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Navigation Improvements Made To MLBTR Mobile Website

By Tim Dierkes | March 5, 2024 at 2:48pm CDT

As you might imagine, as the owner of MLB Trade Rumors, I am a heavy user of the website.  When it comes to website traffic, 80% of ours comes via mobile devices, so I often navigate the site on my phone.  In recent years, I’ve experienced difficulty in getting good results from MLBTR’s search tool, as well as in general navigation.  This year, I set out to fix that.

I started by gathering data on what MLBTR users usually search for, and I found that in the offseason it’s almost always a player name, team name, or an attempt to find free agent-related links.  Within the limited real estate of MLBTR’s mobile web navigation bar, we’ve made it easier to find those things.

Previously, the search icon was not on the home screen; it was instead buried within the “three lines” menu.  We’ve moved that to the main navigation bar in the upper left, signified by the classic magnifying glass icon:

Given the indication that people tend to search for player or team names rather than specific post headlines, we’ve limited the autocomplete to players and teams.  Type a few letters of the player’s name and you’ll see the options:

This allows you to get to the player’s chronological archive quickly and easily, where you’ll see the latest posts on him at the top.  It’s also helpful for difficult-to-spell player names.  Here’s what a player page looks like:

When it comes to navigating to the team archives, I grappled with the best way to do it.  Previously, we had a Teams link in the navigation bar on the mobile website.  In practice, I didn’t think using this link on a phone was all that convenient – especially if you were seeking a team name in the middle or end of the alphabet.  You’d hit Teams and then often do a fair bit of scrolling and then pick out your team from the list of 30.

The new way to get to the team page is to type a few letters of that team name into the search box.  You can start with the city name or the team name.  Usually about three or four letters does the trick:

That’ll bring you to our team archive, with all posts tagged with that club in chronological order:

Though the autocomplete function in the search box gets you directly to player and team archive pages, there may be cases where you have a specific post in mind.  You can still type any phrase into the box and then hit the Search button on your phone to get more algorithmic results rather than our human-curated player and team archives.

I also wanted to solve the issue of finding free agent-related links easily, while keeping some flexibility to curate a few relevant links depending on the time of year.  To accomplish this, the “flame” icon was born.  Tapping that brings you to various “hot” and timely reference links:

We’ll change some of these links at different times of year, for example putting some trade-related links up in July.

In my experience, these changes to the MLBTR mobile website navigation bar have made the site faster and easier to navigate.  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

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View Comments (64)
Post a Comment

64 Comments

  1. Old York

    1 year ago

    Really strange. When I go to the app store, it says that the app is made for an older version of Android. I guess I should ask to go back to an older version of Android?

    2
    Reply
    • 5TUNT1N

      1 year ago

      Typically just means it hasn’t been optimized with the newer os design language or newer feature api. Doubt your missing much with the update for generic web app.

      3
      Reply
    • Tim Dierkes

      1 year ago

      Our Android app has different developers; we’re bringing a new one in soon hopefully. I’d like to address that sooner rather than later.

      8
      Reply
      • Jobu's Rum

        1 year ago

        I would gladly pay for the app if the mute function can work properly.

        2
        Reply
        • Gwynning

          1 year ago

          And Upvotes! Thanks Tim

          1
          Reply
        • jorge78

          1 year ago

          I don’t see a mute function on app comments. Am I looking in the wrong place? I an vision impaired so please excuse dumb question. Thanks!

          1
          Reply
        • Gwynning

          1 year ago

          No Jorge, it’s not there. Fwiw, I ditched the app and just access the site thru Chrome. You get all the correct amenities of the site whereas the app does not have them. Anyway, sounds like Tim is working on the issue, so I’ll probably look to DL the app again soon! Aloha

          Reply
      • SevenCostanza

        1 year ago

        Can we please, please, PLEASE get dark mode support for Android?

        Reply
  2. Arnold Ziffel

    1 year ago

    Looks good, also noticed comments section has been fixed.

    2
    Reply
  3. antsmith7

    1 year ago

    Testing to see if I can leave comments now.

    1
    Reply
  4. southern lion

    1 year ago

    Very interesting.

    Reply
  5. Nevrfolow

    1 year ago

    you the man, Tim

    10
    Reply
  6. Tacoshells

    1 year ago

    Awesome! Love the changes. Thank you.

