How Chesterfield County Built a Smarter, More Accessible Digital Experience with CivicPlus

Background: A County on the Rise—and on a Mission

In Chesterfield County, Virginia, the eGovernment Services team isn’t just maintaining technology—they’re reshaping how government connects with residents through digital services. With a team that balances strategic leadership and on-the-ground execution, they’ve led a digital transformation that’s being recognized across the country . Such recognitions include the Virginia Commonwealth Technology Award for Big Data and Analytics, a Government Experience (GovX) Award, NAGW Pinnacle Award, and a CivicPlus Civic Experience award.

The Chesterfield team wasn’t content with “good enough.” They had bold goals: radically improve accessibility, reduce digital clutter, create a seamless experience for residents, and empower departments with data—not just to inform, but to inspire.

Led by Chris Coleman, eGovernment Services Manager, the project drew on the strengths of the full eGovernment Services team and departmental contributors. Lauren Henry, Senior Content Developer, played a pivotal role in the site’s content transformation, working closely with departments to streamline navigation, refresh content, and ensure accessibility and clarity.

The Challenge: Cluttered, Complex, and Hard to Navigate

Over the years, Chesterfield’s website had grown to over 4,000 pages—many outdated, redundant, or inaccessible.
The challenges were familiar to many governments:

• Accessibility issues cropped up as new content was added, with automated scans identifying many potential accessibility issues that had contributed to a 60% compliance score according to Acquia Optimize.
• Inconsistent content quality made it hard for users to trust information.
• Disparate systems created friction in the resident experience, requiring multiple logins or external redirects to complete tasks.
• Limited analytics storytelling left departments unsure how their digital presence was performing—or how to improve it.

Henry recalls meeting with departments who were well-intentioned but overwhelmed. “They cared about their content, but didn’t always understand why something wasn’t working,” says Henry. “Our job was to help them connect the dots between quality content, accessibility, and user trust.”

The Solution: Seamless Technology + Smart Strategy

By implementing a variety of CivicPlus solutions from our Civic Impact Platform, such as Municipal Websites, Aquia Optimize, and Agenda and Meeting Management, the county spearheaded their plan to modernize and expand their impact.

A Bold Resident-Centered Redesign

The eGovernment Services team undertook a complete website overhaul, built on the CivicPlus Municipal Website platform.

“We initially approached this as an upgrade like moving from a flagship iPhone model to its slimmer version—a halfway step before an eventual ground-up redesign. This process involved working closely with content owners and departmental experts to ensure organizational buy-in with the site and content we were already working with. Each page in our sitemap was meticulously reviewed and often rebuilt to enhance accessibility and mobile friendliness,” says Coleman.

They reduced the site map and trimmed pages down without losing critical content. The result? A cleaner, faster, and more accessible experience.

“We didn’t just cut pages—we rethought how information should be grouped, navigated, and presented. Everything is more intentional now,” says Henry.

In addition, developing seamless integrations was another critical component of the initiative. The team invested in new and innovative solutions to better connect content, systems and people to services—this involved reimagining everything from how a form is filled out to how a search is conducted.

Accessibility Transformation with Acquia Optimize

After recognizing the need to make their website more accessible, Chesterfield used Acquia Optimize to track and resolve accessibility issues, identify broken links, enforce content policies, and implement best practices across the site.

In addition to utilizing the accessibility components, the team also used Acquia Optimize’s powerful website health, data, and optimization functionality to turn data into a story, showing department heads the progress with charts that visually tracked errors.

Coleman and Henry knew that raw numbers wouldn’t spark change. So, they reimagined how analytics were shared—by borrowing a concept from popular digital music service Spotify.

Their “Analytics Wrapped” program delivers quarterly, customized reports to each department, comparing performance, highlighting trends, and celebrating wins. It turns data into a compelling story while also working to improve content quality from contributors.

They even created a “page value score” formula that combines views, freshness, and relative ranking to give departments meaningful insights—not just numbers.

The Impact & Results: A Smarter, Seamless, and More Accessible County Experience

Chesterfield County’s digital transformation wasn’t just about checking boxes, it was about making meaningful improvements in how government connects with and serves its community. Through their strategic use of CivicPlus tools, such as with Municipal Websites, Acquia Optimize, Agenda and Meeting Management, and more, and a relentless focus on user experience, the impact of their work has rippled through every corner of the county.

Site Map Reduced by 90%—Without Losing Content

The county went from over 4,000 pages to just under 400. But this wasn’t a content purge—it was a thoughtful reorganization. Every department participated in audits, navigation restructuring, and content consolidation, led by the eGovernment Services team.
The result?

