Website Analysis 1 - www.vogue.com

 The Vogue website is designed to appeal specifically to women. Although the colour scheme is bland – plain black and white – there is an appeal based on the content of the website. It is less focused on the magazine itself, but rather on stories and the broader aspect of the Vogue brand. For example, the sidebar has no specific reference to the magazine at all. Instead, it contains sections relating to content that is likely to also feature within the magazine. The Vogue website’s content is clearly aimed towards the female audience; sections relating to fashion, beauty, shopping and similar are the primary focus of the tabs. Most of the content is either gossip focused, or appearance focused. Vogue’s house style is strongly focused on these themes. 

The Vogue website is constantly advertising itself to the audience. Numerous aspects of the website contain exclusive insiders or subscriptions, which dedicated audiences will be willing to pay for. The Vogue Insider’s Club is an exclusive group of readers who have to apply for membership, emphasising the exclusivity of the Vogue brand. It could be argued that the constant advertising of memberships is a way for Vogue to earn money, due to the fall in print circulation. Like most websites, Vogue has a social media section at the bottom of the page. This is part of the aim to create an appeal to the younger female audience, who typically consume their media online. Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are often used by Vogue’s target audience; by having accounts on those platforms, Vogue is able to reach out further to maintain its audience. Both of these methods are ways of Vogue creating an active audience. Vogue has 3.8M followers on X, and 1.5M on TikTok, while British Instagram account has 8.2M. This clearly demonstrates that the target audience for Vogue is most likely to engage actively through Instagram posts. The main Vogue account on Instagram has 51M followers instead.  

It should be considered that Vogue’s decision to use a black and white palette for its website is used to create a minimalist appeal. It emphasises a sense of sophistication, which is a key part of Vogue’s brand. Moreover, it helps for any content to stand out and prevents audiences from being overwhelmed. Instead, audiences are encouraged to pay attention to the high-quality photography showcased on the website. 

The combination of using the magazine itself and the website creates a cross-media synergy within Vogue. Whilst the magazine is designed to promote content and stories relating to beauty, it can be argued the website focuses more on advertising Vogue as a wider brand – especially in relation to fashion. Both platforms are used as a way of earning revenue for Vogue as a whole. 

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Opening Page: 

 

• Plain website – black and white 

• Sections of the website are primarily focused on appealing to the female audience – fashion, beauty, shopping, etc. 

• Offers a subscription for readers 

 

Sidebar: 

  

• Primarily focused on appealing to the female audience further 

• Sections such as ‘Vogue Insiders’ - exclusive gossip for audiences – similar to a subscription/account but with more exclusivity – support for the magazine 

 

 

Top Bar: 

• Subtopics within main topics 

• Primarily focused on news and gossip relating to topics 

 

Vogue Shop: 

• Takes the user to a separate website – greeted with a subscription 

 

• Website primarily focused on selling Vogue to the audience further – subscriptions, exclusive memberships, other products aside from magazines 

• Displays of Vogue’s own fashion products – advertising 

 

Social Media: 

 

• Various links to a variety of social media platforms 

• Aim to create an appeal to a younger audience through platforms like Instagram and Pinterest