Mission

The municipality of Parry Sound embarked on a comprehensive website redesign project driven by the need to improve control of their content control and increase the flexibility of their design options.  

Challenges

• Cost to update: The cost of updating their existing website was prohibitive due to the confines of working with older technology. Their previous website had met their needs for a number of years but over time, they found their maintenance costs growing as they looked to evolve their site. They needed a more cost-efficient solution. A complete redesign using the Govstack platform proved to be more cost-effective and flexible, while addressing their need for greater control.
• Information update: The municipality sought to provide updated information to the public and keep them informed about municipal accomplishments, community news, and other relevant updates. 
• Content control: The previous website offered minimal control over content and limited flexibility in template design, discouraging administrators from making any changes to the site. 
• Content duplication: The existing site had a multitude of duplicate pages, which needed to be systematically removed. The migration process was challenging, and there was a need to streamline the process of duplicating content.  

Solution

The municipality collaborated with GHD Digital, to launch a fresh new site and streamline the website redesign process. The project manager played a crucial role in simplifying the transition and helping the municipality achieve their objective of a modern, flexible site. The redesign process aimed to address the identified challenges and meet the following goals: 

• Enhanced visual appeal: The redesigned website allows Parry Sound to easily incorporate more images into their site to make it visually engaging and appealing to visitors.
• Improved landing pages: The new site allows for enhanced landing pages that ensure visitors can easily find relevant information quickly.
• User and council satisfaction: The municipality wanted to ensure that both council and residents understood the benefits of the new site, and in the case of residents, they wanted to provide a more user-friendly and engaging experience.

The Govstack platform is built on over twenty years of experience working with governments to understand and address their pain points. The long-term goal of Govstack is to provide public sector organizations with a platform and digital ecosystem that enables limitless possibilities in effectively informing, engaging and serving their communities online.

Parry Sound

Benefits and outcomes

The redesign of the municipality’s website has yielded several immediate benefits and ongoing advantages: 

• Dynamic templates: The move away from static templates allows for a more customized back-office, giving staff greater control over content and design elements such as the ability to create dedicated landing pages to promote events and municipal initiatives.
• Automated processes: Citizens are now using the website to conveniently apply and pay for services such as dog tags, register for events and conferences and receive status updates on their inquiries and applications. The municipality can now automate work orders for tasks like pothole repairs that are reported by residents. 
• Content streamlining: Duplicate pages were systematically removed, and the process of duplicating content was streamlined through global content modules, leading to a more organized and efficient website. 
• Comprehensive site map: A more comprehensive site map was developed based on best practices, making navigation more intuitive for visitors. 
• Public engagement: The website effectively conveys the municipality’s achievements, community news, and municipal updates, fostering public engagement and support. 

Conclusion

The municipality’s website redesign project successfully addressed various challenges and met its goals of reducing costs, providing updated information, and improving content control and flexibility. The collaboration with GHD Digital played a pivotal role in streamlining the implementation process, ensuring that residents and council members appreciate and benefit from the new site. The project serves as an excellent example of how a well-executed website redesign can lead to enhanced citizen engagement and operational efficiency.