Government advertises online servicesPosted 12/08/2004
The UK government has started advertising its website on search engine Google in order to generate more traffic.
The government's flagship website - Directgov - was launched in March and brings together all public service information.
Directgov is being advertised via paid-for listing providers, Google, Overture and Espotting, using pay-per-click services. It is the first time the government has used keyword listings to promote its online services and is a response to disappointing user figures for the Directgov website.
The keywords being used by the UK government mean that if, for example, web users search Google for child tax credit or driving tests, a link to its "citizen" portal or the DTI's Business Link website will appear.
The government plans initially to focus its online advertising on three key target groups - families, the disabled and motorists.
"These groups are more likely to go to the site for practical things such as finding out about child benefit or renewing a license," a spokesman for the Cabinet Office told BBC News Online.
The government reported that, since the start of the pay-per-click marketing campaign three weeks ago, traffic had increased from 471,000 to 589,000 unique users. © DeHavilland Information Services plc
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