So ease of navigation is a major consideration. All winners had effective navigational tools, particularly the Rocky Mountain News. Many sites can appear ponderous and heavy. White space online is just as valuable as it is in the newspaper. You can notice this in the clean layouts of the Post-Gazette and Santa Fe New Mexican.
Content is king, however.
Content draws people back to a site and keeps them there. Local news, of course, can be sticky content. Four of the six winners had extensive special reports or topical archives accessible online. Interactivity, however, has proven to be the stickiest content. Again, all winners displayed a commitment to inviting users back.