Understanding the key differences between the news web part SharePoint online available in SharePoint Online will help you enhance communication and engagement across your organization.
This guide covers everything you need to know.
The legacy news web part allows site owners to share announcements and status updates. The new communication site news web part improves discoverability and personalization.
Key Differences
Here are the main differences between the two SharePoint Online news web parts:
- Content Discovery – The new web part connects to a dedicated news page allowing better content discovery. The legacy version shares news on individual site pages.
- Personalization – The new part allows personalization options to display relevant news to each user. The legacy part shows the same content to all users.
- Web Part Catalog – The new part can be added from the web part catalog. The legacy one needs custom scripting.
- Feature Set – The new web part has more features like custom news banners, formatted text, etc. The legacy part is more basic.
When to Use Each News Web Part
Use the new communication site news web part when you want to:
- Enable better news discoverability via a centralized publishing page
- Target content to different audiences
- Access the latest web part interface and features
Use the legacy news web part when you need to:
- Quickly share status updates on classic sites
- Show news without migrating to modern pages
- Display announcements using simple formatting
| Web Part | Best Use Cases | Key Features |
| New (Preview) | Centralized news discovery Personalized content targeting Modern site architecture | Dedicated news page Audience targeting Enhanced authoring |
| Legacy | Legacy support Quick updates Site-level visibility | Simple formatting Legacy site capability Site-level visibility |
As you can see, the new communication news web part brings much-needed enhancements. But the legacy part still serves a purpose if you need basic news in classic sites.
Implementing the News Web Parts
Follow these best practices when adding news web parts in SharePoint Online:
For the new preview news web part:
- Start by enabling the news feature on a communication site
- Customize the web part settings on the main news page
- Allow only approved authors to post stories to ensure content quality
- Review analytics data to identify popular topics and less engaging content
For the legacy news web part:
- Add using PowerShell if the part is not available OOTB
- Set up a news consolidation page to aggregate news from other sites
- Moderate comments and disable reactions to discourage irrelevant discussions
- Limit number of stored news articles to avoid performance issues
Key Takeaways
The essential facts on SharePoint Online news web parts:
- Legacy web part suitable for status alerts on classic pages
- New web part optimized for immersive news across modern sites
- Each part serves distinct publishing needs based on scenario
- New web part brings finder-friendly content and personalization
- Implementation requires planning for governance and adoption
Now you can make informed decisions while enhancing news across your SharePoint ecosystem.
