10 Tips to Improve Your Economic Development Website

Goal: Demonstrate the scope and diversity of economic development work. Highlight institutional economic development strengths.

Approaches: Group programs into categories to define key focus areas or profile specific programs integral to your institution’s work.

Case Studies:

• Virginia Tech – “Our Projects” divides programs into four categories
• University of Virginia – “Key Initiatives” page
• Drexel University – “Centers and Initiatives” page

Goal: Clearly define institution’s economic development vision and purpose. This can allow your institution to get ahead of economic development (mis)-perceptions in the community.

Approaches: Explain how those working on economic development can help website visitors or clearly define your institution’s multi-faceted role in economic development.

Case Studies:

• Marquette University – statement defines purpose and encourages visitors to contact
• University of Kentucky – description with detailed engagement areas
• University of Virginia – five roles in economic development

Goal: Ensure site is aesthetically pleasing to boost stakeholder engagement.

Approaches: Use pictures and/or videos to draw visitors into economic development information and promote page exploration.

Cast Studies:

• North Carolina State University – pictures throughout, podcast
• University of Virginia – header video

Goal: Demonstrate how the institution actually puts goals into action.

Approaches: Create a section dedicated to success stories or recent news stories, or a page detailing current partnerships.

Case Studies:

• University of Nevada, Las Vegas – “Success Stories” section and “Our Partners” page to showcase current partnerships
• Cerritos College – “Client Testimonials” page
• Virginia Tech – “News” page

Goal: Provide an easily digestible snapshot of economic impact and importance.

Approaches: Present high-level impact statistics (e.g., jobs created, annual impact on state, works published) in an obvious location on the homepage or across the bottom of all website pages.

Case Studies:

• University of Virginia – three statistics on homepage
• University of Arkansas – rotating banner across all pages

Goal: Allow stakeholders to reach out, engage, and ask questions.

Approaches: Use a “Contact Us” call-to-action and a staff directory so that website visitors can appropriately reach out.

Case Studies:

• Marquette University – “Contact Us” and “Office of Economic Engagement Staff” tabs under About section
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas – “Contact” page describes multiple ways to engage and links to “Staff Directory”

Goal: Prioritize economic development information accessibility to encourage stakeholder viewing.

Approaches: Provide a noticeable link to economic development information on the main university homepage and allow visitors to navigate back to the homepage after selecting the link.

Case Studies:

• Lanier Technical College – “Economic Development” is a main tab on the university homepage
• Iowa State University – “For Business/Industry” tab on university homepage directs to website with economic development information
• Georgetown University – website links back to main university homepage

Goal: Connect the dots for stakeholders. Allow stakeholders to place themselves within the institution’s economic development narrative.

Approaches: Divide your website with separate tabs dedicated to areas of focus to develop a framework for visitor exploration or present visitors with a complete economic development strategy.

Case Studies:

• University of Arkansas – website tabs divided by focus area
• University of Virginia – “Economic Development Strategy” and Strategy Map one-pager

Please note, this may not be applicable in all situations.

Goal: Build connections between all economic development information to improve usability.

Approaches: Include direct links to your institution’s economic impact report, economic development strategic plan, and/or industry or partnership portal within the economic development webpage.

Case Studies:

• University of Virginia – “Measuring Impact” page links to full economic impact report
• North Carolina State University – links to “Partnership Portal” via “Partnerships” tab
• Youngstown State University – links to Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP) in tool bar

Goal: Encourage continued engagement from community and current and future partners on additional platforms.

Approaches: Link directly to other economic development-specific social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, Facebook), or embed social media feeds within the economic development webpage.

Case Studies:

• Cerritos College – links to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
• University of Arkansas – embedded Twitter feed