Facebook announced the launch of Instant Articles- a new way to read and consume content that improves the user experience over the experience encountered in Facebook’s mobile app.

Instant Articles will first be available on Facebook for iPhone with a limited set of stories available from select publishers. The company states Instant Articles will continue to be developed over the coming months, with changes to be made according to user feedback.

Web articles, according to Facebook, takes an average of 8 seconds to load on Facebook’s app which is the slowest of any single content types. To enhance and improve the user experience, for both readers and publishers, Facebook has decided to roll out Instant Articles which will load articles ten times faster than standard mobile web articles. The tool promises to offer a richer experience, and will include new features like tilt-to-pan photos, auto-play video, embedded audio captions, and interactive maps.

Facebook will also allow the publishers to sell ads in their articles and keep the revenue. Alternatively, they can also opt to use Facebook’s Audience Network to monetize unsold inventory. Publishers will be able to track the data and traffic numbers using comScore and other analytics tool.

Nine publishers are confirmed for the launch of Instant Articles, which include:

  • The New York Times
  • National Geographic
  • BuzzFeed
  • NBC
  • The Atlantic
  • The Guardian
  • BBC News
  • Spiegel and Bild

If you’d like to inquire about becoming an Instant Articles publisher you’re invited to contact the company via instantarticles.fb.com.

Author

Navneet Kaushal is the Editor-in-Chief of PageTraffic Buzz. A leading search strategist, Navneet helps clients maintain an edge in search engines and the online media. Navneet is also the CEO of SEO Services company PageTraffic which is one of the leading search marketing company in Asia.