U.S. Internet portal Yahoo Inc. has revamped its main page, highlighting news of interest in a bid to attract more visitors and better compete with rival search engines.

The makeover is led by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who took the reins in July 2012 after 13 years at Google, the most visited site in the U.S. last year and the company’s archrival.

While providing expanded news content, Yahoo now offers customizable content modules to help users choose content that suits their tastes.

“Whether you are a sports fanatic or entertainment buff, you can easily customize your newsfeed to your interests,” Mayer said in a blog post.

Another strategy Yahoo has adopted is to use Facebook-imported data such as user “likes” and preferences from the social network to present stories about subjects that match users’ interests.

Yahoo said its overhauled news-centered service would encourage more people to visit the site and consume its content for a longer period of time.

Yahoo introduced the renewal amid growing concerns about its weakened market position. Its annual revenue tumbled 30 percent to $5 billion last year, down from $7.2 billion in 2008.

Last year, Yahoo stopped offering Korean-language service and shut down its Korea subsidiary, Yahoo Korea, after years of uphill battles with local rival portals such as NHN Corp. and Daum Communications Corp.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)