Shrewsbury Town Council will be quicker and easier to get in touch with following the launch of their new website from this week.
Shrewsbury-based The Web Orchard was appointed to re-design the existing site following a robust selection process last year.
The brief was to make the existing website more responsive and simpler to use, ensuring that visitors will be able to find what they are looking for within a few clicks.
The new site has been built using responsive technology to recognise which type of device people are using and adjust accordingly.
The design of the previous website, which was over six years old, was found to be outdated and difficult to navigate, particularly on mobile and tablet devices, which saw around 70% of traffic to the site.
Work on the prototype was presented to Councillors last month.
Leader of the Town Council, Councillor Alan Mosley, said: “Whilst our existing website has served us well, technology has moved on considerably over the course of the last six years, and we felt it was time for a revamp to make the most of these advances.
“Having seen our new website, it is more attractive and user-friendly and is easily accessible for all types of devices. It also provides a fresh, more visually appealing look. The new site includes new functionality to pay securely online and to book facilities, as well as signing up to the Town Council’s regular newsletters.
“It is looking really good and it’s thanks to the officers at the Town Council, working closely with The Web Orchard, that we have a great new and fresh outlook for our website within the stated timetable for this project.
“We have also been impressed by The Web Orchard’s ethical approach to the climate emergency and their climate change and carbon neutral policies really stood out in the selection process.”
Pete White, director at The Web Orchard, added: “We were delighted to be selected to re-design the Shrewsbury Town Council website and have been busy working on the project over the course of the last few months.
“We have been able to undertake all the work remotely, which has reduced our carbon footprint significantly for this project, even from that stated in our tender documents.
“We have also introduced a wide range of functions to make the browsing experience better for people under the new accessibility legislation. It has been great working with the Town Council and we look forward to continuing the partnership we have enjoyed over the course of the last six years.”
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