"Media" is defined as any outlets or tools that can be used to store and deliver content or information as a means of mass communication. Whatever style of media business you're starting, from a newspaper to a social media site, you will need an online presence in the form of a website. Your website should include high-quality content, strong keyword use, and sections for user engagement.
When designing your site, use Zarla's media AI website builder, which will design a site with AI-generated content for you in less than a minute.
Zarla checks that sites meet basic web standards for mobile and desktop. We also use Google's PageSpeed Insights, and WAVE, a service that evaluates accessibility for individuals with disabilities. PageSpeed scores and accessibility are important factors for search engine rankings. PageSpeed scores may not match user experience and can vary substantially.
Kalispell, Montana, U.S.
The Flathead Beacon is a news publication dedicated to journalism and quality commentary in Northwest Montana. The site features convenient and clear content sections, with an additional menu for more in-depth options.
I found the ad placement was subtle enough not to distract from the content and I liked the style of the site, which reminded me of a traditional newspaper. I enjoyed the browsing experience of the site, but I found myself looking for "next read" recommendations so I didn't have to keep returning to the home page to read the next story.
The site has a good feel to it with a strong user experience and an aesthetic that complements a physical newspaper. The social media links were prominently displayed and allows the reader to comment on the different articles.
According to accessScan, the site is only semi-compliant with assistive technologies, and the home page features a large number of missing alternative text errors, empty links, and contrast errors. The lack of suggested next reads was noticeable.
The desktop site featured minimal advertising that was easy to skim over. I appreciated the selective use of images on the different topic pages to break up the text, and I appreciated the hamburger menu which cleaned up the top of the page. The desktop site scored well with regard to accessibility on PageSpeed Insights, with 93/100, but a performance score of 71/100 on the home page leaves room for improvement.
On the mobile site, the ads were much more prominent and took up more room as a result of the smaller screen space, and my eyes were immediately drawn there rather than to the logo on the home page.
I found the text was easier to read on the mobile site versus the desktop site, but I was still missing the recommended next reads. PageSpeed Insights reported slow speeds and large content on the mobile site's home page, leading to a poor performance score of 22/100.
Blackpool, Fylde, & Lancashire; England; U.K.
Central Radio is a local radio station that plays music from the 1970s to the present and also features news, weather, sports, and other information. The first thing I noticed was the site's branding, which stands out and is used consistently across the platform. I also enjoyed that the first bit of information you see is what's currently playing with options to listen live or listen to a past session.
For music lovers, recently played songs are available for download on Apple Music, while the site also provides news stories for visitors to browse. I also found the "How to Listen" section to be a cute addition to the site.
My browsing experience was simple and smooth on the site, and I enjoyed the prominent display of social media links, using each platform's brand colors to help them stand out, rather than the more typical icon in black.
The site is not compliant with assistive technologies and WAVE reported a large number of errors on the home page, including missing alternative text and contrast errors. The advertising information is repeated on the site and clicking on the "Business" link without selecting anything from the drop-down menu takes you to the "Advertise" page.
The links and newsletter sign-up on the right of the desktop screen did create a cluttered feel next to the lists of articles, and would perhaps look better at the bottom of the page. The hero banner is a great introduction to the site, with the on-air and now-playing information and the "Listen Live" CTA immediately available. My real-world tests showed quick loading speeds, and the desktop site's home page scored a strong 89/100 for performance on PageSpeed Insights.
The mobile site rearranges the layout a touch for the smaller screen, with the social media, app, and newsletter links at the bottom of the page, whereas the desktop has them on the right-hand side. I found this to be a better arrangement, as the mobile site didn't feel as cluttered as the desktop.
The mobile site leaves off the recently played list, which I found disappointing, but I enjoyed the quick loading speeds and easy navigation. PageSpeed Insights also noted quick loading speeds on the home page of the mobile site and gave it a score of 68/100 for performance.
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
WSB-TV, or Channel 2, is a television station in Atlanta that provides local news, weather, sports, and deals. The site features live streaming, which I could resize to better fit the screen or minimize while I was scrolling.
While the site, particularly the home page, is filled with an overwhelming number of videos and news articles, the site is nicely organized into clear content categories. The additional hamburger menu is also very long and a bit overwhelming, so there is a lot of scrolling necessary on this site, but in my opinion, it's all about the live streaming.
The live TV option is the perfect addition to a TV station's website and visitors can also access StreamAmerica to watch documentaries, cooking shows, and crime shows. I also appreciated the live weather update in the right-hand corner.
WAVE reported a number of errors on the home page, including missing alternative text, empty links, and contrast errors, meaning that the site is only semi-compliant with assistive technologies. It took me a minute to see the resizing option for the sticky video banner and on smaller screens it does take up a lot of space when scrolling.
