Frequent visitors to Georgetown County’s website will need to update their bookmarks in the near future. In an effort to strengthen public trust and enhance cybersecurity protections, the County will retire its current web address, gtcounty.org, and move to a new web address, gtcountysc.gov.
Unlike .com or .org domains, which anyone can register for, .gov domain names are reserved exclusively for U.S.-based government organizations and are managed by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). CISA verifies the identity of everyone who applies.
“Cybercriminals and other bad actors often create fake websites or email addresses to impersonate government agencies in an attempt to trick residents into sharing their personal information, or worse, sending money to a malicious third party,” said Seth Housand, Georgetown County’s Director of Management Information Systems. “The move to a .gov domain will help the public identify our website and our email addresses as official and reduce the risk of impersonation attacks.”
In addition to a new web address, the County’s website will also be getting an updated look and feel.
“We’ve been working on this since November of 2025, and while we internally refer to it as a ‘redesign,’ it’s really more of a ‘fresh coat of paint’ than it is ‘we’re knocking out a wall to open up a room,’” said Randy Akers, Multimedia Technology Specialist. “Our goal has been to produce a refreshed website that serves our community while also being in line with more current web design practices and web content guidelines.”
Akers also said that usage analytics have played a central role in the process of updating the website.
“We made sure to consider what users are accessing and incorporate that data into the new design. For example, I never would have thought that our Forfeited Land Commission would be in the top ten most viewed things on our website, but it is. We’re reflecting the public’s interest in that topic and other highly viewed or searched items by placing links on our main page.”
Another change is the elimination of several extraneous websites that were holdovers from before the County last updated its website in 2020. Content from five external websites for the Airport, Economic Development department, Stormwater division, County Fire & EMS and Midway Fire Rescue will be integrated into the County’s main website, allowing for the discontinuation of those older websites and for easier management of content by County staff. Additionally, thanks to a $10,000 grant received from Santee Cooper, four departments – Economic Development, the Airport, the Library and Parks and Recreation – will each receive their own custom designs.
“This grant will allow us to consolidate several key department websites under the County’s primary domain while maintaining tailored, department-specific identities,” said Kelly Robertson-Slagle, Georgetown County Economic Development Director. “From an economic development perspective, this enhancement is especially impactful. Integrating these departments into the County’s main website will strengthen branding consistency, reduce long-term maintenance costs, and improve how we present business opportunities, infrastructure assets, and transportation advantages to site selectors, investors, and visitors.”
The county website’s new address and new look are scheduled to launch on May 7.