The importance of an organization’s Web presence is at an all time high. Not only do Federal agencies need to understand their constituents, they need to know how to effectively communicate with those constituents and keep them engaged time and time again. Siteworx President, Tim McLaughlin, recently sat down with Federal News Radio to discuss the current and future state of government websites.

“Websites always need to be done yesterday,” says McLaughlin.  He adds, “It’s usually because everybody realizes that what they’re doing is not meeting the customer’s needs.” McLaughlin has learned that in order to have a successful website, you must first walk in the customer’s shoes, i.e. spend ample time from the get-go doing research, studying analytics, etc. There are endless tools available to make sure that the technology you’re using is actually useful.

For some, simply having a desktop website is not enough. More and more companies and organizations are finding that by integrating their Web presence with a mobile Web presence, they are able to interact with their customers more effectively. McLaughlin says that in some instances, Siteworx suggests that organizations make their mobile site the primary site, therefore making their desktop site of secondary importance. Why? He says that the digital divide is gradually decreasing due to the number of people who can now access the Web and countless applications via their mobile phone. McLaughlin says that smartphones make sense—they cost less than purchasing a computer and all of the add-ons that must also be purchased if you actually want the computer to work. He adds, “Smartphones are the replacement for desktop browsing.”

For the organizations that are bouncing around the idea of integrating any type of digital presence, McLaughlin offers a few key tips. He warns that a website should never become an organizational chart slapped onto the screen. To reiterate, every organization must understand its audiences’ needs in order to best serve them. The best way of going about this is to spend about 30 percent of your planning time specifically focusing on studying analytics and performing background research on constituents. Once a solid foundation is in place, it will be much easier to proceed with the rest of the endeavor.

Listen to the full interview, “Company creates user-centric Web sites.”