    4
    Reply
  7. rct

    1 year ago

    Could you possibly leave the “Teams” option in the “hamburger” menu thing in the upper right? Personally, I would rather scroll down to find my team than clicking Search, start typing it in the box, waiting for it to pop up, then clicking on the team. Great stuff regardless, though!

    5
    Reply
    • Tim Dierkes

      1 year ago

      That’s a good idea. I think putting Teams into the hamburger menu would be pretty easy.

      10
      Reply
      • rct

        1 year ago

        Thank you so much, Tim! You’re the best and this site is awesome.

        4
        Reply
  8. acoss13

    1 year ago

    I appreciate the changes thank you!

    3
    Reply
  9. LLGiants64

    1 year ago

    Thanks, Tim

    Love your site!

    9
    Reply
  10. RobM

    1 year ago

    Great change, because the most important team in the game was listed last in the prior version. My scrolling thumb was getting tired. : -)

    On a serious note, I’m sure trying to figure where to direct your resources is the most challenging. I would recommend focusing on the mobile app for the reasons you noted. That’s where your website traffic comes from, even though I’m usually on my laptop.

    2
    Reply
  11. Old York

    1 year ago

    But… but… Dodger bias! Why couldn’t you have picked Oakland or Pittsburgh for your examples?

    /s

    2
    Reply
  12. DonC.

    1 year ago

    How about a THUMBS DOWN

    6
    Reply
    • Gwynning

      1 year ago

      It was deleted years ago

      1
      Reply
      • acoss13

        1 year ago

        I wouldn’t mind it back. It would be a good way to spot the most “colorful” comments in an article.

        4
        Reply
  13. cjgonzo

    1 year ago

    What you’re showing and what I am seeing on my iPhone are not the same.

    Reply
    • Tim Dierkes

      1 year ago

      You might be in our Trade Rumors app for iOS? Which is a different way to use the site on a phone. We have apps for iOS and Android and both could use a tune-up.

      With this stuff I’m talking about going to a web browser on your phone (like Safari) and typing in mlbtraderumors.com.

      1
      Reply
      • cjgonzo

        1 year ago

        Sorry…Too much hassle for an old guy. I’ll stick with the IOS as I have for a while.

        1
        Reply
        • gbs42

          1 year ago

          Old guy or old dog? It’s not a very elaborate new trick.

          1
          Reply
        • toastypirate

          1 year ago

          Wouldnt using an app be a newer trick than using a web browser anyway?

          Reply
  14. My Strawman > Your Strawman

    1 year ago

    Is this iOS only

    Reply
  15. Longboy

    1 year ago

    Thanks for the explanation for the Team pages…I now know I’m not crazy.

    1
    Reply
  16. Not the real Sports Pope

    1 year ago

    Much improved! Thanks Tim!

    2
    Reply
  17. jixter33

    1 year ago

    This is awesome Tim! Thanks as always for all you do.

    3
    Reply
  18. DonDiego

    1 year ago

    The Android phone app requires me to log in every time that I use it.

    Reply
  19. Hemlock

    1 year ago

    Tim,
    Under Hamburger > My account > Choose your favorite teams

    If I pick Atlanta Braves as my favorite team, would you please consider adding some site functionality tied to that choice? Such as an icon in the top bar or wherever that quickly takes me to my chosen (favorite) team’s news stories. This would be in addition to scrolling through the list of teams because some people may prefer that navigation option.

    Also, can the search be updated to include optional date ranges?

    Thank you.

    2
    Reply
    • Tim Dierkes

      1 year ago

      These are both good ideas!

      I think the favorite team one is a bit more viable in the short-term. I’m thinking something where under that flame icon, the first link becomes Atlanta Braves Rumors if you’ve chosen the Braves as your favorite team. That’d be pretty cool and not too hard to build.

      2
      Reply
  20. bravesfan

    1 year ago

    So long as the app loads and works fast, I’m happy. I’ve been satisfied and will continue to use it religiously. Long time fan of the site and probably one of the earlier readers.

    1
    Reply
  21. Tim Dierkes

    1 year ago

    iOS or Android app?

    Reply
  22. jorge78

    1 year ago

    Thanks Tim!

    MLBTR is awesome!

    1
    Reply
  23. semut

    1 year ago

    lol my dumb ass read this as “Nutritional improvements made to the MLBTR website”

    1
    Reply
    • acoss13

      1 year ago

      Consuming baseball news is very nutritional!

      2
      Reply
      • Jobu's Rum

        1 year ago

        Depending on the team one roots for, the site can also give constipation so moderation is important.

