By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Visitors to Sea Isle City’s newly redesigned municipal website will be immediately taken on a tour of the town – literally.
As soon as they click on seaislecitynj.us they will see drone footage giving them a bird’s-eye view of Sea Isle’s iconic scenery and landmarks, including the ocean, beaches, bays, Townsends Inlet, City Hall, the Promenade and even the whimsically decorated “Smile You’re in Sea Isle” water tower.
Chris Oney, the city’s tourism assistant, said the striking aerial footage was part of Mayor Leonard Desiderio’s desire to make the website more visually appealing.
“When we were talking to the mayor, he wanted it to look more modern, to have a more flashy atmosphere,” explained Oney, who was one of the city officials who helped with the website redesign.
The city’s previous website had been updated periodically, but this is probably the first time Sea Isle has undertaken a major overhaul in five to seven years, Oney estimated.
“It was really important. We want to stay on top of the times and be a little ahead of the curve. That’s what we went for,” he said.
Oney joined with City Clerk Shannon Romano, City Solicitor Paul Baldini and City Public Information Officer Katherine Custer to create a mockup of the webpage’s redesign that was presented to Sea Isle’s web consultant.
“We physically drew up how we wanted the front page to look,” he said.
The website made its formal debut on Dec. 29.
“We wanted to have a launch for the new year,” Oney noted. “Our goal was to start the new year with a new site.”
In addition to the dramatic drone footage, visitors will notice a far more inviting look on the homepage compared to the previous website’s relatively staid appearance.
It is also much more user-friendly, Oney pointed out.
“I feel the layout is easy to navigate,” he said. “You can get everything on the front page.”
Tabs at the top of the homepage offer an array of information at a person’s fingertips about Sea Isle’s government departments, meetings, news announcements, special events, construction projects and more.
A special coronavirus tab offers updates on the COVID-19 crisis, including links to related information.
A “Visitor Info” tab provides information useful for tourists, including the city’s calendar of special events, a directory of Sea Isle businesses and how much it costs for beach tags and parking during the summer season.
The “Floodplain Management” section offers information for property owners about flood-mitigation projects, flood insurance and how to protect their properties from stormwater.
Oney said the webpage designers worked with each city department on a list of frequently asked questions to help keep members of the public well informed and save them time while scrolling through the site.
In the first week since the redesigned website was launched, the city has been making minor tweaks to improve it. Oney said there will be frequent updates to keep the site fresh for Sea Isle’s residents and visitors.
An upgraded platform will also improve the city’s ability to monitor the website’s usage through Google Analytics, he noted.
