Fang Wang and Ying Wang
develops more mature, SEO and other appropriate online promotion measures are needed for newly established government websites. A master of a government website said:“ When a new website that intends to provide services for a large number of citizens is set up, promotion is necessary.” Thirdly, when a website is known and visited by more and more people, more attentions should be paid to improving its critical functions and website usability in order to optimize the user experiences. Just as an interviewee said,“ when you improve the functions of government websites, citizens will be attracted naturally.” At the same time, promotion should be launched at potential users who objectively need to use but haven’ t visited a specific government website.
3.3.2 Understandings of the superiors
The reason for the feedback of " never heard of government websites " from respondents is that governments lack the same driving force as that of companies in promoting their websites( Ma, 2007). Large number of studies declares that informatization is a“ project of the head” in either governments or businesses. Data showed that the superior’ s decision is the direct drive of government website promotion. A government webmaster said,“ Because the chief leader doesn’ t understand the necessity and urgency of website promotion, no promotion actions were taken”. At present, the main incentives for superiors to attach importance to website construction are website evaluations and rankings, which are launched mainly by consulting companies or special government agencies. Nevertheless, none of present evaluations involves the criteria of promotion capability.
3.3.3 Restriction of the budgets
Some interviewees from government websites spoke of another reason for having not conducted website promotion, " lack of advertising money ". They fall into an error of thinking that website promotion equals to spending money in advertising. Other interviewees think that government websites are not business websites, and neither have advisement expenditure, nor need promotion. But according to an informal report, the average expenditure of a government website is 300, 000 Yuans. Even the construction of a simplest government website needs 100,000 yuans( Xie, 2011). How to promote government websites within existing provisions is a subject worthy of study.
3.4 Promotion of government websites
3.4.1 Foundations of government website promotion
As abovementioned, government websites have properties of mass media, which are promoting channels themselves. Therefore, to strengthen their functions means to improve their capabilities of promoting themselves. Some interviewees from government websites don’ t think that promotion is as urgent as strengthening their smart functions at present. " Generally speaking, government websites don`t need advertisement. If does, what needs to do is to inform the public of our service items and let them know what affairs they can deal with via government websites."" Government websites shouldn ' t pursue page views without effectiveness.... Strengthening information openness and improving service functions are the best ways to promote a government website "( Tang, 2008). " As long as users can find what they need on a website, can deal with affairs via the website, the number of its clicks will rise naturally." " The most important thing is that the website is really useful and can be used to handle affairs ". Government website promotion should proceed with the delivery of specific services. An interviewee said, "... The promotion of a government website should be a part of its everyday concerns instead of a singly‐ranked affair.... Of course, some specific activities can be promoted solely..... Website promotion should be implemented together with other promotion activities of the government.... Take the railway ticket sale in 2012 for instance. When various mass media taught the public to buy train tickets via a special government website, this website was promoted spontaneously."
3.4.2 Strategies for promoting government websites
By analyzing data iteratively, two types of promotion channels were identified. One is traditional media, including television, radio, newspaper, street sign, light box, car ads, electronic screens, brochures, packages, etc. Governments supervise media and can influence their behaviors in some way. For example, governments can promote new online services through press conferences. The director of Zhengzhou e‐Government center
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