Understanding the active lifestyle of its readers, the glossy magazine has done well in adopting a layout that is compact and colorful. The tone is informal, and the magazine speaks to readers in a colloquial style. The magazine is positioned around the aspirations of the modern Indian woman, which is well conveyed in the tagline, “Believe.”

In December 2006, the print magazine decided to add a virtual presence and launched the brand’s website. The website was an attempt for the brand to appeal to the growing number of net-savvy Indian women and the Indian diaspora spanning the globe.

The homepage of the website opens up to what resembles the content page of a print magazine. The left-hand side toolbar allows users to browse through different sections of the magazine, which range from beauty to travel. Clicking on a sub-section allows the user to read stories on particular topics from the print magazine.

Like the magazine, the stories adopt a clean layout and are well illustrated through photographs. Taking advantage of the web’s features, browsers are allowed to share the article or post comments. Additionally, each sub-section showcases special stories through a box with rollover effects. This creates a user experience similar to flipping through a print magazine.

Even though the website is selective about the content it features, it could provide an overview of the articles featured in the latest issue. Many magazines partially display interesting stories (example: celebrity interviews) featured in the latest issue to engage online readers and invite them to purchase a copy of the print magazine.

Unlike the careful organization of the print magazine, the rest of the homepage appears rather scattered, with boxes dedicated to astrology, chat forums and contests. The most intrusive element on the homepage is the Google banner ad in a large font, which destroys the clean layout of the homepage. While the brand has been successful in incorporating advertising in the print format, it needs to understand that online advertising needs a different mode of delivery.

For example, the Femina brand has seen a successful extension in events like beauty pageants, exhibitions and contests. An area on the website could highlight this, allowing users to learn about the brand’s involvement in coveted events like the Femina Miss India Contest.

Over the years, Femina has played a supporting role in helping change the outlook of Indian society toward such events has and opened avenues for women in careers like fashion, film and television. Additionally, it helped propagate the importance of health, fitness, beauty and grooming among Indian women.

For a magazine that has been around for almost half a century, one would think there must be some mention of its vivid history on the web. Oddly, there isn’t. An “about us” section could provide details on the evolution of the Femina brand alongside other relevant information detailing media kits, the editorial team, and subscriptions and sales-office details. The brand can also connect with users through interactive tools like newsletters and sweepstakes to ensure ongoing and clear communication with women in India.