New Kingsport website more intuitive, better organized
The City of Kingsport recently launched its new website with a reorganized and modern design, aimed at improving the user experience with a cleaner look and more intuitive menus.
Kingsport’s website (www.kingsporttn.gov) includes information about all city departments and services, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, incentives for businesses and the latest news and job offerings within the city. The site also provides links to the city’s budget and audit, monthly meeting agendas, noteworthy maps and the annual reports of the police, fire and building departments.
The new website went live in December 2021, offering users a completely different experience from just the month before.
“We completely overhauled the user experience,” said Ben Conkin, director of digital operations at Six Rivers Media. “Information is easier to find, it’s better organized, the menus are more intuitive and the flow of the site is much better.”
These improvements were made following a content audit conducted by Six Rivers Media and the City of Kingsport’s Communications Department. All of the site’s content was reviewed, reorganized and consolidated where needed, Conkin said.
When you first go to the site, you’ll notice a new video feature at the top of the page showing some of the city’s landmarks, such as Bays Mountain Park, the Kingsport Aquatic Center, downtown and the Holston River.
A virtual assistant or chat bot if you will, is located in the lower right hand corner of the site and is another new feature. The chat bot will answer your questions and help you find the information you need as quickly as possible.
Six Rivers Media rebuilt the “Find my services” section and made the online payment portal easier to use, while adding a new, uniform landing page for each city department.
“It was time for the city to revamp the website based on data of what residents and visitors are accessing on the site,” said Adrienne Batara, public information and communications director. “By making the most searched for information easier to find and restructuring the menus, residents are able to get onto the website and find what they need with more efficiency.”
So far, all of these improvements are making a difference with the site.
According to metrics from Six Rivers Media, Kingsport’s website saw 24,000 visitors in November with 85,000 page views. In January, the site had nearly the same number of visitors, but reported nearly 135,000 page views.
“The first full month the numbers are very good and we’re almost doubling our engagement,” Conkin said. “Visitors are looking at more things, which tells us they’re finding things easier.”
For more information, please visit www.kingsporttn.gov.
