Here’s a quick improvement idea for your site – where is your newspaper website located?

Take a fresh look at your website – the way a first time reader might, if they happened upon a story link or a classifieds page. Looking at the header (the top part of a website that has the site name and slogan) – can your first-time reader identify where your paper is located?

I gave this a test on randomly selected AAN papers.

Where is this paper located?

This paper has a great name, but it’s not immediately clear where it is located.

Some information is better than none …

But to a worldwide audience, a city name or county might not be descriptive enough

I like the header on this site, which lists the internationally-known city name three times, and gives a clear overview of what this site is about: Everything Toronto.

Scroll down to the bottom of your site to check the footer navigation.
This is an easy place to list the full address and contact information for your paper – without making any design sacrifices.

Counter Argument

So what? Our readers know our name. They certainly know what city they live in! I don’t see how this matters.

Well …

it is true that your print readers certainly know what city they are in when they pick up a copy of your paper. But your online readers could be, well – anywhere. And while there is some truth to the argument that local online readers are the most valuable to your paper and your advertisers, it’s just not good business — or journalism — to confuse potential audiences.