Customer Story – West Northamptonshire Council
From Reactive to Proactive:
How West Northamptonshire Council Uses Search Insights to Improve Every Resident Journey
Problem
When four councils merged into West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), content was consolidated into a single, website – but the team had no clear visibility into how residents were searching or where they were struggling to find information.
Need
A simple, accessible way for the council’s small digital team to understand real resident search behaviour, identify content gaps, and prioritise improvements based on data.
Solution
Cludo gave WNC the confidence to make data-led decisions about their website. By understanding what residents were searching for and where they encountered friction, the team has delivered more relevant search experiences — resulting in a 70% search click-through rate.
When Four Councils Became One
When West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) was formed through the merger of four councils, content from across the organisations was brought together into a single, complex website. Once the new site was launched, a clear issue emerged: residents weren’t always able to find what they needed.
“We realised pretty quickly that the search wasn’t working very well,” says David Bevan, Lead Content Designer at West Northamptonshire Council. “There was a very fragmented customer experience.”
With thousands of pages and multiple legacy structures, the team needed more than a search tool. They needed a way to understand how residents were actually trying to navigate the site. That’s where Cludo came in.
Using Search Data to Understand Resident Behaviour
Once Cludo was implemented, the team gained visibility into real-time resident behaviour, something they had never had before. Instead of relying on assumptions, support tickets, or anecdotal feedback, they could see exactly what people were searching for, where searches were failing, and which topics were creating friction.
“It’s really intuitive,” says David. “You can go in, understand what’s happening, and start making improvements straight away.”
From Search Tool to Decision Driver
What started as a search improvement tool quickly became something more valuable: a feedback loop for understanding resident intent at scale. Today, Cludo is a starting point for the team’s weekly content review cycle.
The impact shows up in specific, practical ways.
In one case, Cludo data showed that most top search queries originated from the homepage, with one exception. Searches for “garden waste” were coming primarily from the Bins, Recycling and Waste page, which told WNC the service wasn’t visible enough in the main navigation. A simple fix: add it as an icon within that page. Searches from the bins page dropped, suggesting residents were now finding the service directly.
“If we see people searching for something and they’re not finding it, we know we need to do something about it.”
Putting the resident first can also mean directing them to a different website. The team noticed that lots of residents were searching for “Barnwell Country Park” on the WNC site. This park is actually in the North Northamptonshire council area, but by using Cludo they were able to direct them straight to the right page on the North Northants Council website.
Over time, these small adjustments build up. A clearer label here, a better link there, a service surfaced in the right place. While they may not be huge changes on their own, they make the site easier to use for the people who rely on it every day.
From Guesswork to Confidence
The results speak for themselves. WNC now has a search click-through rate of around 70% – a strong signal that residents are consistently reaching the information they need.
The bigger shift is in confidence. The team no longer has to guess where residents are struggling or which pages need attention, their search data makes the priorities visible. For a team whose job is ultimately to help people access the services they need, knowing that fewer residents are hitting dead ends matters beyond the metrics.
“We never have a conversation about content improvement without going into Cludo,” says David. “It makes the customer journey feel real, and it gives you confidence in managing the site.”
By embedding search data into everyday decision-making, WNC has moved from reactive website management to continuous, evidence-led improvement, turning search into a practical engine for better resident experiences.
To see Cludo on your council website, request a demo today.