Why does my community website matter?

“We’re not a business,” a local mayor told me recently. “We’re not selling products. Why should we prioritize our website or care about it being maintained?”

One of the most common questions we’re asked at Slick City is why a government should not only budget for a new, modernized website, but also why that website should include maintenance throughout the life of the website. For years towns have been doing “just fine” with their boxed, rudimentary sites, and there’s no good reason to change, right?

Well, obviously, WRONG! Not only is the look and functionality of a municipal website important for it to serve its purpose to the local citizenry and businesses, regular updates and maintenance for that site is just as, if not more important. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Your website is the first and most important line of communication with your residents, businesses, and visitors…or prospectives.

When you arrive in a new city and you’re looking for a great spot for a burger, what do you do? You knock on doors for the latest Yellow Book, of course!

Well, of course not. You pull your phone out and Google (or Bing, if you’re that type of person) “restaurants in Anytown, TX.” Technology has made it easier than ever to interact with businesses in our local communities, and has changed commerce forever. Why shouldn’t we have the same standards for our government’s web presence?

In fact, many large cities and tourism bureaus are taking it a step further, and answering those food-related or shopping-related questions on their sites as well, offering business listing services that showcase the area’s tourist-friendly businesses for locals and out-of-towners alike.

For these reasons, it is important for a government to control their web presence with accessible, responsive design for screens of all sizes. Ensuring your content is easily readable for a wide variety of users on all devices is essential in a world when 70 percent of people are interacting with the web from their phones. By utilizing a modern, easy-to-read design and keeping the content consistently up-to-date, you can be better communicate with the people that are most important to your town.

2. Ensure ADA accessibility

One of the largest issues we see with websites in general, but especially municipal sites, is the lack of accessibility for those with disabilities. ADA accessibility on the web is not a luxury, but is in fact required by law. That means clean design, no dark colored backgrounds, readable text, etc. Unfortunately, many government websites fail the necessary criteria for accessibility and open themselves up for the potential for much more than just disgruntled citizens, but lawsuits due to their lack of ADA compliance.

3. Open Meetings law adherence

In addition to the necessary compliance with ADA standards, one of the most important laws in most US states is the requirement for open meetings and necessary notification to your local residents. Not only is a high-quality website the best way to communicate with large interested groups, it is the easiest and most effective way to adhere to Open Meetings requirements by offering video feeds and regular posting of agendas, minutes, etc.

Many towns with outdated web practices rely on their clerk or office staff to maintain the posting of minutes and agenda to the website, or delegate these simple tasks to their IT staff. Instead, use a low-cost web maintenance contract to keep your information on the web up-to-date, opening up your staff to focus on higher-level projects for your city.

4. Oh yeah, about those staff hours…

This is a simple one: your staff hours are precious. There are always 100 things to do for each of your staff members, and more projects will come up than can be tackled in any given day. Don’t occupy their time with unnecessary website work. Allow our experts to take this on so your staff can focus on the work they do best.

5. Budget, budget, budget…

This may sound odd, but a modernized website with maintenance often saves the town money in the long-run, and eases the burden of budgeting by knowing exactly what the cost is each month, and each year, well ahead of time. Our work starts at only $250/month and always includes unlimited maintenance requests. Stop worrying about the web costs you may or may not incur, and instead know your costs well ahead of budget season.

There are plenty more reasons for a city or town to focus on its website and its regular maintenance, but these five are high on the lists of many of the towns that we’ve worked with in the past.

Wondering how much a new site and maintenance would cost for your town? Check out our pricing tool to find out exactly how much your community would pay for unlimited maintenance and a brand new website. Hint: it’s probably less than you think.