ATLANTA, Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Apartment Finder understands that finding an apartment can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. The company also knows many property managers who have vacant apartments to lease often feel the same way about finding good renters. That is why it's launching the all-new ApartmentFinder.com, the #1 multi-family resource for apartment shoppers. With its fresh, user-friendly design, the re-engineered site is perfect for connecting apartment shoppers to apartment communities, faster and easier.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130212/NY58232LOGO-a ) 
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130212/NY58232-b )

"The new ApartmentFinder.com provides shoppers with the best search and viewing options among all apartment search sites," said Marcia Bollinger, President of Apartment Finder. "The sophisticated clean design streamlines the search results and presents them in a user-friendly format to the consumer, which makes the connection to our advertisers easier. Through smarter search, apartment shoppers can find their next apartment faster, and our clients can sign more leases. In fact, in a month since launch, we've already seen a 25% decrease in bounce rate, a 5% increase in time spent on the site, 4 times as many listings viewed per visit, and a 10% increase in lead conversions."

The new ApartmentFinder.com allows apartment shoppers to view their search results in three ways:

• List View: users can see every search result on one continuous page with the new Velocity Scroll function that enables endless scrolling. The velocity scroll feature allows advertisers to gain more views per visit, while giving shoppers more of what they're looking for on one page.
• Photo View:  in a layout similar to popular photo-sharing sites such as Instagram and Pinterest, search results appear as photos, with specific listing details accessible with one click on the photo.
• Map View: integrated with a Google Maps interface, search results are listed on the left and also appear as points on a map, allowing users to instantly see the geographical location of any property.

In addition to the new view options, the enhanced ApartmentFinder.com 6.0 features better Search Filter options that appear at the top of every results page. These filter options allow the user to narrow results within their preferred view and find their ideal apartments with greater speed and ease.

The overall design of the website has been streamlined to promote clarity. The branded orange color of Apartment Finder has been updated and emboldened, and utilized throughout the site to direct users to search functions and availability for specific properties. By driving users to these calls-to-action, the new Apartment Finder website increases consumer leads for its advertisers.

Apartment Finder also added a new tagline, "Search smarter. Live better."  Bollinger adds, "What better way to signal what we are all about than our new tagline? It really is a statement about our unique ability to not only understand what today's apartment shoppers want, but also to deliver the best search process in the industry. By doing that, we can deliver the best leads to our advertisers."

Apartment Finder is the anchor of the multi-family division of Network Communications, Inc., the largest publisher of online and print housing information in North America. Apartment Finder's online and print products provide the latest information about apartment rentals to millions of consumers around the country, while offering a comprehensive and targeted integrated advertising solution for multi-housing professionals. The fastest-growing media platform in the multi-family industry, Apartment Finder operates www.ApartmentFinder.com, the #1 consumer-preferred site featuring state-of-the-art searching and mapping features for apartment renters and also publishes magazines in 116 markets across the U.S.

About Apartment Finder

Network Communications, Inc. is a leading local media company providing lead generation, advertising and Internet marketing services to the luxury and multi-family segments of the housing industry. The Company's leading brands are Apartment Finder, DigitalSherpa, Unique Homes, New England Home and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. The Company's strategy focuses on providing high-quality and measurable marketing solutions to local clients by leveraging its proprietary prospect-focused distribution, social media and online franchises, and content management infrastructure.

SOURCE Network Communications, Inc.