Neligh.org: A Spruced Up Digital Front Door

Falling down buildings, dilapidated housing, and jacked up streets, none of these are more harmful to a community than an outdated web presence.  Most small communities in Nebraska are on a shoe string budget.  When deciding to keep the lights on or build a fantastic website most would say it’s an easy step.  However, in this digital age a community CANNOT sit idly by and have either no web presence or a cheap/free two page site.

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When looking at Neligh as a place to live, the first thing I did was Google it.  The sites I found were decent but I couldn’t find information about services, parks, or businesses.  It was almost a deal breaker in our re-location decision.  A poorly organized or looking website is today’s version of having an atrocious looking front door, perhaps even worse.  The old adage of judging a book by its cover holds true in the digital world and people often do not follow the sage advice of not judging.

One of my first actions as Economic Development Director was to look at updating Neligh’s digital front door.  After two months of content development and three months of design, I’m proud to unveil www.Neligh.org the Official website of the City of Neligh.  This all-encompassing website features over 400 pages of everything you’d ever want to know about Neligh.  

It is organized into five main sections: Live in Neligh, Work in Neligh, Visit Neligh, City Hall, and Library.  Live in Neligh features information about living in our amazing town, anything from housing to healthcare to churches.  Work in Neligh focuses on attracting businesses and employees as well as the business climate in Neligh.  Visit Neligh is a digital travel guide that will help any passerby or vacationer find a plethora of activities in Neligh.  City Hall is structured around the City of Neligh and its services.  Library gives a detailed look at the Neligh Public Library, its services, and events.  The site also features a calendar, photo gallery, and searchable business directory, featuring all of Neligh’s 150+ businesses.

Since launching the website in late July of 2013, www.Neligh.org has been visited by nearly 5,000 unique (not repeating) individuals, over 1,400 of those have returned for a second peek! 

Article By: Greg Ptacek, Director of Neligh Economic Development Office