Using slideshows to boost traffic

One of the great things about my job is its flexibility. When things are slow, I can pretty much work on whatever I want. So recently I started taking an idea I’ve had for months and practicing it: daily slideshows of compelling and newsworthy photographs from around the world. (Click here or on the image below to see an example.)

Here’s some advice for those looking to do the same:

• Search the Associated Press photo feed with the term “aptopix” and you’ll get AP editors’ choices of the best shots from the day’s takes.
• Use the AP’s frequent news digests to look for stories that have photos.
• Go for variety. Use the photo of the scene of a car bombing in Karbala, Iraq, but don’t neglect interesting profiles, weather shots and even the occasional baby animal. With fewer limits on space compared with the printed products, including these fluffier items can’t be considered pandering to less-serious appetites.
• Take the time to edit cutlines. If applicable, find the corresponding story and flesh out the details or add background. This is added value.

I can hear the objections waiting in the wings. When I was in graduate school, the journal articles and trade publications I read nearly all said a local newspaper website should be about local news. Why replicate content that is available all over the Internet, more so now than ever thanks to news aggregators.

I think this prejudice kept from exploiting the slideshow idea for a long time. But here’s why I chose to pursue it. First, my newspaper’s homepage often needs some good art, especially in the middle of the day. A slideshow teaser displaying one of the images helps that. Second, visual content is rich content, and I had a hunch that a collection of images would draw viewers. Third, I still think there’s a place for nonlocal content on a local news site when editors use what news aggregators lack: judgment.

For example, instead of kicking over the 10 latest images off the AP wire, I’ll look through the day’s offerings, often using the AP’s news digest to alert me to stories that might have strong photographs. Additionally, I can offer variety, both in terms of geography and style (features versus hard news, for instance).

I’ve been doing this a little over the week, and the results are encouraging. I’ve watched pageviews climb from about 500 a day to more than 1,000 on Monday. Granted in our system each photo in a set will register as a separate view, but I’m sure our online advertising people wouldn’t slice it that thin.