Animation Scoop
Increasing Active Users By Up To 111.6%
Animation Scoop is a Hollywood based news and review site that was founded in 2012 as part of IndieWire’s suite of animation industry blogs.
Platforms
- WordPress
Roles
- Brand Strategy
- Product Strategy
- WordPress Development
Deliverables
- Dynamic Magazine Layout
- Optimized Backend Interface
- Strategic Ad Zone Map
- Frictionless Newsletter Funnel
The Challenge:
Making Content Easy to Read
Animation Scoop had an audience of readers and subscribers but the cluttered site architecture, a low amount of articles, challenging navigation, and awkward ad placement, prevented the platform form growing its audience.
Our Approach
Modernizing the Grid
We implemented landers with a clear path to the CTA to increase customer conversion
Strategic Zone Mapping
Using Hotjar heatmap data, we placed ad units precisely in high-attention zones to maximize viewability and RPM invisibly.
The Writer’s Interface
We overhauled the CMS backend to eliminate tooling friction, reducing time-to-publish and increasing editorial velocity.
Frictionless Lead Capture
We embedded a highly visible, low-friction newsletter signup within the layout to capture readers at peak engagement.
Supply-Side Optimization
By making it easier to publish, we increased indexed pages and organic search entry points, feeding demand-side revenue.
Demand-Side Optimization
By improving the reader journey, we ensured more pages were viewed per session, meaning more ad impressions served per visitor.
Before
After
The Outcome
We designed a layout that helped readers discover related articles to increase impressions per visitor and used heat maps to identify where to place key content. We improved the CMS backend so writers could increase their publishing rate.
Our Impact Animation Scoop's Conversion Rate
74,645 → 157,957 active users YoY
10,002 → 43,870 scroll events YoY
764 confirmed signups from 1,938 form starts
Landing Page Conversion Results
Internal Link Clicks
Home Page Traffic
Client Success Takeaways
- UX and monetization are not competing priorities; they function best as a single, compounding system.
- For media publishers, the path to ad revenue optimization runs directly through the user experience.
- Improving the reader journey makes every ad impression more valuable.
- Streamlining CMS tools directly increases content velocity and organic reach.
