WSJ.com was one of the web's first subscription-based websites and now has around 640,000 users, up from around 600,000 in 2001. An annual subscription to the site has risen from $59 to $79 for non-print subscribers, and from $29 to $39 for subscribers to the newspaper.
It is the first increase in subscription charges to the site, which was launched in 1996, since it increased its price by $10 in 1998 to $59.
"We think it's in line with the value of the product," WSJ.com publisher Neil Budde said of the price increase, noting that the site's redesign includes new investment tools and exclusive content.
The increase in price reflects a growing reliance on subscription income as the fall in the advertising market bites. Dow Jones reported revenue for the WSJ.com of $37.2m in 2001, a fall of 26% from $50.2m in 2000.
The site hoped that its $28m revamp, which took 12 months to complete, would help increase WSJ.com's audience to the same level as its print version.
Budde added: "UK subscribers grew 20% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2001. This exceeds the 17% overall growth figure."
The new site has three regionalised entry points -- the US, Asia and Europe -- and offers a more integrated service, based on individual preferences.
Dow Jones, publisher of WSJ.com, has pumped $139m into the site to date.
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