Ninety Seconds
A site selector at a major consulting firm told us something that should concern every economic development professional: they spend an average of ninety seconds on a region's website before deciding whether to investigate further or move on.
In ninety seconds, they're not reading your mission statement. They're not exploring your incentive calculator. They're absorbing a visual impression: Does this region look serious? Does this organization look competent? Does this website signal that they understand what matters to a Fortune 500 company evaluating a $50M capital investment?
What Site Selectors Actually Look For
Through our work with economic development agencies, we've identified what site selectors evaluate in those critical first moments:
- Data accessibility — can they find workforce statistics, utility costs, and available sites within two clicks?
- Visual sophistication — does the presentation match the quality they'd expect from the companies they serve?
- Responsiveness — does the site work on the mobile device they're using in the airport between client meetings?
- Differentiation — is there anything memorable about this region's positioning, or does it blend into the fifty other blue-and-white development agency websites?
The Brand as Infrastructure
Economic development organizations invest millions in incentive packages, workforce training programs, and infrastructure improvements. All of these investments are undermined if the brand that presents them to the market looks underfunded.
Your brand is infrastructure. It's the first and most persistent signal the market receives about whether your region is a serious contender. A $30K brand investment can be the difference between making a $50M short list and being eliminated in ninety seconds.
What Good Looks Like
The development agencies that win attention share common traits: clean, data-forward websites that load fast and work on mobile. Professional marketing materials that lead with metrics and outcomes rather than political talking points. A visual identity that signals competence, not bureaucracy.
These aren't luxury expenses. They're the minimum viable presentation for competing in a market where the private sector sets the standard.