The City of Watertown received a Municipal Website Award at the recent Massachusetts Municipal Association conference.
“It’s a great honor for the City to receive this award!” said Jeanne Ostroff, Watertown’s Digital Media Manager.
Watertown’s website, watertown-ma.gov, won in the largest category.
“The annual Municipal Website Awards recognize excellence in customer service, functionality, convenience and government transparency delivered by a municipal website,” she said. “We received the award in the 35,000-plus population category.”
Municipal websites are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Clear branding as the official municipal government site, with local government address and hours prominently listed
- Intuitive navigation tools and organization of material
- Robust search function
- Current and timely information
- Availability of public records
- Mobile-friendly or mobile-responsive design
- Resources for residents such as the ability to apply for licenses and permits, pay bills, order documents, and make suggestions
- Tools to promote economic development (e.g., ability to obtain licenses and permits or view list of developable land and vacant sites)
- Information about departments (e.g., key personnel, contact information, office hours, and department mission or purpose)
- Use of social media and tools for online community engagement
- Visual appeal and overall experience
When Watertown’s new website launched in November 2021, there were 250 pages in total, and there are now more than 1,400 pages, Ostroff said.
“Websites are always a work in progress that require updates and improvements as they continue to grow. They are also a team effort,” she said. “While the overall website is my responsibility as Digital Media Manager, there are numerous City website editors and contributors who update or sending information for their department pages.”
See the other winners at Municipal Websites – Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA)