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Wasted Government Websites & Search

The paltry trickle of traffic on many UK government sites is partly down to lack of search engine marketing, says Warren Cowen of Greenlight...

Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East, Sarah Teather, heavily criticised the Government's web presence in The Guardian on the 8th December, describing it as 'an embarrassment'...

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Her criticism hinges on the increasing number of government websites with a tiny number of visitors every month. This extreme level of low-traffic was explored in an article in The Guardian entitled The websites nobody wants.

The Guardian's Michael Cross noted that "The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for 11 websites, including what may be the least-visited on the web. UK World Heritage Sites (www.ukworldheritage.org.uk) managed just 77 unique visitors last year.

Warren Cowen, managing director of Greenlight, suggests the Government should be using SEM as part of its web strategy to make websites more visible on the web and justify their expense.

Warren comments: "The Government has adopted a 'build it and they will come' approach to its websites in an attempt to disseminate information online. However, it appears that some government organisations aren't considering what information people want and how they are actually searching for it. Some of the information government websites is useful and sought after, but not so easily accessible."

Warren believes government organisations should be using expert Search Engine Marketing (SEM) consultants to facilitate the best use of their spend. For example, Greenlight worked with The Energy Saving Trust to review the information that citizens were requesting before building a web strategy that visitors could utilise.

Greenlight is a leading Search Engine Marketing (SEM) consultancy with a proven track record of delivering innovative, targeted and accountable Search Engine Marketing campaigns. The company specialises in improving client positioning and website visibility in the top search engines, as well as driving traffic to its clients' websites.

About Greenlight:
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) consultancy Greenlight launched its specialist training arm, Catalyst on 10 November. The new division's remit is to demystify Search Engine Optimisation and Pay-Per-Click techniques for businesses of all sizes. For more information email greenlight@midnight.co.uk or visit