Insights
In economic development, relationships matter. But before a business leader, site selector, or community stakeholder ever reaches out, they usually visit your website. As your most visible tool for communicating credibility, professionalism, and momentum, your digital-first impression carries weight. Your website is where people decide whether your community feels investable, whether your organization is active, and whether your information can be trusted.
If your website hasn't been refreshed in a few years, it could be unintentionally working against you.
Website Expectations Have Changed
Years ago, economic development websites mainly served as a place to post basic information: contact details, a few pages about the community, and maybe a PDF or two.
Today, it's different.
A modern economic development website is expected to be:
Easy to navigate
Mobile friendly
Updated regularly
Differentiating
Built with accessibility in mind
Designed to serve multiple audiences
Site selectors aren't browsing your website casually; they are scanning it with purpose. Often, they're comparing multiple communities at once. The easier you make their experience, the more likely you are to make their shortlist.
Your Website is Doing More Than You Think
Your website is often the first "meeting" someone has with your organization. It signals things like:
Organization and readiness
Transparency
Trustworthiness
Community pride and momentum
Professionalism
Even subtle things, like outdated design, broken links, hard to find content, or stale news pages, can create doubt.
Signs it Might be Time for a Refresh
A website refresh doesn't always mean starting over from scratch. It can also mean updating the structure, tools, design, and content so your site works better for the people using it.
Here are a few signs your website might be due for an upgrade.
1. Your content feels hard to maintain
If updates require too many steps or require help from a developer every time, you'll naturally update website less often due to the effort needed. Consequently, important content will become outdated, and your site loses trust over time.
2. Your site isn't mobile friendly
A large portion of visitors will view your website on a phone or tablet. If your site is slow, difficult to scroll, or awkward to navigate on mobile, you may be losing audiences without realizing it.
3. Site selector information isn't easy to find
Site selectors should be able to locate key information fast: available properties, incentives, workforce data, and community assets. If they have to search or click through multiple menus, they may not stay long.
4. Your design looks dated
A website doesn't need to be trendy, but it should feel current. Outdated design can unintentionally send a message that your organization isn't active.
5. It's not built with accessibility in mind
More organizations are expected to follow accessibility standards, especially when serving the public. An accessible site isn't just about compliance, it's about making sure your information is usable to everyone.
What a Modern Website Refresh can do for Your Community
Refreshing your website is just as much a strategic move as it is an aesthetic update. A strong refresh can help you:
Improve usability for key audiences
Make content easier to update and maintain
Share your community story with clarity
Build trust through transparency
Highlights tools site selectors want to use
Position your organization as competitive
Ultimately, a refreshed website supports your mission: attracting investment, supporting growth, and engaging your community.
Ready to Refresh Your Website?
As expectations rise around accessibility, mobile experience, and digital storytelling, the communities that stand out will be the ones that communicate clearly and confidently online. If your website doesn't reflect the momentum of your organization, it might be time to rethink how your story is being told.
At EDSuite, we build modern websites to be easy to manage, aligned with site selector expectations, and built to support long term growth.
If you're considering a refresh this year, we'd love to talk.