Seattle Met
Content Reigns in the Rain City
Delivering a magazine in new ways
Seattle Metropolitan magazine has been the city’s go-to guide for news, culture and lifestyle for almost a decade. Initially, they approached us to rework their media kit. When that project received rave reviews, we took on the design and development of their website and a custom CMS. To extend the brand further, we built a mobile app for their restaurant reviews.
Making the right pitch
The Seattle Met voice is unique, but their media kit felt like every other sales pitch. We knew they needed to capture their point of view so they could stand out from the crowd. We refined their tone with new messaging and placed an emphasis on compelling visuals.
Ad Revenue
increased 10%
Creating a Blueprint
Translating a print magazine to a website is a complicated task. We started by organizing the massive amount of content that Seattle Met wanted to display. We then refined the wireframes to create a site that’s easy to navigate - whether you’re looking for a new hiking trail or the hippest boutique shops.
Giving Context to the Content
We then created a visually compelling hierarchy using subtle graphics and bold images to break up the text and organize the sections. We also cut down the color palette typically used on the print magazine to create a more consistent look and feel.
Time on site up 75%
since launch
Off the press and online
Before we started working on seattlemet.com, it took five staffers two full weeks to upload a single issue of the magazine. Our custom Ruby on Rails CMS cut the upload time to a single day. In addition, our SEO work helped them reach page one of Google for several keywords within just three months.
“Urban Influence built and re-launched seattlemet.com and pdxmonthly.com as our two flagship sites. The re-launches have been very well received and highly successful. We look forward to doing more work with them in the future.”
– Nicole Vogel
President, SagaCity Media Inc.
Reviews at Your Fingertips
Nosh Pit is one of the magazine’s most popular sections, featuring restaurant reviews from all over the city. We featured the reviews and extended the Seattle Met brand with an easy to navigate iOS app. Now loyal readers are never more than a few taps away from finding a great place to eat!
