for revenue-boosting tips.
The Look
On the internet, design evolves quickly. The cluttered, linked-filled layout of five years ago have given way to a cleaner, more balanced combination of text and multimedia. Yahoo.com’s homepage update follows suit. The eye-catching top of the page is a slide show featuring the day’s top news stories. This visual approach caters to the short attention span of the modern web surfer. According to Factbrowser.com, 77 percent of visitors to clothing provider Burberry.com like its visual appeal.
If you’re looking to boost engagement on your homepage, introduce a more visual design. Visitors will be more likely to interact with your content. It may take an larger investment to hire quality designers, but the benefit will outweigh the cost. Break out the Plum Card from American Express and find some visual inspiration at Designm.ag the next time you redesign your website.
The Function
The new Yahoo.com doesn’t just have a new look. It also has new functions. Taking a page out of Twitter’s playbook, Yahoo.com now features trending topics prominently in the top right corner. Mayer’s troops also swapped the previously hard-to-discern email app for a cleaner icon. Now, a red dot with the number of unread emails hovers over a simple mail icon. In place of the former fixed page, Yahoo opted for an infinity news bar that never stops scrolling, similar to a Facebook news feed.
In its attempt to become a “daily habit,” Yahoo took cues from addictive social media sites that users often visit multiple times per day. The result is a modern site that delivers features users have come to expect. Whether you own a news site, ecommerce platform or blog, modern functions will make your page stand out above the competition.
The Marketing
Yahoo had the benefit of prominence as it unveiled its redesign, and it took advantage of the chance to explain why users should come back.
A website upgrade can spark a new base of users, but it’s difficult to attract new viewers if they don’t know what you have to offer. If you invest in a website upgrade, invest in the tools to publicize your new product. Draft a press release, tell users on social media or buy display advertising online. Hopefully, you won’t have to revamp your website for a long time. Take advantage of the occasion and cash in on your investment.
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