Redesigned website presents appealing look across platforms

Wednesday, September 7, 2016
From desktop to smartphone to tablet, the new look of bannergraphic.com has been redesigned to provide a consistent user experience across all platforms with an ongoing goal of providing the best news coverage in Putnam County.

Responding to the changing needs of today’s desktop and mobile users, the Banner Graphic is unveiling its new and improved website today.

The new site, which will go live at mid-morning, features the same content as the old version of bannergraphic.com but should provide our readers, particularly mobile viewers, with an easier, more user-friendly platform to navigate.

“Our website has been the go-to place for Putnam County for many years, and we’re excited to announce a major upgrade,” publisher Chris Pruett said. “It offers the same items our readers have become accustomed to but in a more dynamic and bold format. We believe it’s easier to navigate and offers our readers a lot more bells and whistles.

Most notably, there will now be no difference between the design of the desktop and mobile versions of bannergraphic.com. Instead, the upgraded bannergraphic.com features a simpler design that takes only slight reconfiguration to provide a similar user experience on desktop computers, notebooks, tablets or smartphones.

“Bannergraphic.com is now responsive to screen size, making it work and look great on mobile phones and tablets,” Pruett said. “Over 50 percent of our views come from mobile phones and tablets, and that number will only increase in the coming years. So if you look at our website on your desktop, phone or tablet it will look almost the same.”

Through Sept. 5, bannergraphic.com has had 4,655,298 pageviews from 436,048 unique visitors in 2016.

The new-look website remains free to our subsribers and is also available to users for the monthly fees of $9.50 for online only or $10.50 for a print and online subscription.

“I’m excited to roll out the new look website, hopefully everyone will find that switching from one online media to another is very user friendly,” general manager Daryl Taylor said.

The changes also provide new challenges and possibilities to editorial staff members as they continue to discover the capabilities of the new site.

“Our staff is excited for the opportunities the new platform provides,” editor Eric Bernsee said. “From the ability to boldly display quality photographs to greater integration of photos and videos into our stories and blogs, we look forward to the possibilites of our website.”

Besides offering new possibilities for editorial content, the new site also offers expanded opportunities for local businesses to reach a greater audience through the Banner Graphic marketing team.

“Our website also offers a great avenue for our area businesses to share with our readers what they have to offer,” Pruett said. “Advertising is a big part of the website, and the new look makes the ads stand out even more. You’ll also notice the Friends2Follow section is easier to find and navigate.”

For more information about print or online marketing, contact lead marketing consultant Merlin Maltsberger or marketing consultants Montica Pingleton and Kandi Collins at 653-5151.

Regardless of the platform, the Banner Graphic remains committed to providing quality coverage to its readers.

“Our goal is to continue to bring our readers the best news and sports coverage in the area through the newspaper and website,” Pruett said. “No one covers Putnam County like we do, and our website is a way we can offer 24/7 coverage. Our new website will allow us to continue to strive for our goal because of the new opportunities it offers.”

Growing pains are also natural in any change, so we welcome reader feedback about the new website at 653-5151 or news@bannergraphic.com.

“We understand it’s not always easy to change viewing or reading habits, and we hope you’ll like the changes. But if you have any concerns or suggestions please let us know,” Pruett said. “We appreciate your loyalty and business and we will continue to strive to provide you with the service you’ve become accustomed to.”

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  • Nice change! I like it.

    -- Posted by localman on Fri, Sep 9, 2016, at 6:38 AM
  • Looks great on the iPhone! Congratulations on the redesigns.

    -- Posted by ObserverFromAfar on Fri, Sep 9, 2016, at 8:38 PM
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