When we think about content, we don’t typically associate it with finance. Nonetheless, trustworthy and informative financial news is one of the most sought after forms of content out there. Readers are looking for information about banking, financial tools, and educational content involving investments and loans that can help them become more informed consumers and investors.
To help Australians grow, protect, and enjoy their wealth, Channel Nine and Sky News teamed up to launch a unique multi-platform business called Your Money, which offers a subscription-based, free-to-air TV channel, and a dedicated, online editorial platform.
Your Money combines journalism, information, entertainment, and advocacy by delivering content based on four distinct pillars: business, wealth, real estate and lifestyle.
Turning an Idea into Reality, Fast
With the idea mapped out, Your Money’s team paired up with Human-Centred Design & Development agency Sitback Solutions and built a user-friendly platform from start to finish in just eight weeks. The first step was designing the experience. The Experience Design team at Sitback Solutions worked closely with the Your Money team to create an intuitive and engaging design for the publication.
Building on their vision for user-centric design, the Your Money team needed an agile and iterative development process that was based largely on close collaboration and mutual trust. Over the course of six weeks, both teams worked side-by-side via daily standups, weekly sprints, and review sessions. The project was defined and redefined until the finished product aligned seamlessly with the Experience Design team’s vision.
Selecting the Right Components
Your Money was always meant to be a frequently updated and engaging publishing framework. It was essential that content creators were empowered to publish content daily and they needed a Content Management System that allowed them to be self-sufficient. WordPress was an obvious choice because of its intuitive, easy-to-use interface, straight forward customization, and excellent SEO characteristics.
WordPress provided the perfect platform for the publishers and marketers within Your Money. The team also wanted to incorporate dynamic content into the solution and make sure that content was responsive on any device. To accomplish this, they selected a theme that included the ability to configure dynamic advertising anywhere on the page and included the Google AMP feature built in. Finally, they used Brightcove’s Video Connect plugin to easily integrate video into both the publishing workflow and the front-end user interface.
Prioritizing Performance and Usability
Your Money’s goal was to create an enjoyable and reliable online experience that users could easily integrate into their daily life in order to become better informed financially. The team knew that the goal was unachievable without a solution that was both fast and secure.
To ensure that Your Money performed exceptionally and could be complete before the website launch, Sitback Solutions wanted to establish partnerships that embraced an agile, fast-paced mindset but wouldn’t compromise on quality. Your Money and Sitback Solutions worked with WP Engine to set up a solution in 10 days— a feat that would normally take up to three weeks. This enabled the Sitback team to run vital performance and load testing to ensure the site behaved under stress.
“It was business critical that the solution not only had high availability but was safe from potential attacks,” said Imon Hoque, Technical Director at Sitback Solutions. “The WP Engine Digital Experience Platform allowed the website to be set up across multiple zones for ease of response to unexpected bursts in traffic and their Global Edge Security for CDN mitigates any security risks.”
Results
The Your Money launch was a success and the platform almost immediately began experiencing strong growth month-on-month, exceeding the team’s initial targets and expectations for both new and returning visitors. The website continues to attract a strong, loyal following around the clock with live streaming content among the sites most popular.
Your Money’s team is now focused on growing engagement and developing a loyal user base.
“Performance and speed on the Your Money site are critical to attracting and maintaining readers. We are pleased with the partnerships we formed during this process. As we continue to grow and the traffic to Your Money continues to increase, we know that WP Engine has our backs.” David Ash, Head of Digital, Your Money.
