As site selectors, we often find ourselves perusing websites of communities around the country. Often, we find that some cities have designed a better user experience for our professionals. Without a doubt, each experience is factored in our decision to recommend a community to a big employer. So, what do the best websites have that set them apart from the mediocre? Let’s take a look:
• Contact Info: There is no reason why a site selector should not be able to find an executive’s email & phone number within a couple of clicks.
• Showcase Benefits: Put front and center the reasons why your community is different than competing regions.
• Testimonials: Utilize high quality video to showcase the highlights of your community
• Searchable Business Directory: Make it easy for the site selector to find any key stakeholder without too much hassle.
• Maps: Include maps that are relevant and contextualize them by explaining what each one showcases.
Now, the “5 star” communities that are really dedicated to economic development take the extra step to be helpful to site selectors. Oftentimes, they have a page within the website dedicated to site selection, where they include useful information such as:
• Target Industries & Demographics
• Workforce Numbers
• R & D, Public and Private
• Venture Capital
• Industrial Parks & Universities
Overall, communities should have two main goals as they design their website. First, tell a compelling story about who you are, what you offer and what sets you apart from anyone else. Second, be useful to the professionals that will be looking at your site and making recommendations to big employers. Site selection is a long process, so having a user friendly and rich website indicates that you mean business. So, go ahead, implement our recommendations and then reach out to us. Maybe you’re the next community we bring a major employer to!
