Six Months of Collinstown's Website

This date 6 months ago collinstown.ie went live.  Now there is an average of 50 people on the website on a daily basis, these visitors look at an average of 3 articles on the site.  On days where interesting new content is posted and shared on social media we have about 100 visitors to the site.

This website was launched to give all clubs and groups in Collinstown a space through which to communicate with everyone; a space that didn't mind whether or not you had a Facebook account.  Collinstown Action Group are spearheading this project.  Damian Duffy built the site for us and is looking after all the background detail and ongoing maintenance.

Collinstown on Google - Then and Now

Six months ago information on Collinstown Co. Westmeath was not easy to find on Google.  When we did a search we found a few properties to rent, a few old news articles, some Facebook pages for groups and clubs.  Facebook is a great for communicating with people that are on Facebook, timing of posts and whether or not they have liked your page will have a huge impact on who will see your post though.

Today six months after the website launch, we are delighted to say that Collinstown is very well represented on a Google search.Collinstown.ie is ranking well on Google for

• Collinstown

• Collinstown Westmeath

• Lough Lene

• Collinstown Farmers Market

• Collinstown Parent Toddler Group

• Collinstown Fore Parish

• Lough Lene Gaels

• Lough Lene Gaels Camogie

• Collinstown Fore ICA

• Collinstown Tidy Towns

We are delighted that now, when someone searches for information on Collinstown or the groups in Collinstown, they are directed to the website.

Put it to the Test

We really put the website to the test when setting up the Text Alert for Collinstown, Fore and Drumcree at the end of August.  We were assisting the Community Alert Committee with the set up and put notification of the new service onto the website.  We had one main article with clear details of what was happening.  This notice was then widely shared on Facebook and through Whatsapp - everyone was reading the same information and there was very little room for confusion and mixed messages.  Obviously we also used posters and word of mouth was vital in spreading the word.  Facebook, twitter and Whatsapp drove the traffic to the article on the website, but by having one article in one place it meant that the communication was clear and the message everywhere was the same - there was not one version going around on whatsapp and a different version on each on the local Facebook pages.  We were very pleased with how the website helped us with the launch of the Text Alert and how it made communication easier for such a big project.

It takes a Village

We would like to thank the contributors who add stories and photos to the website and who are actively using it to communicate their groups news.  There has been a marked increase in posts to the website and in the number of people contributing since the beginning of September - this is great to see.  If you are part of a local group, that has not yet got involved with using the website or would like more information on this we would love to talk to you and get you started with the site.  Our aim is to have all local groups and clubs using the calendar and the news section on the website so that everyone knows where to go to find out updates from all groups.

Please contact Mary Duffy on collinstownactiongroup@gmail.com for more information.