MarkhamBusiness.ca
Purpose of Project (including anticipated outcomes)
In support of the launch of the City of Markham’s new 5 Year Economic Development and Culture Strategy (2023 – 2027) and a new Markham Economic Development brand identity (Markham Business) including a standalone business website (https://markhambusiness.ca/) was commissioned to enhance the user experience of businesses and the broader community, promote/feature businesses from different sizes across different industry clusters, highlight major projects/initiatives, provide business resources, tools and data assets to attract new investments and expansions (i.e. locate/expand info, small business startup resources, employment directory, data points, funding opportunities, and business events info). The website was designed/hosted online to be easily found while also encouraging visitors to sign up for the Economic Development online newsletter.
For staff, the website needed to be easy to maintain and operate where content can be effortlessly updated, and new functions can be added or modified as needed.
Effectiveness / Meeting Objectives (if known)
Since launching in March 2023, the site has amassed over 24 thousand site visits with most users visiting pages related to small business assistance and grant programs. The website has also been able to leverage search engine optimization (SEO) tools, improving searchability for our audience.
Users now have the capability to access interactive maps, download documents, register for events, and sign-up for one-on-one consultations. This resulted in an increase of almost 60% with companies and service requests from over 500 business owners since the website was launched.
The top countries where site traffic originate from include Canada, USA, and China.
Challenges & Changes made
A key challenge of the website was determining a user-friendly way to display our robust data sets. Previously, our data was accessible only through downloadable PDF and Excel files or static images. To change this approach, we specifically requested our vendor to create branded infographics along with interactable graphs to create a user-friendly user interface.
Target Audience (Demographics)
The primary audience of the website are Markham businesses, site selectors, realtors, land developers, prospective entrepreneurs, industry partners, and domestic/ international industry companies seeking to expand in Markham, visitors and broader resident community.
Any specifics as detailed in the particular Awards Categories
The website positions Markham as a highly desirable global destination to invest, live and entertain that leverages Markham’s brand as Canada’s 3rd largest innovation hub powered by 1500 tech businesses with anchoring industry leaders including AMD, IBM, GM, GE, Qualcomm, and others. Markham is home to the country’s fast-growing and most diverse community and a dense pool of tech talent a new York University campus in the City’s new downtown.
Sustainability
The website prioritized sustainability by setting accessibility as a priority. In addition to being mobile-friendly, the typeface that was selected, Atkinson Hyperlegible, is specially designed to be optimally legible for visually impaired readers while balancing aesthetic appeal. The website’s colours align with the City’s brand and provide a high contrast for the content. Lastly, staff sourced a Markham-based design firm to build, design, and maintain the website with the intention to empower the business community and create a truly Markham website.