The desktop site's home page showed a lot of room for improvement on PageSpeed Insights, with average scores for SEO and best practices, and an overall performance score of 81/100. My real-world tests proved some slow loading times on the site, and on certain screens, the video banner took up half the screen. However, the video banner with the live TV is immediately visible.
On the mobile site, the video banner is small and easily missed, but you do have the option of fitting it to the screen. I liked that the ad banner that appears at the top of the desktop site was in a banner at the bottom of the page and that I could actually close the ad.
While the mobile site features as many videos and news stories as the desktop site, I found it more manageable in the verticle format of a mobile screen. PageSpeed Insights reported a slow speed index on the mobile site's home page, with an average performance score of 59/100.
N/A
Cara is a social media platform for artists that provides a safe space for artists to share their work. That work will be protected from unethical use in AI generative tools, and Cara also prevents AI-generated artwork from being uploaded to the site. This is a new startup, with the site currently in open beta mode. The site immediately highlights various artworks, and clicking on one brings up the original feed post.
The site has an interesting blog that includes site information and updates, fun challenges and events, editorials, and even open jobs. There is a small additional menu hidden to the right of the page behind the three dots usually used for settings, which includes information about Glaze, an app that protects images from use in AI, and the company's social media and Discord links. Due to the icon used for this menu, I didn't realize it was an additional menu until I clicked on it.
As Cara is a new platform, they have a support option called "Buy Cara a Coffee," which I think is a fun addition that allows artists to show their appreciation and support for this app. The site automatically applies Glaze to all uploaded images, which disrupts style mimicry and shows AI models a radically different image than what the artist actually uploaded.
Cara is only semi-compliant with assistive technologies and does not register on WAVE. As the site is in beta mode, there are ongoing glitches and issues that the volunteer team needs to sort out and may not be able to resolve right away.
The desktop site takes advantage of the available space, allowing me to see more images at a time. I enjoyed the blog posts, which weren't available on the mobile site, and I thought the portfolio days and events and challenges were an inspired addition to this social media app. The desktop site's home page only scored 43/100 for performance on PageSpeed Insights, with plenty of room for improvement.
Cara is perfectly designed for mobile use, so the mobile website shines. However, visitors are encouraged to download the app instead of using the site. My scrolling experience was great on the mobile site, with images making full use of the available space and the ability to comment or read others' comments.
However, there was a slight delay in the loading of the images when selecting one from the home page round-up, and I couldn't find the blog link that's available on the desktop site. I would've also appreciated a "Home" link to return to the menu after scrolling through posts. The mobile site's home page actually scored slightly higher than the desktop site on PageSpeed Insights, but with a performance score of 48/100 there is still room for improvement.
Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
The Fort Erie Observer is a bi-weekly community publication that delivers news stories, photos, and events to the community. The site is simply set up, allowing me to find local stories and breaking news for the community. However, the events page didn't feature any upcoming events at the time of this writing.
I liked the addition of a quick-links menu in the middle of the page, but unfortunately, the "Featured 'Shop Local' Businesses" link returned an error message. I also noticed that there is a Facebook and Instagram link at the top of the page, but only a Facebook link in the footer.
The pages of the site are clean and minimalistic, not overwhelming the visitor with information and text blocks. Branding is kept consistent and I easily located the contact details. I also appreciated being able to view past issues on the site.
WAVE reports a handful of missing alternative text and empty link errors on the home page, meaning the site is only semi-compliant with assistive technology. Two of the pages have no information on them.
The logo appears quite large on the desktop site, leaving a wide open space above the hero banner which could be used in other ways. The content is nicely spaced and doesn't rely on a lot of scrolling, which I appreciated with the lack of a back-to-top button.
The Featured Stories images were nicely sized, unlike the Breaking News images, which at first glance looked like they hadn't loaded properly. The desktop site's home page scored exceptionally well on PageSpeed Insights, with scores in the 90s for performance and accessibility on the home page.
While the mobile site also features the large logo, there is no wasted space as on the desktop site, due to the smaller screen size. In my real-world tests, the mobile site was quite disappointing, with the Featured Stories and Breaking News pages failing to load properly. I also experienced some lags in loading times, which was picked up on the PageSpeed Insights test, which gave the mobile site's home page a performance score of 66/100.
Social media websites are very popular for the quick access and the ability to interact with thousands of individuals.
Digital media is any form of media distributed on electronic devices, such as websites and social media. If you are looking to create a website for your media business, try Zarla's AI website builder, which will build a site for you with AI-generated content in less than a minute.
We've curated a list of different types of media websites for you to browse and get a sense of how these sites are laid out. Read through our reviews, including the pros and cons of each site.
If you have little to no design experience, a template is a great way to go. There are a number of website builders available online that provide templates for customers to build on. These sites will often also host your completed site for a small fee.
Take a look at our reviews of five media sites, including a news site, TV station, radio station, news blog, and social media website.
