• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 15, 2013

CNBC.com may have felt it needed a redesigned home page anyway, but it certainly became more convinced with consumer research indicating there is too much clutter and navigation is difficult. Enter what executives believe is a refashioned gateway that is far cleaner and better capitalizes on visuals.

Gone is what seemed like an endless list of indistinguishable headlines in exchange for fewer and larger ones up top. The real-time results for the NYSE and other exchanges have moved to the more attention-grabbing right side and taken on a far more prominent appearance. Also, in response to viewer feedback, there is a sizable click-through opportunity to get more from CNBC on-air anchors and reporters.

CNBC.com targets professional investors, business leaders and affluent consumers. Kevin Krim, CNBC Digital’s general manager, said an online user survey revealed a feeling that “less is more.”

“If we give them too many choices, sometimes they’ll just turn away,” he said.

More visible headlines and increased emphasis on images isn’t to say the site is placing more emphasis on driving clicks at the expense of boosting time spent. Xana Antunes, who took over as executive editor at CNBC Digital last fall, said the site is “beefing up” analysis and storytelling. The company wants people to have an easier time landing on what they want. In that vein, ample personalization opportunities to improve navigation have been added.

“We know we do great work, but it hasn’t always been easy to find,” she said.

To meet viewer hunger for more video, the new home page will offer a link at the top to live streams of events, such as testimony from Ben Bernanke. There is also a top-line button leading to the TV Everywhere live simulcast of the CNBC on-air feed, accessible with authentication linked with pay-TV subscriptions.

The new home page offers some flexibility for advertisers as it can be reshaped to accommodate a larger 300x600 banner along the right side.

Executives were mindful of multiplatform consumption during the redesign process. So, there is desktop and tablet optimization. With smartphones, the home page automatically switches to a mobile iteration launched several months ago. Mobile advertising probably offers the most growth potential. Halfway through the year, CNBC.com has exceeded its goal for all of 2013 and general Krim says the market is “still quite immature.”

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