how to keep your website fresh
DESCRIPTION
How to Keep your Website FreshTRANSCRIPT
BETTER WEBSITE SERIES:CREATING A CITIZEN-FOCUSED WEBSITE THAT MAKES GOVERNMENT EASIER
PHASE 3: IMPLEMENTATIONPHASE 4: GOVERNANCE AND MAINTENANCE
CONNECTING PEOPLE
About CivicPlus
Our mission at CivicPlus is to help make local government work better. Connecting people—connecting communities—is at the core of everything we do. Since 2001, we’ve been building custom websites for city and county governments in the United States, Canada and Australia. In recent years, our role has expanded to forming partnerships with local governments and their communities. We help improve communication, workflow process, and the citizen experience.
www.gulfshoresal.gov www.cityofbrevard.com www.ci.manhattan.ks.us
About the Speaker
Deb currently oversees the implementation team at CivicPlus. Her web-development insight stems from consulting with hundreds of local governments to understand and address their online issues.
Deb McNewVP of Professional [email protected] x225
Objectives
Objective 1
Explore Methods to Implement Plans from Phase 2
Objective 2
Keeping the Website Fresh and Up-To-Date and Keep Staff Engaged
Objective 3Implementing Governance and Continuing to Improve the Function of the Website
What Citizens Are Saying
of surveyed citizens say their government website is less than easy, difficult, or very difficult to use*.
*Digital Disconnect: The Gaps Between Government-to-Citizen Online Interactionsvisit www.digitalcommunityengagement.com for more info
67%
Benefits of Good Web Project Planning
Citizen SatisfactionBetter CommunicationConvenience of Online Service
Cost SavingsDigital interactions cost 80% less than non-digital interactions*Allows citizens and government staff alike to be more productive because they can conduct their government business more conveniently
Compliance and Revenue More convenient methods of payment encourage higher compliance and increased revenue collection
*Accenture’s Digital Citizen Pulse Survey
Visit www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-digital-pulse-survey-summary.aspx for more information
Phase 1 Results
A Community Needs AssessmentOrganizational goals clearly defined
A Complete Marketing PlanThe data to make planning your website navigation and content a no-brainer
Phase 2 Review
The Best Leaders and Organizations Start with Why*
*Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
Organizational Goals
You should have 1-3 high level goals for the site.
If you were building a new city hall would you tell the contractor “I want a prettier building than I had before?”Increase Citizen Satisfaction as measured by X by EOYIncrease Website Transactions by X% by Q2
Define what is a transaction and how measured
Increase Website Traffic as measured by x by EOYOur top x services will be available on the web by x date
Set Departmental Goals
Base them on the organizational goals
Parks and Rec activities will have x% online registrations by dateCode Enforcement will have x% of violations reported online by datePhone calls for General Services will reduce by x by date
Results from Phase 2
Navigation PlanContent Plans for each DepartmentApproved DesignCommunication Plan
Implementation
Implement Your Approved Navigation and DesignCreate a Plan for Permissions and Access
May require a “hidden” navigation piece where content is arranged by department or function
Work With Necessary Departments to Implement the Communication Plan
Implementation
Review Content Plans with the Departments
Gather the Documentation Required to Create the Content from DepartmentsHave the Bulk of the Content Created Outside the Organization
Train all Approved Users Have Multiple Workshops Scheduled After Training to Review and Tweak Content
Train All Staff
Beginning the Accountability Cycle
Implement the Method You Identified in Phase 2 to Track Progress on Goals
Train staff on how to keep up their progressProvide departments with regular web statistics reportsCreate a dashboard for transparency
Governance
Set a Regular Web Committee Meeting to Review Progress
We suggest quarterlyDecide who owns this and handles accountability
Governance
Topics for the Regular MeetingAddress progress on goalsKeeping best practices and guidelines up-to-date and accessible to staffScheduling regular training for staffWhat is the next step in the adventure
Maintenance
Set a Regular Schedule for RetrainingMake sure sessions are available to handle turnoverRefresher training
Make sure to offer training on new features or features you are not using or new methods Have meetings to discuss progress on goals with departments, what problems they are having, what successes they have seenHave a regular training reviewing the guidelines and best practices put in place by the governance board (website committee)
All Staff Training
Maintenance
Set a Schedule and Owner for Website Maintenance
Check the site for misspellings and broken linksCheck for outdated content
One method would be to review a department/month
Check statistics for unused contentCheck search terms for new items that should be added
Review
ImplementDetermine GovernanceConduct Regular MaintenanceDon’t Forget – Keep Marketing
How to Evaluate Your Site
CivicLink www.civicplus.com/civiclink
Personalized report based on citizen and staff perspectives of your communication efforts
Want help?
CivicPlus has partnered with over 1,700 municipalities to improve efficiencies and overall communication with citizens. We can help you establish metrics, set goals and develop a custom website that citizens will use – we guarantee it
www.leaguecity.com www.nantucket-ma.gov
Download the Presentation
This presentation is available for download
Visit www.civicplus.com/BetterWebsiteSeries for this presentation and several others resources.