Building a news website seems like hard work considering the size and reach of companies like The New York Times or The Washington Post. However, today anyone can start an online news portal in a few simple steps.
Before you start creating your website, choose your target market, determine relevant topics in your region and industry and plan a marketing strategy, just like you would with any other business. However, keep in mind that your main product in the news business is information.
Reading: How to create a news website in wordpress
Let’s look at how to start a news website and what tools are required to make it successful.
If you are planning to start a media company, read our article on starting a media startup.
Basics
Technically, you can start a news website in just four steps:
- Choose a domain name and web host.
- Install WordPress with a preferred theme.
- Set up WordPress plugins to add functionality to expand your website.
- Create website categories, their structure and start publishing.
Web host and domain name
A domain name is the unique address of a website. When creating, try to compose something special, accurate and memorable. However, you have to pay a fee to register a domain name. And the registration fee depends on the domain zone and its popularity, for example, domains in the .com zone are the most expensive. Usually you can register a domain name through your web hosting service.
Here are some web hosting services to choose from.
- Bluehost (Prices start at $2.95 per month)
- GoDaddy (Prices start at $5.99 per month)
- Hostinger (Price starts at $1.99 per month)
- GreenGeeks (Price starts at $2.95 per month)
- DreamHost (Price from $2.95 per month)
WordPress template for a news website
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Then you need to decide which content management system (CMS) you will use would like. We recommend WordPress as the most popular CMS to use for any website industry. WordPress offers a variety of templates for news portals.
You can customize the selected theme with your own logo and fonts. However, make sure the theme’s rating is below 4 stars. Also check the date of the last update and the number of installations. Choose a mobile-friendly WordPress theme so your audience can easily view your web pages on a desktop or a mobile device.
You can browse the following themes that are WordPress templates for blogs and newspaper websites.
- Twenty Twenty-Two with over 1 million installs with 18 5-star ratings
- Astra with over 1 million installs and around 4K 5-star ratings
- Hestia theme has more than 100,000 installs and 460 5-star ratings
- GeneratePress with 500,000 installs and 1328 5-star ratings
- NewsPaperly has 1,000 installs and 1 5-Star Rating
Typically, web hosts offer an option to set up WordPress automatically for your website for an additional fee, so you can save your time and take advantage of this option.
WordPress Plugins for News Sites
After setting up the CMS with your favorite template, add WordPress plugins that are essential specifically for your website type and industry are.
Here is a list of ten essential WordPress plugins we recommend for news websites and blogs.
- Ultimate Blocks
- Gravitec Web Push Notifications
- WP Latest Posts
- XML SitemapFollow the latest news from around the world. However, try not to use themes from other websites, but even if you do, find your unique and creative way to sound fresh.
- Include media content such as images, audio and/or video added. Media content is king now, so consider adding a YouTube channel to your website.
- Use catchy titles to stand out and engage your readers. The catchy headline will definitely increase clicks on your posts in Google Search, Google News, newsletters and push notifications you send.
- Include links to related articles on your site and to reputable sources added. Your articles should contain best-practice information, so make sure you know what’s really going on in your industry and include links to the information sources you use.
- Adhere to the SEO requirements. Learn more about how to meet these requirements in the Google guide.
- Email Marketing Platforms. Set up a contact form on your website to collect email addresses from subscribers. Email marketing is a powerful tool to let a loyal audience know about the most important events, updates and services. If you’re new to email marketing, take a minute to read how to send emails to multiple recipients.
- Web Push Notifications. This technology makes it possible to inform subscribers about breaking news, the latest updates and new articles. After you have installed a push notification plugin, your subscriber base will be built up automatically. Learn how to send push notifications.
- Social Media. Let your readers join your social media profiles by adding buttons for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Also, add social media buttons to share posts. This will help you spread your content even further and grow your influence on social media. Also, social signals improve SEO indicators.
- Call to Action. CTA buttons don’t generate repeat visitors, but they can increase the time a person spends on your site if you link to your other article. Additionally, CTA is your chance to attract visitors to paid services like online courses and paid subscriptions.
- To create a news website, register a domain name, choose a web hosting service, set up WordPress with a relevant theme and install essential plugins.
- Decide on your target market and website categories and build their structure .
- Focus on the quality, uniqueness and value of content to your readers.
- Follow SEO guidelines when creating content for a website.
- Publish news, stories and reviews relevant to your industry.
- Create forms to collect contact information from your readers so that you can send promotional and/or informational emails to they can send.
- Use Call- to-Action Buttons and Recent/Related Publish Blocks to increase time spent on your site.
- Install push notifications to instantly communicate with your audience and encourage them to visit your site return.
- Cr esse profiles on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).Add social media buttons to websites to share content.
- Promote your website across content curation platforms, social media and online communities.
- Monetize your website with Google AdSense and attract sponsors/investors from your industry.
- Create paid content to make a profit – offer online courses, downloads and research.
Advertising
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A news website has specific features compared to e-commerce platforms Promotional tools such as B. Content curation tools like Flipboard, Pocket and Feedly as well as news aggregators like Google News and Apple News. You can also search for new readers by participating in online communities such as Facebook groups, Quora and Reddit feeds. For even more promotional strategies, check out our articles How to Promote a Blog Post and Unorthodox Ways to Get Traffic to Your Website.
Besides attracting new visitors, this is what news website owners need to focus on , attracting new visitors Subscribers to return to their content. This is a great way to build your loyal audience and ensure returning visitors to your website.
Tools for the job:
Make a profit
You can monetize your news website through the Using advertising banners/sponsorship and by building a membership website with a paid subscription. In the latter case, you will have to opt for a paywall solution.
You can start looking for investors/advertisers even before launching your website. If they are enthusiastic about your idea and business plan, you will receive business development resources. After you’ve already published your content, reach out to advertisers in your target market or related industries. Set up Google AdSense on your web pages as you build your website authority. This may not generate significant income at first, but you will start monetizing. After your website’s influence and traffic starts to grow, its popularity will attract more advertisers.
In addition to searching for advertisers, you can also offer your readers paid content. You have to analyze which topics are in demand, which exclusive information can be valuable for your audience. You can also create paid products such as online courses and downloads, or provide research related to your industry for a fee.
Summary
If you have any questions about using push notifications, please contact the Gravitec.net support team.
See also: 12 Steps To Writing a Well-Researched and High-Quality Blog Post
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