Luring users to Twitter

In a similar effort, Twitter on Wednesday rolled out a new homepage primarily aimed at non-Twitter users. The company, which, for sometime has been testing a new look for its homepage since February, made the change official with a blog post describing the update.

Twitter’s erstwhile homepage was pretty simple and sparse — a background image and prompts for people to sign up or sign in. But the revamped version is abundant with diverse topics such as politics, sports, music artists, animals and more. One click on any of them leads users to a timeline filled with tweets relevant to the chosen topic. The rich real-time content is aimed at providing an experience similar to that of Twitter users.

The move is a major step for Twitter, which is trying to expand its reach far beyond its website and mobile app. The company’s analysts had stated in November last year that 125 million people — which is almost half of Twitter’s active user base — visit the homepage each month, but don’t log in. Twitter has also inked deals in recent months with Google, Flipboard and Yahoo Japan in an effort to promote content on other platforms as well. Once the Google deal officially rolls out, it will aid Twitter in increasing visibility, as Internet users who see its content in Google searches will be directed to them.

Twitter hopes that its new, engaging homepage may prove compelling enough for new visitors to sign up for an account. As of now, the new homepage is available only to English desktop users, with plans to expand in due course of time.