How FactCheckNI Quadrupled Website Performance

The Problem

FactCheckNI is Northern Ireland’s first and only dedicated fact-checking and training service, founded in 2015 to address the growing impact of online rumours, misinformation, and disinformation - particularly in a society shaped by sectarianism, racism, classism, and gender-based discrimination.

By the early 2020s, FactCheckNI’s original website had grown organically alongside the organisation. While it supported their work, it increasingly required compromises in publishing workflows, usability, and performance. These compromises negatively affected:

• User experience and accessibility

• The organisation’s ability to clearly communicate its mission and processes

• Discoverability via search engines and social platforms

• The presentation of content to key audiences, including communities, journalists, and policymakers

At the same time, misinformation—particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic—created an urgent need for trusted, accessible, and transparent fact-checking resources. FactCheckNI needed a platform that reinforced credibility, empowered users to think critically, and supported both quick insights and in-depth analysis.

The Solution

A full website redesign was undertaken with a strategic, user-centred approach, progressing through discovery, research, design, build, launch, and measurement phases.

Strategic Objectives

The project aimed to:

• Deliver best-in-class usability and user experience

• Reinforce credibility with communities, media, and decision-makers

• Improve search engine performance and social media sharing

• Clearly explain FactCheckNI’s mission, content, and fact-checking processes

• Encourage users to engage, think critically, and take action

These objectives were translated into practical priorities, including:

• Clear information architecture and intuitive navigation

• A homepage that communicates value at a glance

• Balanced presentation of news relevance and long-term fact-checking

• Improved browsing and search-led journeys

• Promotion of training and consultancy services

Design & User Experience

Three core design goals shaped the solution:

1. Encourage engagement

• Make content easy to find, read, and share

• Encourage onward journeys (“what’s next”)

• Optimise for mobile users

• Increase time on site and repeat visits
  

2. Increase trust and confidence

• Be transparent about policies and fact-checking processes

• Align with International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) guidelines

• Apply recognised web trust standards
  

3. Help users think critically

• Explain how fact-checking is carried out

• Support gradual changes in understanding

• Introduce complementary services where relevant
  

User research included competitor and comparator analysis, analytics deep dives, exemplar reviews, and stakeholder engagement. Key insights led to practical decisions, such as removing unclear navigation labels, prioritising search-led discovery, improving scrolling depth, and strengthening content categorisation.

Accessibility was central to the design. WCAG standards were strictly followed, typography and iconography were optimised for legibility, and a dark mode option was introduced. Performance was enhanced through lightweight fonts, SVG usage, and careful image placement.

Integration & Branding

The website was designed to support multiple content formats—from short, accessible summaries to long-form fact checks—while acting as a repository of Northern Ireland–specific fact-checked content.

A refreshed visual identity ensured strong brand recognition across owned and earned media. Distinctive black and red imagery, infographic styles, and consistent layouts allow FactCheckNI content to stand out on social platforms including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

The site also integrates rich-media and video content developed through an R&D project exploring how advertising, data storytelling, and audience targeting techniques can be used to counter misinformation. New video content is being developed specifically for the website’s “toolkit” section.

The Outcome

Web Traffic & Growth

Since the launch of the new website in March 2022:

• ~40,000 users and 62,000 page views recorded

• Annualised: ~80,000 users and 120,000 page views

• Compared to pre-pandemic figures (21,500 users / 52,000 page views), this represents a four-fold increase in performance

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, FactCheckNI attracted approximately 250,000 visitors, reflecting strong international demand for health misinformation content.

Audience Reach

• 49% of traffic during March 2020–March 2022 came from outside the UK

• 41% of international traffic originated in the USA (almost 150,000 visitors)

• The new site is now better positioned to refocus on NI-specific audiences while remaining globally accessible

Engagement & Device Usage

• Dwell time increased by 71% compared to pre-COVID benchmarks

• 38% increase in mobile users in the six months following launch

• 35% increase in sessions

• 9% increase in mobile referral traffic from Twitter

Social Endorsement & Media Impact

• Nearly 1 million Twitter impressions since launch

• 117,000 profile visits

• Content featured on two NI newspaper front pages and ten additional newspaper articles—something that had not occurred prior to the redesign

• Regular sharing by high-profile public figures, including the NI Minister for Health

Supporting Training & Capacity Building

• Approximately 3,000 people trained

• 80 organisations engaged

• Participants span all age groups, genders, regions, and community backgrounds across Northern Ireland