        2
        Reply
  24. phatboi69

    1 year ago

    On the iOS app, every time I reload the page it always says blue jays designate Jonathan Diaz for assignment. I’d be bummed if I was him and had to read that for years every time he’s trying to get his baseball news.

    1
    Reply
  25. southi

    1 year ago

    I see absolutely ZERO reason for the app. I tried it, and didn’t like it.
    Instead I have a direct link to the website on the main page of my phone and extremely happy with that.

    Reply
    • Captain Dunsel

      1 year ago

      The app is easy to use and precludes the need to open a browser. I use the android app and have no complaints.

      Reply
    • Tim Dierkes

      1 year ago

      Generally the reasons for the app are to set up custom notifications, and to span multiple sports.

      Reply
      • Captain Dunsel

        1 year ago

        It’s also quick and easy to check for baseball updates dozens of times a day….

        Reply
        • southi

          1 year ago

          Like I said, I have the icon on my main page of my phone. One click takes me directly to the website (self opens the browser). I have also tried the app multiple times before for Android and did not like it nearly as much as the solution I have. Again, for me personally, I see no need for the app.

          Reply
  26. Ignorant Son-of-a-b

    1 year ago

    Couple minor points. I mainly do all my web browsing using the mobile Brave browser on Android. This site formats strangely on it (I assume because of the built-in Ad Blocker) so for this site I always have to switch over to Chrome to get a normal experience. Also in Chrome this warning message has been stuck at the top of the screen for the last couple months: “We are unable to send to your address “…@xxx.com” Tech Support was notified about the issue” Thanks Tim

    Reply
  27. AHH-Rox

    1 year ago

    I gave up on the iPhone app a month or two ago, mainly because of inability to mute trolls, and now just have the mobile site on my phone’s browser. It’s a much better experience.

    Reply
  28. Bucket Number Six

    1 year ago

    What happened to the Shohei Ohtani Rumors website? That was such a a great idea.

    Reply
  29. MonkeySpanker

    1 year ago

    Why is every story ’45m ago’ no matter how old they are on the IOS app rather than the real time and date? IOS 17.3.1. It’s been like this for at least the last two updates.

    Reply
  30. sddew

    1 year ago

    Maybe it’s me, but I don’t have a search icon, and I even checked to make sure I have the latest download. I can only add a player to follow, but not just search for someone. What am I missing?

    Reply
    • Tim Dierkes

      1 year ago

      I think you’re in the app rather than being at mlbtraderumors.com in a browser.

      1
      Reply
      • sddew

        1 year ago

        Oh thanks, I read this as upgrades to the app for mobile use, which is what I have always used.

        Reply
  31. Rollie's Mustache

    1 year ago

    Great changes, Tim. Thank you.

    Any chance of getting a dark mode option on the web site? I’m often browsing MLBTR on a computer at night and the whitespace is death on my eyes.

    2
    Reply
  32. GoGreen

    1 year ago

    Love it.

    Reply
  33. bullred

    1 year ago

    Thanks Tim. I am using your site on phone, tablet and PC daily. I just found the mute button and it has made my time on MLBTR wonderful.

    1
    Reply
  34. SevenCostanza

    1 year ago

    While I appreciate the changes to the mobile site, as a dedicated app user my only request would be dark mode support for Android.

    1
    Reply
    • Jobu's Rum

      1 year ago

      To enable dark mode on all websites in Google Chrome, you can do the following:

      Open Chrome

      Type “chrome://flags” in the address bar

      Search for “dark”

      Select “Auto dark mode for web contents” or “Darken websites checkbox in themes setting”

      Enable the setting

      2
      Reply
      • SevenCostanza

        1 year ago

        Much appreciated! This is a wonderful development for falling down late night Wikipedia holes, however most of my time on MLBTR is through the Android app… so a dark mode option in-app would be amazing if possible!

        Reply
  35. Diabetic Rockstar

    1 year ago

    The not having the team link is VERY VERY ANNOYING in my humble opinion

    Reply
  36. unpaidobserver

    1 year ago

    That’s for when Blake Snell signs. (ZZZ)

    Reply
  37. Fred McGriff HR

    1 year ago

    I prefer seeing MLBTR on a bigger screen, no mobile for me.

    Reply
  38. brewcat

    1 year ago

    I hope you fix the bug where the ads on your site shuts down any other audio I might be listening to on my phone (i.e., a game on MLB At Bat radio)

    Reply

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