CorpComms Magazine

Despite 2.7 million annual visitors and almost 4,000 pages, Westminster Council's website had not changed since 2003. And while 91 per cent of residents found it useful, just 59 per cent found its design appealing and 77 per cent would recommend to their friends.

The problems were manifold, ranging from a search function that did not work to a lack of editorial control and ownership, leading to pages carrying out of date information.

Recognising this, Westminster Council worked with focus groups of existing users to create a website that provided the resources and services they required.

It emerged that 15 per cent of usage related to parking issues, while users also wanted accessible information on services, such as waste collections and libraries.

To save funds, much initial work was done in-house. All pages were allocated to relevant departments, who checked information, deleted outdated pages and connected broken links.

Digital agency Airlock, who deleted a further 25 per cent of pages, then created a website around the search engine, with custom-built pages for specific activities, such as pay, apply and report, and social media feeds.

Launched in June, the average task time has dropped from ten minutes to between three and five, while users spend more time on the site and view more pages. The judges found the new site to be 'rich in media'.

Agency: Airlock