If you are one of our voracious online readers, then you may have noticed something different in the last few months — we have a new look. Yes, we put the old SpudSmart.com website design out to pasture and debuted a snazzy new layout.
It may have been a bit of a shock the first time you went online and realized it was different. The old website was pretty plain, but it was easy to use and got the job done. You could usually find what you were looking for without much hassle.
The new website is still that way, but it has more to offer the reader. Whereas the old website would just show you the story you’re reading, the new one will give you that along with related stories and the latest stories we have added to the website. We want you to come for your story and stay for all of the other great content we have.
For me the biggest shift is the home page. Before it was pretty basic, and as the editor I could pick which stories were featured in the slider bar at the top of the page. Everything below the featured stories was just the latest stories posted. If you visited to the page regularly, you’d easily see what was new and what was old.
Now though, you can still easily see what the newest stories are, but you can also see what’s happening everywhere else on the website. The featured stories focus on all of the latest news on the website, but as you scroll down we have all of our categories listed with their newest stories. So overall, you’re getting a bigger idea of what is all on the website and more content is at your fingertips.
A completely new feature you’ll see on every page is our Twitter feed. You’ll see what we’ve posted and retweeted. I think this is great as it gives you a more personal look at the potato industry in Canada and shows what we’re up to daily at the Spud Smart office.
Personally, I love the new website. As you all know I’m new to the Spud Smart team and I’m going to let you in on a secret — the old website didn’t impress me much.
When I was interviewing for this position, I did my research. Which meant I went online and looked through the whole website. This was to familiarize myself with the content, so I’d know what all of you readers like to read about.
The stories were all great, they made me want to become part of the team and put my own spin on them. The website though, not so much. It was dated and plain and needed a new look. I had worked on news web teams before and looking at the website made me sad as I knew we could deliver more.
I’ll admit I didn’t keep this to myself. During my job interview I mentioned it and after I was hired, I was beyond excited to know a new website was in the works. The first time I saw the new website prototype I was thrilled. It was modern, fun (yes websites are fun) and easy to use.
We spent a few weeks perfecting things and when we finally launched it at the start of August, I was so excited to share it with you, our loyal readers.
We kept all of you in mind with the design. Website analytics from our old website showed most of you are viewing it on your cellphones. So, we made sure to make the website compatible for mobile and easy to load — for when you’re out in the field and don’t have many bars.
I hope you like it and understand how important having a new website is. Everything we do here at Spud Smart is for the best of our readers and we’re always trying to keep ahead of things so we can deliver the latest news to you in the best ways. So, please give the new website a test drive and let us know what you think.
