Weather: Must-Have Content or Revenue Generator?

A few years ago, a journalist from Iltalehti, a Finnish afternoon tabloid, mentioned in a TV interview that weather reports are the most popular content both in their print edition and on their website. People genuinely love talking about the weather.

Beyond weather stories, readers like to check forecasts every day – often several times. One of our clients have told that, for them, weather is essential content because they don’t want to lose readers or visitors to competitors.

With a high-quality weather service on your site, you can easily keep your audience engaged for longer.

Turn Your Weather Content Into a Reliable Revenue Stream

Weather is a strong generator of ad revenue and a relatively easy “product” to sponsor, because it doesn’t recognize geographical borders or political views. Almost everyone, regardless of age, background, or interests, needs weather information and checks it regularly, which makes it highly attractive for brands that want broad, non-controversial visibility.

Because of this combination of reach, relevance, and high brand safety, weather inventory tends to sell well in advance. For instance, some TV weather show sponsorships can be sold six months ahead, and premium placements on popular weather pages or apps are often booked long before the peak season even begins.

With a well-designed weather site, you provide genuinely useful information to your readers and, at the same time, can fund – or even exceed – your weather content costs through ad revenue.

How to Build a Weather Site That Engages Readers and Maximizes Revenue

It’s not complicated, as long as you keep a few key points in mind:

• Weather widget on your front page: Don’t bury it somewhere down the page as if you were embarrassed by it. Weather isn’t just “nice-to-have” content – it’s some of your best content. Place the weather widget in a prominent, clearly visible spot. Show the forecast for the reader’s current location, or use a “weather widget carousel” featuring the top locations in your area.

• The main weather page: Make it easy for readers to see the most important weather information at a glance. Then, offer more detailed insights with clear, readable weather maps. And remember to reserve space for advertising on this page as well.

• Drive traffic from news articles as well. When you report on an extreme heatwave, heavy rain, or sudden thunderstorms, always guide readers to your weather pages so they can see the current situation and how it’s expected to develop.

• Promote: If you’re a media company, actively market your new weather service so that readers know it exists and can easily find it.

• Make it mobile responsive: Finally, ensure your weather site works flawlessly on mobile devices. People often check the forecast while they’re on the move.