Affiliations: [a] Department of Political Science, Campus Box 10030,
Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: James Vanderleeuw, Department of Political
Science, Campus Box 10030, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77710, USA. Tel.: +1
409 880 2288; E-mail: vanderlejm@my.lamar.edu
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which
cities in the United States use their web site to promote strategic goals, in
particular the goal of economic development. With growing use of and reliance
upon web-based information in modern society, it becomes increasingly important
to understand how local communities use their web site. Do cities in the United
States use the Internet to promote their city as a beneficial place to conduct
business, as urban economy literature suggests that they might? If not, what
kinds of information do cities convey via their web sites? Are web sites used
for purposes of city branding at all? To address these questions, this study
uses results of a content analysis of 345 city web sites. The cities are
home-rule cities in the state of Texas. Relying on literature on web page
usage, we examine a web site's homepage image and title, the links provided on
the homepage, and the destination of these links. The study's findings suggest
that while some city web pages reflect a strategic goal, for the most part
cities are not using their web site to promote any strategic goal, economic or
otherwise. We argue that even if uncertain of results, city leaders should
consider at least modest changes to their web site to better promote and brand their city.
Keywords: Web page, cities, economic development, branding, web page image, web page title
