Regional publisher Newsquest has moved to a mobile-friendly responsive design platform for all 140 of its newspaper websites.

Mobile visitors to the group’s newspaper portals will now be automatically redirected to a mobile-optimised version of the site.

The launch is part of a programme of digital development to be rolled out over the rest of the year, which will also include a refresh of the desktop versions of the sites

There will also be enhanced targeting opportunities for advertisers, who will be able to choose from a range of products including joint desktop and mobile packages or mobile only.

Managing director of Newsquest Digital Media, Mark Smith, said:  “Like all publishers we’ve seen an enormous increase in smartphone usage, traffic’s more than doubled in a year and now accounts for more than a third of all our users.

“This latest Newsquest release makes sure that we’re giving them and our advertisers the best possible experience.   Trials in the South of England showed that users not only like it but they read more articles as well.”

The new platform was designed and built in-house and uses Newsquest’s existing content management system.

Mark added:  “Digital is a key part of Newsquest’s future and we’re going to be constantly updating and innovating to make sure we provide our users with the best platforms, and our advertisers with the most relevant audiences and market-leading solutions.”