New Website Officially Launches for Downtown Rutland
Steve Peters | May 2, 2018
The Downtown Rutland Partnership released a freshly redesigned website for downtown Rutland this week. Located at downtownrutland.com (previously rutlanddowntown.com), it’s the digital welcome center for downtown. But it’s more than a gateway, it’s a directory, resource and showcase for everything downtown related. From finding the latest events to learning about tools for starting a business in downtown, downtownrutland.com is now the official source.
“We believe the new website will benefit the public, our business owners and tourists by presenting vital information in a bright, friendly, easy-to-navigate format,” said Nikki Hindman, Marketing and Events Coordinator at the Downtown Rutland Partnership who led the website refresh. “The new design not only showcases downtown’s incredible attractions and experiences, but offers in-depth information about what our brick and mortar stores have to offer and how to find them.”
On the homepage, desktop viewers are greeted with mesmerizing aerial footage of downtown Rutland that highlights some of the area’s best historic architecture. While on mobile devices, users can quickly and easily navigate to pertinent information that will connect them to the doorstep of downtown businesses and attractions.
One of the website’s many new elements, includes landing pages for downtown businesses. These pages offer shops and restaurants the opportunity to feature photos, descriptions, contact information, hours of operation, as well as links to websites and social media channels. Each of these pages contains a map that allows users to quickly and easily navigate directly to businesses. With just a couple of taps, cell phone viewers will have their default map app launch from the website with directions ready to go.
“Many small business owners don’t have the time or expertise to create and maintain their own websites. Yet a web presence remains a vital component to attracting new customers. It’s where the world can get a sense of what a business offers, from products and menus, to the look and feel of a place,” said Steve Peters, Executive Director of the Downtown Rutland Partnership.
Other noteworthy features of the new site include an improved calendar to help increase awareness of downtown events, a community news blog and expanded details on attractions to explore.
Despite the useful information social media can provide, websites still remain an important tool. According to Nicole Reyhle, founder of the popular small business site, Retail Minded, a website is another way of window shopping and equates browsing the web to taking a stroll down Main Street. Ryhle also believes that websites allow shoppers to not just discover a business, but also do research before committing to making the trip to shop in person.
The website refresh is just the first step in the Downtown Rutland Partnership’s revamping of downtown’s digital presence. Look for more in the coming months. Thoughts and suggestions on the new website are welcome and may be directed to Nikki Hindman at info@downtownrutland.com.