The Side Note

When creating new and improved Web sites for clients, we’re always thinking about the viewer when it comes to usability. One viewer that must always be taken into consideration is the journalist.

Journalists visit Web sites in order to gather information for stories. They are often on deadline and need that information fast. Is your Web site journalist-friendly?

Jakob Nielsen

Jakob Nielsen, “the guru of Web page usability” according to The New York Times, reviewed PR sections of corporate sites and found that most “fail to support journalists in their quest for the facts, information, and contacts they can use to write stories about companies and their products.”

We took the time to check out the PR sections of some high profile corporations, and unfortunately we got the same results. According to Nielsen, “Journalists repeatedly said that poor website usability could reduce or completely eliminate their press coverage of a company.”

So what are journalists looking for when they visit your site? Nielsen’s findings revealed five things:

1) A PR contact (name and telephone number)

2) Basic facts about the company (spelling of an executive’s name, his/her age, headquarters location, and so on)

3) The company’s spin on events

4) Financial information

5) Images to use as illustrations in stories

This may seem obvious to you, but Nielsen’s studies clearly show that not enough organizations include these five items in an easy to access and read PR section. Luckily, updating your news area shouldn’t take much time or effort and can make a big impact on your PR campaign results.

Do you have any experiences – good or bad – with journalists and Web site usability? Share your story here.

Tomorrow on The Side Note: RGM, a Chicago-based top tiered ad agency specializing in campaigns that push boundaries – and buttons.