Food Network announced Wednesday that its Internet site (www.FoodNetwork.com) will sport a new look
effective Tuesday, April 1.
Vice president of new media Beth Higbee said in a prepared statement that the
redesign should "benefit our longtime users and entice new ones, as well as give
more support to our marketing and advertising partners."
Referring to the April Fool's Day timing, she added, "Despite the irony of
launching on a holiday best known for practical jokes, we're confident our site
will meet the expectations of its diverse audiences."
Enhanced content, as well as built-in spots for related marketing messages,
will be divided into a half-dozen key areas, featured in a simpler
horizontal-navigation system across the top of the home page.
The areas featured are "Cooking," "Recipes," "TV," "Entertaining," "Wine
& Drinks" and "Contests & Offers," as well as the recently relaunched
"Food Network Store."
The Web site, Higbee said, has improved its recipe and episode searches,
allowing visitors to access more than 25,000 recipes, for instance, with greater
speed and accuracy.
Higbee pointed out that the site drew 3.9 million unique visitors last month,
up 58 percent from February 2002, and generated 118 million page views, up 27
percent, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.
