How to Create an Effective and Great Park & Recreation Website

Tips on Creating the Best Successful Park & Recreation Website

January 12th, 2009 by Renee Rist

Great Outdoor Websites

Park and Recreation websites are some of the most beautiful sites I’ve seen on the web. Unfortunately, there are countless park websites on a city, county, state, and even national level that are very out-of-date. One of the most important goals for any Park and Recreation department is getting visitors and supporters to the park. It comes at no surprise that having an out-of-date website can work against this overall goal.

Below are three website tips that will turn any Park and Recreation website into a success. Each park tip includes one real-life, successful outdoor website example to drive home each lesson.

Park Tip #1: Evoke Emotion Through Design

Tennessee Summer Vacation Website

It’s been proven that people are more apt to “act” on something if they are moved, awed, excited, inspired, or can relate to a specific situation or thing. This theory, if possible, should be applied to your website. Your park website should be appealing enough that it evokes emotion out of your users—so much so that they support or visit your park.

Having great website design will also make it enjoyable for your users to visit the website. Good design also allows people to find information quickly and easily. To gain exposure, you can even enter your website into web design competitions. Ohio, for example, has a website competition specifically for Ohio Park Websites.

Real-World Example
The award-winning, State of Tennessee website has one website for each season: winter, fall, spring, and summer. What do you feel when you visit each seasonal website? For me, each one evokes a different emotion. The summer website is warm, bright, and inviting. It reminds me of warm weather, fishing, and summer fun. The fall website reminds me of hiking and how amazing the colored trees look on the trails. All of these great feelings make me want to head down to the Great Smokey Mountains for a fun-filled vacation. If your website is designed well, you can evoke this same emotion from your users. Although not everyone has the budget for four websites, simply changing a few photos on your website to reflect each season will keep your park website fresh and exciting.

Park Tip #2: Talk To Your Audience

Conservation International

Every park website should contain general information about the park (History, Hours, Locations, Job Postings, Contact Information, etc). However, if all you are listing is general information, you are missing a huge opportunity to connect with your audience. Your park website should also be your voice, and should include at least a few of the following: event calendar, news feed, e-newsletter sign-up, or blog. Having a few of these communication tools will keep your audience up-to-date with what’s happening at your park. Updating your website regularly with upcoming events, news, and important topics will get more people involved with the park and give people a reason to keep visiting the website.

Real-Word Example
The Conservation International (CI) website serves as a great example on how to communicate with an audience. This nonprofit organization is extremely passionate about protecting biodiversity around the world. CI not only allows other passionate people to subscribe to their conservation newsletter, but also encourage users to get involved by donating to the cause. They even went above and beyond by allowing users to subscribe to press releases, news, and featured articles via RSS Feed. Make sure you effectively communicate with your audience—it will encourage return visits to your website.

Park Tip #3: Educate Your Users

Lincoln Park Chicago

Each city, county, state, and national park has a different goal or passion. Some parks devote themselves to conservation, while others focus on boosting tourism or bettering a community. Take the time to devote a section of your website to educating users on your park’s goals, passions, and/or involvement with a specific cause. If your audience is educated on your park’s passion(s), there is a greater chance people will get involved, support the park, and/or spread the word.

Real-World Example
The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois has one of the largest zoo-based conservation programs in the country. They are extremely passionate about using science as a method for wildlife conservation and animal management. Their website has a robust conservation and science section that educates users on their program. With in this section, you can volunteer, donate, and read countless educational pieces about conservation and science. Each and every park has it’s own unique story to be told, so make sure you take the time to tell yours! A little education can go a long way.