News & Media Website Information Architecture Template

News websites serve readers with diverse interests and browsing habits: breaking news seekers, topic followers, investigative readers, and casual browsers. This template helps you organize articles, sections, and features in a way that serves how people consume news—not how your newsroom is structured.

Why News Website IA Matters

The digital journalism reality:

• 68% of readers arrive from social media or search (not homepage)
• Average session time: 2-3 minutes (readers scan, don't browse deeply)
• 52% of traffic is mobile (quick reads, breaking news)
• Poor IA causes 61% of readers to leave without reading an article
• Paywall conversion depends heavily on content discoverability

Card sorting reveals:

• How readers navigate: by topic, by format, or by recency
• Whether "Politics" and "World" should be separate or combined
• Where opinion, analysis, and straight news belong
• How multimedia content (video, podcasts, photo essays) fits in

Template Overview

What's Included

Ready-to-use cards (45 news website elements):

• Content sections (Politics, Business, Technology, Sports, Culture)
• Content formats (Breaking News, Investigative, Opinion, Podcasts, Video)
• Reader features (Newsletters, Saved Articles, Personalized Feed)
• Discovery tools (Trending, Most Read, Editor's Picks, Search)
• Engagement (Comments, Share, Subscribe, Breaking News Alerts)

Recommended study type: Open card sort (discover natural mental models)

Suggested participants: 30-40 readers (diverse interests and news consumption habits)

Time to complete: 10-12 minutes

Analysis time: 3-4 hours

The Template: News & Media Website IA Card Sort

Cards to Sort (45 items)

Content Sections (12 cards):

Politics
World News
Business & Economy
Technology
Science & Health
Sports
Entertainment & Culture
Opinion & Editorials
Investigative Journalism
Local News
Lifestyle
Weather

Content Formats & Features (10 cards):

Breaking News
Video News
Podcasts
Photo Essays / Visual Stories
Interactive Graphics
Live Coverage / Live Blogs
Newsletters
Fact-Check Articles
Explainers / Background
Longform / In-Depth

Discovery & Navigation (10 cards):

Latest / Most Recent
Trending Now
Most Read Today
Editor's Picks
Personalized Feed (For You)
Search News
Topics I Follow
Saved / Bookmarked Articles
News by Location
Archive / Past Issues

Reader Engagement (8 cards):

Subscribe / Membership
Breaking News Alerts
Email Newsletters
Comments & Discussion
Share Article
Author Profiles
Reader Submissions
Letters to the Editor

Multimedia & Special Content (5 cards):

Podcast Library
Video Channel
Photo Galleries
Documentaries
Special Reports / Series

Instructions for participants:

Welcome! We're redesigning our news website.

Please organize these news sections, features, and content types into groups that make sense to you.

Think about how you read the news—what would you look for first?

Create category names that feel natural. Takes about 12 minutes. Thank you!

Real-World Example: Regional Digital Newspaper

Before Card Sorting

Original navigation (newsroom's internal structure):

├─ News
│  ├─ Local
│  ├─ State
│  ├─ National
│  └─ World
├─ Sports
├─ Business
├─ Opinion
├─ Lifestyle
├─ Obituaries
└─ Classifieds

Problems:

• Readers arriving from Google/Facebook couldn't find related articles
• "Where do I find political news?" (split across Local, State, National)
• 58% bounce rate from article pages (no related content discovery)
• Video and podcast content buried (3% of readers found it)
• Mobile users struggled with navigation (67% of traffic)

Card Sort Results

35 regular news readers sorted 45 news elements. Key findings:

"Latest News" group (82%+ agreement):

- Breaking News
- Latest Headlines
- Trending Now
- Live Coverage
- Most Read

"Topics" group (75%+ agreement - readers wanted topic-based nav):

- Politics (all levels: local, state, national)
- Business & Economy
- Technology
- Science & Health
- Sports
- Arts & Culture

"Ways to Read" group (70%+ agreement):

- Video News
- Podcasts
- Photo Essays
- Newsletters
- Investigative / Longform
- Opinion & Analysis

"My News" group (68%+ agreement):

- Personalized Feed
- Topics I Follow
- Saved Articles
- Breaking News Alerts
- My Subscriptions

Surprising insights:

• 78% expected "Breaking News" and "Latest" to be SEPARATE from topic sections (recency vs. topic)
• Readers wanted ALL political coverage (local, state, national) under ONE "Politics" section
• "Opinion" should be visually distinct from "News" (different color, clear label)
• "Video" and "Podcasts" belong in BOTH topic sections AND dedicated multimedia hub
• "Most Read" and "Trending" are PRIMARY discovery tools (not just sidebar widgets)
• Local news should be FILTERABLE, not a separate section (many readers want national + local together)

Implemented Solution

New navigation (based on card sort):

