For Immediate Release
Contact: Diane M. Byrne, (973) 890-2320
7 September 2021, Totowa, New Jersey: Megayacht News, the first, and still the only, independent website devoted to educating American luxury-yachting enthusiasts about the superyacht lifestyle, is pleased to reveal entirely new branding, including its logo.
Re-launched to provide a more dynamic and reader-engaging design, the new Megayacht News features striking components. The most notable is the new logo, which artfully combines a yacht cutting through waves and the cover of a magazine (as the yacht’s bow) and embraces a modern-vintage design aesthetic. The blue-black and gradient-effect gold color schemes add dimension, too.
“We thought it was fitting not only because it’s an elegant aesthetic, but also because ‘modern vintage’ brings together classic and contemporary luxury,” explains Diane M. Byrne, the founder and editor of Megayacht News. “That’s exactly what superyachts reflect, too. From restored J-Class yachts to modern, sleek cruisers and even replica classic styling and interiors, there’s a wonderful spectrum of design through the decades to appreciate.”
Capturing fundamental brand enhancements, Megayacht News’ homepage now has one extra-compelling “hero” image and clickable text prominently above the fold, with Most Recent Posts, Popular Posts, and Featured Posts easily discoverable down the page. Featured Posts include timely content not showcased in either the Most Recent or Popular Posts sections, including original articles and advertiser-sponsored posts.
To keep readers better informed about the latest launches, destinations, and more, Megayacht News now employs what web developers call “mega menus.” After selecting one of the subcategories, such as Motoryachts, Sailing Yachts, or Charter & Cruising News, readers see a menu pop out to the right, revealing the most recent articles related to those topics. “This makes it even easier to keep up with the most current news, and invites them to discover articles they may have missed,” Byrne says.
Yet another new aspect to the website is compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA requires that all publicly accessible websites can be used as easily as possible by people with disabilities. “Our web-development team informed me that people who use assistive technologies to access and read online content often can’t,” Byrne says. The new design incorporates the best practices as recommended by the ADA, including sufficient color contrast between the text and background colors, for people with vision issues, plus others to assist those with limited movement, hearing issues, and more. As of a few months ago, the site began including transcripts of the Megayacht News Radio podcast series, so that those with auditory impairments can read along as they listen.
In addition to these enhancements, Megayacht News is putting a bigger emphasis on two categories of content, its Destinations Guides and its Podcasts. “We began taking a ‘three perfect days’ approach to our Destinations Guides several weeks ago by including articles written by individuals with first-hand knowledge of the regions and therefore doing deep dives into what makes them special,” Byrne says. “It’s an improvement over the generic itineraries that so many websites post.”
As for its podcasts, Megayacht News Radio was the first podcast series in superyachting, dating back over a decade. With podcasting ever more popular, Megayacht News Radio shares conversations twice a month with shipyard CEOs, designers, superyacht owners, and others who have a passion for the yachting lifestyle. It’s available for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, and other platforms, too.
Of course, Megayacht News still enables readers to search article archives dating back to its founding in 2007.
“Given Megayacht News’ tremendous growth over the past few years, and a 30-percent bump in readership just this past year, we’re even more convinced there’s a real desire for real stories about yachts, builders, designers, and related subjects,” Byrne explains. “Plus, our most recent reader survey revealed that 70 percent have been loyal readers for three or more years, and more than half have contacted a company, or plan to do so, after reading about it on our website. It only made sense, then, to give them a fresh new look with even more fresh new content, especially content they cannot get anywhere else,” she says.
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About Megayacht News
Founded in 2007, Megayacht News is the leader among independent websites devoted to luxury yachts, with a particular emphasis on information of interest to American owners, buyers, and their representatives. It remains the only independent website devoted to educating these savvy consumers and their advisors, helping them make better-informed decisions when it comes to commissioning and using their yachts. Equally important, from day one, Megayacht News has only published all-original articles for real stories of real interest. It further has an innovative, multi-faceted approach that includes daily original news articles, newsletters, and podcasts. Topics include new launches, design proposals, luxury yachting events, marina developments, and interviews with leading industry figures and yacht owners. Its emphasis on originality is among the reasons why it enjoys monthly traffic of 57,000 page views.
About Diane M. Byrne
Diane M. Byrne, one of the best-known and highly respected yachting journalists worldwide, created Megayacht News in 2007. She continues to operate the site today, overseeing all aspects of content creation and design. She has been covering megayachts since 1993 and has been an active journalist for more than 30 years. Byrne is closely involved with the leading professional organizations not just in the yachting field, but also in entrepreneurship. She is:
- a longtime U.S. Superyacht Association (USSA) member, joining in its infancy in 2005 and currently serving as Vice Chair on its Board of Directors and as Chair of its Superyacht Summit Committee
- an active member of the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO) since 2012
- a trustee of the non-profit Sempre Avanti, a resource center for Italians and Italian-Americans, since 2018.
