The 10 most important features for your news website


Digital online news portal is ruling the communication industry. The phase of common Newspapers has gone digital, and digital media has become an essential part of modern society. Every day the number of folks reading e-papers and online news websites is increasing. In the era of the digital news revolution, you need a reliable website to stay ahead in the online news market.

If you are planning to start a news portal of your own, you need to have a thought about an accurate design and template for your website. Of course, WordPress has made things more comfortable, and you can choose a premium WordPress newspaper theme for your website. Yet, before selecting a WordPress news theme, you must know all the features to include in your online news portal or news website.

Here are some of the best online news portal design features and characteristics you must have! Check this out:

01: Grid-based Layout/Design
When it comes to design, the content layout and structure come first on our list. Newspaper websites and online news portals are content-rich websites. So, you must arrange your content in an organized system.

Grids or columns are the most useful types of content arrangement. It is not only the most effective way to manage content online but also the most popular design.

A grid-based layout allows you to break the content into comprehensive blocks. Thus, columns that separate give an organized, impressive look. This makes the content easy to read through, and the readers can choose the topic of their choice.

You can choose different-sized columns for your content. Remember that the wider the columns, the easier it is to read the text. You must also ensure to keep enough column gaps as it looks ugly if the columns are too crowded.

02: Maximum White space
Apart from an organized structure, you must include ample whitespace on your website. White spaces give the impression that your website is straightforward and more readable. A lot of white space enables the reader to focus their attention on the right spots.

Filling up all the white space with your content will make your website the least appealing.

03: The Headlines
The importance of headlines in news articles is common to everyone. The headlines help readers to differentiate and choose articles for their interests. Of course, the headlines should be catchy and compelling enough to grab the spotlight.

Furthermore, as each content is separated into a grid, the headings entitle each column. Whether it is a small section on a grid or a full-height column, it should have a headline.

as headlines, you must never miss giving excerpts for each article. Excerpts are short descriptions of your articles. Excerpts give a little glance into your writing, and a good one is enough to raise readers’ interest.

Whether you have a blog, a magazine, an online newspaper, or a news website; headlines and extracts are the most critical factors for your website.

04: Content Categorization
You may post articles and news on diverse topics and from several niches. It can be global news, information from policy, entertainment, lifestyle, or the latest COVID-19 news.

The best way to organize is to create categories for each. Most WordPress news themes feature various categories available in the layout itself. You can customize it to suit your needs.

You can use various categories to divide your content, and you can display them in the navigation menu bar, the sidebar, or anywhere on your website.

05: Easy to navigate UI (Design or User Interface)
Speaking of the navigation menu, the manner and position of the navigation menu also play an essential role in your online news website. A news portal must have a simple navigation menu. It should be placed in an apt position where readers can navigate through the website.

The best and safest position is below the heading and above the contents. Visitors will not need to understand where the navigation menu is located, and they may scroll through your website.

Or, you may use the left sidebar of the navigation menu. These two positions are favorable and attractive for visitors.

06: Colour scheme
Readability is another critical feature in a news portal. Visitors will love your portal if it is readable.

We have seen traditional newspapers on white or grey paper with black text on them. If you look around the internet, you will find that most online news websites use dark color text on a white background.

Why do you think it is so? It is because the color combination is most suitable for the eyes of a reader. The color contrast makes it easier to read, so the ‘black and white color scheme’ is the most popular style for newspaper websites.

You can use different colors other than black, such as blue for headlines, and red for the call-to-action buttons on your online site.

07: Advertisement Slots/Spaces
The way you’re going to make money out of your online portal is a key factor. So, what functionality are you able to include in the design? Well, you can fit advertising into the right areas of the plan. Many mobile newspapers integrate ads in their layout that help website owners earn a certain income.

You should avoid excessive advertising space, and also be careful not to hijack users of your website. The preferred places or slots to advertise banners are the sidebar, left and right, header or footer.

08: Social Media Integration
In today’s world, online news websites cannot even exist without social media integration. If you want to get shared with a broader audience, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are perfect.

Your website layout should integrate social media so that readers can share your articles or even tweet quotes from your content. It’s all a promotion, and your news spreads more across social media platforms.

09: The commenting system
Now, in every online site, whether it’s a blog or a news portal, reader engagement and feedback are critical. Most readers expect to share their views, tastes, and aversions to ongoing events and news. So why not come up with a platform? It won’t make your website more lively, but it will also help your readers raise their voices.

10: Responsive design
Nowadays, readers used to enter information from a variety of digital devices such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Here in Nepal, most Nepalese use aggregated news apps to get News, Breakings, etc.

A responsive design allows users to access content on any device or application like ‘Nepali Patro’.

A responsive website is perfect for any device, no matter how big the screen. A responsive design is something that depends first, and foremost on the WordPress theme, you choose.

News-Times, this WordPress theme news is a perfect theme responsive news that will allow you to build a great online portal. The theme has a standard layout that includes all the necessary features of an online news site.


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