If Your Website Is in the Middle of a Forest, Will Anyone Hear It? By Victoria Boyko, Software Development Consultant, Sophicity: We put the IT in city Like the tree in the proverbial forest that no one hears when it falls, do you think that anyone “hears” your city website in a forest of internet information? In many cases, probably not. That’s unfortunate because city websites already have a few advantages that other businesses and organizations would love to have. j City websites are highly trusted. j People will search for information on your website. You’ve already got a ready audience of hundreds or thousands of people. j People often need your information such as news, event postings, city council minutes, or services. You’ve already got demand for your information. Yet, many city websites seem nonexistent and disappear on the internet when people search for them. Remember that most people will look for your website on a search engine such as Google or Bing. To show up on the first page of
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search results, your website must follow a few best practices and show constant activity to prove to these search engines that your website is trusted, useful, and relevant. How can your city website emerge from the internet forest? Here are a few tips. 1. Share a link to your website with reputable organizations. Because you are a city, many organizations want to link to your website. If people are researching for city-related information on another website, then you want your city’s website listed there to help people find you. Examples of websites where you want your city’s website listed are: j Municipal leagues j The Wikipedia page for your city j State websites and directories j Tourism-related websites j County websites
SOUTH DAKOTA MUNICIPALITIES
