A couple of years back a journalist of Iltalehti (a Finnish afternoon tabloid) said in a TV interview that the weather news are the most popular news in the printed newspaper and on their website. People really love to talk about weather.
Beside weather news, readers like to check weather forecasts daily, even many times a day. A client of mine told me that weather for them is must have content. They do not want to lose readers/visitors to the competitors. With a good weather service on your website, you can easily keep your readers engaged on your site longer.
Weather is also a good ad revenue generator. Weather does not recognize
geographical borders or political views. It is a rather easy “product” to sponsor. For instance, some TV weather show sponsorships can be sold six months ahead. With a good weather site, you give valuable information to your readers/visitors and you can cover the weather content costs with ad revenue and might get even more.
However, it is not dead simple, but it is simple when you keep a few things in mind:
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Weather widget on your front page: Don’t hide it somewhere below like you would be ashamed of it. It is not only a must-have content. It’s the best content. ☀ Place the weather widget where it is clearly visible. Show the weather for the reader’s location or use a “weather widget carousel” with top locations in your area.
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The main weather page: Let the reader find the weather information of interest at a glance. However, use also weather maps to give more in-depth information. And do not forget to sell advertisements on this page.
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Direct traffic also from the news. If the news tell about an extreme heat wave or flash showers, direct the readers to check how the situation currently looks and how it will develop.
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Promote: if you are a media company, remember to promote your new weather service, so that people can find it.
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And remember: Your weather site has to be mobile friendly. People often check weather on the move.
