Faster. A cleaner design that’s easier to navigate. Mobile-friendly.

That’s the premise behind The Daily Freeman-Journal’s redesigned website, which will launch today. The site can be found online at freemanjournal.net.

“For 160 years, our newspaper has been the leading source of information for Hamilton County, providing the day’s news and sports for our readers, both in print and, in more recent years, online,” said Terry Christensen, Daily Freeman-Journal general manager. “Our redesigned website – through increased speed, functionality and a more responsive design – allows us to continue to lead the way in local news in this region. We are very excited with the end product, and believe it will serve the needs of our online readers.”

Freemanjournal.net first went online in 2001.

One of the new website’s key features is what’s known as “responsive design,” meaning it provides the same look, feel and functionality to users no matter what device is being used – desktop or mobile. The site will automatically scale and adjust to fit the device being used to view it.

“We are very pleased with the new look for our website, and believe readers will find it more responsive to their local news viewing needs,” Christensen said. “The new website also is more responsive for our mobile users, and in terms of news online, it’s quickly become a mobile world, as most news consumption is now done on a mobile device. That was our focus, and we know what we’ve delivered will help us to remain Webster City and the surrounding area’s online news source.”

Christensen also said the site offers even better opportunities for local advertisers to reach the ever-growing digital audience.

Other updated features include a redesigned garage sale feature that is mobile-friendly, a faster news content delivery system, a searchable archive of thousands of local news and sports articles from the past, and links to the most-read stories of the day and the latest stories that have been posted.

The site also features a revamped Virtual Newsroom, making it easier for readers to submit items for the newspaper.

Readers also can, on the home page, sign up for the Daily Newsletter, which delivers the day’s top news and sports stories to their email each morning.

“More and more readers view their news online and we are very pleased with the way the new website looks and responds to readers, regardless of the mobile device they use,” Christensen said.