Top Bar (persistent):
├─ [Logo / Home]
├─ Latest
│  ├─ Breaking News
│  ├─ Live Updates
│  └─ Trending Now
├─ Topics
│  ├─ Politics
│  ├─ Business
│  ├─ Technology
│  ├─ Science
│  ├─ Sports
│  └─ Culture
├─ Multimedia
│  ├─ Video
│  ├─ Podcasts
│  └─ Photo Essays
├─ Opinion
└─ More
   ├─ Investigations
   ├─ Newsletters
   └─ Special Reports

Right Side (persistent):
├─ [Search]
├─ [Saved Articles]
├─ [Breaking News Alerts toggle]
└─ [Subscribe]

Homepage Modules:
├─ Top Story (hero)
├─ Breaking News (if active)
├─ Latest Headlines
├─ Most Read
├─ Editor's Picks
├─ Topics (Politics, Business, Tech, Sports...)
├─ Video News
├─ Opinion
└─ Newsletters Signup

Article Page:
├─ Article Content
├─ Related Articles (same topic)
├─ More from this Author
├─ Trending in [Topic]
└─ Comments

Results after 90 days:

• Homepage bounce rate: 58% → 34%
• Pages per session: 1.9 → 3.4
• Time on site: +87%
• Video views: +243%
• Newsletter signups: +156%
• Subscription conversions: +41%
• Mobile engagement: +94%

Best Practices for News Website Card Sorting

1. Test with Active News Readers

Don't test with:

• Your newsroom staff (they think in beats and departments)
• People who don't read news regularly
• Only one demographic (diverse ages, interests, political views)

Do test with:

• Daily news readers (visited in last 7 days)
• Mix of interests (politics, sports, business, entertainment)
• Mix of formats (article readers, video watchers, podcast listeners)
• Both desktop and mobile-first readers

2. Separate Recency from Topic

Two distinct mental models:

• Recency: "What's happening NOW?" (breaking news, latest, trending)
• Topic: "I'm interested in politics" (all political coverage, regardless of when)

Test whether these should be:

• Separate navigation paths (most card sorts show YES)
• With breaking news as prominent, persistent element

3. Handle Geographic Scope Carefully

Geographic layers can be confusing:

• Local, State, National, World
• Readers don't always think this way

Card sorting often reveals:

• Readers want topic FIRST (Politics, Business), geography SECOND (filter or tag)
• "Local" should be personalized based on reader location
• "World" vs. "National" distinction matters less for some topics (Technology, Entertainment)

4. Opinion Needs Clear Separation

Opinion vs. News is critical:

• Journalistic integrity requires clear distinction
• Readers want opinion, but must know it's opinion

Test where opinion belongs:

• Separate top-level section? (common)
• Flagged within topic sections? (alternative)
• Dedicated "Opinion" hub with columnists?

5. Multimedia is Both Topic and Format

Readers think of multimedia in two ways:

• "I want video news about politics" (topic-based)
• "I want to watch videos" (format-based)

Consider:

• Video/podcasts within topic sections
• PLUS dedicated multimedia hubs
• Both paths should exist

Common News Website IA Patterns

Pattern 1: Topic-First (Traditional News)

├─ Politics
├─ Business
├─ Technology
├─ Sports
├─ Entertainment
└─ Opinion

Best for: Traditional newspapers, general news sites

Pros: Clear, familiar, easy to scan Cons: Breaking news less prominent, geography unclear

Example: New York Times, Washington Post

Pattern 2: Recency-First (Breaking News Sites)

├─ Breaking News
├─ Latest Headlines
├─ Trending Now
└─ Topics (secondary)

Best for: 24/7 news, live coverage, breaking news focus

Pros: Emphasizes timeliness, mobile-friendly Cons: Harder to find specific topics, depth

Example: CNN, BBC News

Pattern 3: Personalized Feed (Algorithmic)

├─ For You (personalized)
├─ Following (topics you selected)
├─ Latest
└─ Explore (topics)

Best for: App-based news, younger audiences

Pros: Engaging, high time-on-site, relevant Cons: Filter bubbles, requires login

Example: Apple News, Google News

Pattern 4: Hybrid (Multi-Path)

Top Nav:
├─ Latest (breaking, trending, most read)
├─ Topics (politics, business, tech, etc.)
├─ Multimedia (video, podcasts, photos)
└─ Opinion

Homepage:
├─ Breaking News (if active)
├─ Top Stories
├─ Latest Headlines
├─ Topic Modules
└─ Editor's Picks

Best for: Full-service news organizations

Pros: Serves all user types, flexible Cons: More complex, requires good UX

Example: The Guardian, Reuters

Using This Template

Step 1: Customize for Your Outlet (20 minutes)

Replace generic sections with your specific coverage:

Generic template:

- Politics
- Business
- Sports

Your outlet (e.g., local paper):

- City Council & Local Politics
- Local Business & Development
- High School Sports
- Community Events
- Crime & Public Safety
- Education / Schools

Include your unique beats and special coverage areas.

