Every year small towns and big cities issue RFPs with the objective of changing, updating or replacing their current websites. But how often do they attain the results they seek?
As we’ve reviewed dozens of RFPs over the years, and been selected by many of them, we’ve found that those with the most insight into what they hope to accomplish are most likely to achieve a favorable result.
A “more modern look and feel” is a frequent request, and a reasonable one, but what determines the ultimate success of these projects is whether the new site is delivering a better user experience for its citizens.
When we approach a project like this, we look for areas where changes would have the most measurable impact. That starts with an analysis of what is most important to the client, and to the site’s constituents. Perhaps that’s a better accommodation for mobile access, or reorganizing related content so it’s easier to find, or an upgraded calendaring feature.
Once we’ve answered those questions, the task becomes to create a site that delivers on those needs. Most companies will promise results – but we have the numbers to prove that our methods work.
One Success Story: Santa Ana, California
When we were awarded the RFP for the City of Santa Ana we knew they wanted their website to be the authoritative source on the city and its many public services and educational and cultural opportunities. There were some departments that should have been garnering more traffic, including the library, police and City Council. And we were told to improve the data integration process and make the site easier to use.
We approached the project with that specific direction in mind, so it would inform every decision made from design and content to mobile formatting.
The new site launched in November of 2018. Within six months, all of the statistics by which successful websites are measured were trending in a positive direction:
- Total sessions increased 21%
- Time spent on the site by visitors increased 47%
- The number of users increased nearly 12%
- The number of new users increased by 14%
- The number of pages visited on the site increased 79%
- The bounce rate dropped 40%
Since then, the results have continued to improve. Our most recent analysis found that:
- Traffic is up 121%
- Search engine traffic is up 143%
- Bounce rate is down 22 points
- Page views are up 111%
- Mobile traffic is up 200%
Plus, the departments where Santa Ana specifically hoped to generate more traffic are now outperforming the rest of the website:
- Police +187%
- Library +274%
- City Council +345%
- PB +256%
- Planning and Building +247%
- Social +361%
This is what is possible when you have specific, targeted goals for your website project, and work with a company that has the experience and personnel to help you achieve them.
While 360Civic monitors new RFP releases pertaining to website creation, design and development throughout the U.S., we also frequently receive RFPs from municipalities, water districts, schools and other public sector organizations requesting a bid for our services.
If you have an RFP on which you would like us to bid, please let us know
More Keys to a Successful RFP? Download Our Whitepaper
Related Resources
360Civic Receives Awards for Municipal and School Websites
