Website

Town of Georgina Economic Development Website


Submitted ByTown of Georgina

Website URL: https://www.choosegeorgina.ca/ 

In late 2022, the Town of Georgina celebrated the breaking ground of 500 acres of designated employment lands and one of the largest business park developments in the Greater Toronto Area. As a result, the Economic Development Office increased its marketing efforts to attract investment. To do this, establishing a dedicated economic development website was a key priority deliverable. The new site, choosegeorgina.ca, was launched in September 2023, followed by national campaigns and outreach that actioned back to the new communication tool.

It is a comprehensive resource for talent and businesses considering Georgina as a place to call home and for existing businesses looking to expand. It also highlights why talent would consider choosing to live in Georgina and why it is a bustling tourism destination for GTA residents. 

Developed with easy navigation in mind, the mobile-friendly site highlights Georgina’s advantages, connecting its audiences to the information needed to make an informed decision on why they should “Choose Georgina.” Visitors can view up-to-date interactive data, videos, and testimonials, as well as stay updated on economic development news through blogs and a monthly newsletter.

A considerable amount of research was conducted before building out the website. We looked at many other competitor sites in the GTA focusing on content, navigation and design to pull inspiration and gain insights on audience needs.

The inclusion of a data centre was a key focus for the site, as it showcases the Town’s growing economy and is an identified audience need. A third-party software, LocalIntel, was embedded into the Data Centre to ensure community statistics are sourced and up-to-date. Segmented modules of this data have also been added to different pages to enhance the user’s experience and navigation. 

Accessibility and navigation were other key areas of focus. The staff ensured it was in line with current accessibility best practices like minimum standard text size and the utilization of alt tags. They also ensured all pages were written and linked with the audience’s next steps in mind, connecting them to more information or ways to connect (contact form). Enhancing accessibility continues through the Town’s accessibility plan.

To build authority online, search engine optimization (SEO) best practices are used, blogs are published regularly, and ad campaigns are linked to landing pages. Since September 2023, when the site launched, there have been 19K new users, with the majority of the traffic coming from organic and referral sources. 

The development of this new communication tool was not a solitary effort. It was a collaborative endeavor, involving many departments and York Region, which provided funding through their Foreign Direct Investment Partnership Fund. This collective effort has been pivotal in enhancing Georgina’s brand as a place to establish and grow, and it set the stage for all future attraction and retention marketing efforts.

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