• Information is now easier to find.
• Departments are more aware of their digital presence and understand the importance of providing intentional, inclusive content.
• Site visitors complete tasks in fewer clicks, and bounce rates are down.

95% Compliance: Accessibility at Scale with Acquia Optimize

Before the website redesign, Acquia Optimize flagged a myriad of accessibility issues. Many stemmed from legacy content, broken links, and improperly structured headings.

Here’s what the Chesterfield County team accomplished:

• Website improved from around 60% compliance to over 95% (and still improving), as validated by Acquia Optimize.
• The team added alt text to thousands of images.
• They restructured content for screen readers using heading hierarchy and plain language.
• They slashed PDF clutter and moved to more accessible formats. They reduced PDF content from 18,000 to 2,000, ensuring consistent content structure and enhancing inclusivity and connecting all community members to vital information.
• They actively monitor performance through Acquia Optimize dashboards and share results with leadership.

From Spreadsheets to Storytelling: Data to Improve Both Staff Collaboration and User Experiences

Chesterfield’s “Analytics Wrapped” reports using Acquia Optimize give each department a personalized, narrative view of how their pages are performing. By comparing against historical performance and other departments, they’ve turned analytics into a source of insight and accountability.

This has helped shift the culture:

• Departments now request analytics proactively.
• Data reviews have become strategic conversations.
• Performance is tied to outcomes, not just impressions.
• Data is used to ensure the modernization efforts were aligned with community needs and preferences, resulting in a more relevant and user-centric platform.

“We don’t do data dumps. We tell the story behind the numbers—and that’s what drives change,” says Coleman.

Improved Efficiency, Improved Experiences: Cutting Clicks in Half with Municipal Websites

By improving the overall experience with CivicPlus’ Municipal Websites solutions, the new site allows users to reach key information in 2–3 clicks, down from 5–7.

Interactive, mobile-friendly online forms streamlined county processes. Developing over 100 forms with conditional logic and notification routing significantly reduced the need for phone calls and in-person visits. Residents can now submit permit applications, report issues, and request services from their homes, improving efficiency and convenience.

Further, the flexibility of CivicPlus has allowed the team to integrate third-party systems like Power Automate, and even internally developed customer applications—without disrupting the resident experience.

Examples include:

• Online forms that stay within their county website and instantly feed into Excel dashboards for staff via Power Automate.
• Planning and zoning data unified into a single, searchable source of truth—connecting GIS, community development, and website content.
• Public meeting materials, comments, and agendas managed seamlessly through CivicPlus Agenda and Meeting Management, boosting transparency and staff efficiency.

Residents no longer need to think about where the data lives—it’s all accessible through a unified interface. Their CivicPlus county website acts as a single, intuitive front door to county services.

“We don’t want users to hit dead ends or logins. We want them to get what they need, without knowing what system it came from,” says Coleman.

CivicPlus as a Partner for Innovation

Far from just implementing tools out of the box, Chesterfield takes advantage of CivicPlus’ capabilities to integrate with external solutions:

• Custom styling and embedded solutions enhance usability.
• A new library microsite was integrated into the core domain.
• They’ve begun experimenting with integrating an AI-enhanced site search product within the CivicPlus solution, bringing conversational experiences to civic information discovery.

And it’s not just about residents—staff benefit too. The platform supports internal training, shared governance, and consistent content strategies across the county.

“Whether you’re a small town with no development team or a large county with custom applications—CivicPlus works either way,” says Henry.

Why CivicPlus? A Flexible, Forward-Looking Partner

“You don’t have to be a developer to succeed with CivicPlus—but if you are, it gives you the room to innovate,” says Coleman.

Chesterfield’s team describes CivicPlus as the solid foundation on which they continue to build. Whether it’s integrating AI search, consolidating digital services, or improving backend workflows, CivicPlus offers the flexibility, scalability, and support they need.

“Overall, the modernization of Chesterfield.gov, centered on interconnectivity, has significantly enhanced the civic experience. By creating a more accessible, efficient and user-friendly digital platform, we have seamlessly connected residents to the services and information they need. This initiative has addressed immediate challenges and laid the groundwork for continuous improvement and innovation, ensuring Chesterfield.gov remains a valuable resource for our community,” says Coleman.

Final Thought

“We like to say we’re not just government workers—we’re data nerds, storytellers, and problem solvers. And we’re proud of what we’ve built—not just for our leadership, but for every resident who uses our website to find answers, get services, and trust their local government,” says Coleman.