Recent upgrades to the Giddings Economic Development Corporation (GEDC) website have proven to be a success. The site has a fresh new look and “hits” to the site are on the rise. The new and improved website offers an opportunity for the Economic Development Corporation to make Giddings more visible to the business world.

“We set out last September to organize a complete overhaul of the website. It was incomplete, from a business standpoint, and contained outdated information,” said GEDC Marketing Manager Dana Lehmann. “In today’s business world having an up-to-date online presence, with current, pertinent information, is of the utmost importance. We gave the site a “facelift” changing almost everything including the color scheme, logo and the link options.”

Interest in the site has picked up with page views increasing more than 250% for some months, when compared to the same month the previous year. For instance, views on the site during the month of December 2009 were 398. Total views for the month of December 2010 were 1,451. “We have given visitors more to look at, and in turn they are spending more time on the site,” said Lehmann. “Work on the site will continue because it is an ongoing project, but we have made changes that have us headed in the right direction. Traffic on the site was up over 160% for the month of May and we are expecting to continue to show an upward trend for the remainder of the year.”

Several tools have been added to the site, including a list of commercial properties, updated demographics for Giddings and Lee County, a community profile, and other information about projects and programs offered by EDC. These tools are designed to help the EDC promote business development in Giddings.

Other enhancements to the site include: links to valuable business and information websites, local news and updates, Newsletters, photos and a list of agendas and minutes for EDC meetings. Lehmann stated, “It was important to upgrade the site so that we can show potential developers, businesses, and employers what Giddings has to offer. The website is an opportunity to show the world a “picture” of what Giddings is like.”

In the coming months, the site will include a You Tube video that will further highlight what Giddings has to offer. And, using a program offered by the Governor’s office, GEDC expects to provide a GIS mapping link for all the commercial properties listed on the site. This tool will help showcase local properties on a statewide level.

The public, especially the business community, is invited to visit the site, www.GiddingsEDC.com. The public can send in pertinent business information about Giddings for possible inclusion on the site, and/or inclusion in the GEDC newsletter. The GEDC is working to maintain a complete listing of commercial properties that are available for sale or lease in Giddings. Anyone with property that meets these criteria is welcome to be included on the list. Information about listing a property can be requested from the EDC at drlehmann@verizon.net