Financial Times unveils new look website

The Financial Times has rolled out a revamped version of its website today, with five new-look international homepages and a simplified design.

New features on FT.com include the trademark pink tint from its print editions, a clearer main column, comment pieces, a new uncluttered look and fewer ads than before.

This is the first stage of the site’s transformation and marks its first major re-design in more than six years.

International editions of the website, including the UK, US, Middle East & Asia, will also feature the new-look version of the site.

The financial newspaper has also dropped the ‘FT.com’ brand, replacing it with a large ‘Financial Times’ logo, to tie in with its global branding.

James Montgomery, the site’s editor, said: “Outside the UK, people don’t call us the FT. The objective is a new look and feel, and the masthead, skyline and some of the fonts are borrowed from the paper.

“The Financial Times is a very strong brand, particularly now,” he added.

A number of further improvements are expected to be rolled out over the next year, such as customisation features, story pages and improvements to the content management system to make the site run faster.

The website has seen significant growth in traffic over recent months, with unique user numbers doubling, according to the Financial Times.

In the latest ABC release, the Financial Times print edition was the only daily national title to enjoy an increase in circulation, up 0.5% year on year to just under 452,000 copies (see ABC National Newspaper Round-Up: October 2008).

Earlier this month, FT Publishing, which houses the FT, reported a revenue rise of around 14% according to a trading update (see FT Group Reports 11% YoY Revenue Rise).

Financial Times: 0207 873 3000 www.ft.com