Step 2: Set Up Study (5 minutes)

Create study →

Settings:

• Type: Open card sort (let readers create categories)
• Cards: 40-50
• Collect: Name, Email, Reading frequency (screening)

Step 3: Recruit Regular Readers (2-3 days)

Screening questions:

• How often do you read news? (Daily / Few times a week / Weekly)
• What device do you use most for news? (Desktop / Mobile / Tablet)
• What topics interest you most? (For segmentation)

Email template:

Subject: Help redesign our news website (12 min, $15 gift card)

Hi [Name],

As a valued reader, we'd like your input on redesigning our website.

Help us organize news sections and features in a way that makes finding stories easier. It takes 12 minutes, and you'll receive a $15 gift card.

[Link to study]

Your feedback will improve how you experience the news.

Thank you,
[Your News Organization]

Target: 30-40 participants (diverse interests and reading habits)

Step 4: Analyze by Reading Patterns (3-4 hours)

Look for:

1. Recency vs. topic priority:

   • How do readers separate "latest" from "topics"?
   • Is breaking news a primary category?

2. Topic structure:

   • Which topics are top-level vs. sub-categories?
   • How do readers handle geographic scope?

3. Format preferences:

   • Where do video, podcasts, longform belong?
   • Are they separate or integrated into topics?

4. Discovery patterns:

   • What helps readers find articles? (trending, most read, personalized)
   • Search vs. browse behavior

Step 5: Design Reader-Centered IA (1-2 weeks)

Based on results:

1. Primary navigation (4-6 main categories):

   • Latest / Breaking
   • Topics (Politics, Business, etc.)
   • Multimedia (if readers grouped separately)
   • Opinion (clear distinction)

2. Homepage priority:

   • Breaking news banner (when active)
   • Top stories
   • Latest headlines
   • Topic modules
   • Discovery tools (most read, trending)

3. Article page elements:

   • Related articles (same topic)
   • More from author
   • Trending in topic
   • Multimedia content
   • Newsletter signup

4. Mobile optimization:

   • Simplified nav (fewer top-level items)
   • Breaking news alerts
   • Bottom nav bar for key sections
   • Swipe for related stories

Step 6: Test Article Discovery (1 week)

Usability testing scenarios:

• "You heard about a local election. Find coverage."
• "You want to watch video news. How do you find it?"
• "Find opinion pieces about the economy."
• "You want to save an article for later. How?"

Target: 80%+ can find content without using search

Metrics to Track Post-Launch

Reader engagement:

• Pages per session
• Time on site
• Scroll depth on articles
• Return visitor rate
• Direct traffic (loyal readers)

Content discovery:

• Bounce rate from article pages
• Related article click-through rate
• Homepage engagement (section clicks)
• Search usage (high = poor nav)
• Video/podcast views

Subscription & revenue:

• Newsletter signups
• Subscription conversion rate
• Paywall engagement
• Ad viewability
• Reader donations

Content performance:

• Most read by topic
• Best discovery paths (how readers find articles)
• Share rate by section
• Comment participation

Target improvements:

• 30-50% increase in pages per session
• 40-60% decrease in bounce rate
• 50-80% increase in video/multimedia views
• 20-40% increase in newsletter signups
• 25-35% increase in subscription conversions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should we organize by newsroom beats or reader topics? A: Card sorting overwhelmingly shows readers think in topics (Politics, Business), NOT beats (City Hall, Statehouse). Organize for readers, not newsroom structure.

Q: How do we handle breaking news in navigation? A: Most card sorts show "Breaking News" should be a PERSISTENT, PROMINENT element (top bar, banner, or dedicated section), separate from topic navigation.

Q: Should video be in topic sections or separate? A: Both! Readers expect video within topics ("politics videos") AND a dedicated video hub ("all videos"). Provide both paths.

Q: How do we organize opinion vs. news? A: Card sorts typically show "Opinion" as separate top-level section, visually distinct. Critical for editorial integrity.

Q: What about paywalls and subscription prompts? A: Not typically included in IA card sort, but good navigation INCREASES conversions by helping readers discover valuable content before hitting paywall.

Ready to Optimize Your News Website IA?

Use this template now (free) →

What you'll get:

• Pre-configured news website card sort
• Reader mental model insights
• Content discovery analysis
• Export results for design team

No credit card required. 3 free studies.

Next Steps

1. Create free account (2 minutes)
2. Load news website template (1 click)
3. Customize with your sections (20 minutes)
4. Send to 30-40 readers (2-3 days)
5. Identify navigation patterns (3 hours)
6. Redesign for reader engagement (2 weeks)
7. Increase pages per session (ongoing)

Start optimizing your news website IA today.