CONTENT STRATEGY AND WEBSITE AUDITChippewa County Department of Public Health
needed to assess if their website effectively supported their mission to prevent disease, promote health, and protect the community. I conducted a strategic audit of the site’s navigation, content structure, and accessibility to identify opportunities for improvement. I delivered a redesigned homepage structure, clearer information pathways for residents, and recommendations that align the website with community health priorities and public health accreditation goals.
Timeline
March-June
Role
Content Strategy
Communication Design
Information Architecture
Visual Design
Deliverables
Comprehensive website audit report
Annotated screenshots
Sitemap and content strategy
Clickable homepage prototype
The Challenge
The public health department’s website lives within the larger county government website system. This created several constraints, including the team could edit content and page layout, but could not redesign the visual interface or overall platform.
During kickoff conversations with the team, they revealed some of their concerns:
Information felt fragmented and difficult to navigate
The same information often appeared in multiple places
The site was organized by internal divisions, rather than community needs
It was difficult for residents to quickly determine where to go for services
For example, someone looking for reproductive health services might encounter the same information across several sections of the site, creating confusion about where to start.
At the same time, the county was planning to migrate to a new website platform, meaning the team needed guidance on how to structure content for the future site as well.
The audit needed to answer a simple question: Is the current website helping residents find and understand the health information they need?
Understanding the Community
To ensure my recommendations reflected real community needs in Chippewa County, the audit included data from the county’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA).
The CHNA identified several major issues affecting residents, including:
Mental health challenges
Substance misuse and alcohol misuse
Lack of access to childcare
Transportation barriers
Housing affordability
Limited access to healthcare and insurance
Poor nutrition and tobacco use
These priorities helped me to prioritize how information should be presented on the website so residents could more easily find services.
Key Insight
The website was primarily organized around internal departments and divisions rather than the needs of the community. For example, someone looking for reproductive health information or family services might encounter the same information across several sections of the site, making it difficult to determine where to start.
This structure reflected how the organization works internally, but not how the public searches for information. This led to a less utilization of services by community members.
Recommendations
I proposed several improvements that would help the County Health Department could utilize to support the community
Reorganize Navigation Around Community Topics
Move from department-based navigation to a topic-based structure such as:
Mental health
Reproductive health
Family support
Environmental health
This approach reflected how Chippewa County residents think about health services that are available to them.
Highlight Community Programs and Resources
Move from department-based navigation to a topic-based structure such as:
Mental health
Reproductive health
Family support
Environmental health
This approach reflected how Chippewa County residents think about health services that are available to them.
Improve Content Hierarchy
Introduce a page structure with more clarity that includes:
Short summaries
Structured headings
Clearer calls to action
Grouped service information
This would make content easier to quickly scan, easily understand, and find the correct service.
Strengthen Public Communication
I also recommended:
A news or community updates section
Better integration with the department’s active social media presence
Clearer messaging aligned with community health priorities
These improvements would help the department keep residents informed while maintaining transparency.
Impact
The audit provided Chippewa County Public Health with a clear roadmap to improve how the website communicates services and health information.
By aligning the site structure with community needs and public health priorities, the department can better support residents seeking information, services, and resources.
Deliverables
The final audit deliverables included:
A comprehensive website audit report
Annotated screenshots identifying usability issues
A reorganized sitemap and content strategy
A clickable homepage prototype demonstrating improved structure
I designed the recommendations to be realistic within the department’s constraints while also preparing the site for its upcoming platform transition.
