The new website went live Saturday morning, marking the largest Web update for the county since 2009.
The redesign process, completed by Civic Live, took six months, and cost the county $185,200, including one-time software costs and one-time costs associated with migrating 17 county sites to the new design. The county projects ongoing maintenance to cost $39,000 per year.
The project was paid for using innovation funds out of the county’s 2016 budget.
The first thing users might notice is the website is no longer http://www.co.weld.co.us.com. Instead, the new website is simply http://www.weldgov.com.
The new site is supposed to perform better for users on a variety of operating systems and platforms, and it uses more visual elements and provides an easier method for doing what they need to do online.
The menu bar at the top of the page organizes information contained on the site, and there is a list of quick links lower on the page designed to help users navigate more quickly. There also is a drop-down menu called “How do I” that gives users a new way to find information and services, and the county added a Google search function to help make searching for information easier.
Weld County spokeswoman said the county’s main goal was to make the site more user friendly.
Commissioners agreed.
“We are excited about the new improvements,” Board of Weld County Commissioners Chairwoman Julie Cozad said in a news release. “Our web team has been working diligently on this project, and I think users will be pleased with the new interface.”
The county’s website received 2.2 million page views in 2016, according to analytics from the county.
Of the 17 sites set to migrate to the new website, only three have migrated so far: the county website, sheriff and district attorney websites. County officials expect to have the rest moved over by the summer.
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