NATCHEZ — Visit Natchez’s recently launched new website aims to be both more sleek and user-friendly than the previous version.

Not only has the website implemented more imagery and a simpler interface for users since it launched last month, but it also makes a big leap in mobile usability, Natchez Tourism Director Jennifer Ogden Combs said.

“Our old website was not mobile-optimized,” Combs said. “It was not easy to navigate, especially on smartphones and even on small (tablets).”

The new site even features a view of Natchez from the lens of its inhabitants and visitors by pulling user-generated images from social media that use #VisitNatchez in their posts. For example, an Instagram photo of the bright red poppies at Natchez Under-the-Hill posted by G. Douglas Adams Photography stood out Friday on the website’s home page.

So long as the content is deemed appropriate by monitors, posts using the aforementioned hash tag have a chance at being featured, Combs said.

Other aspects of the site took into account feedback heard over the years, such as the new calendar of local live music events. The calendar is now separate of other events, and users can scroll through a list of performances scheduled in Natchez through mid-June.

Even something as simple as having a map showing how close Natchez is to various metropolitan areas has proven beneficial, Combs said.

“I had someone say to me, ‘Wow, I had no idea how close Natchez is to Dallas,’” Combs said.

Combs conceded that the website was working through some minor bugs, mainly dealing with the resolution of the images, but she said staff members are working on fixing those issues.

All in all, Combs said the new Visit Natchez website both looks and feels better for those using and viewing the site.

“We were looking for a fresh look,” Combs said. “Something that had a fresher look to it, but also a real ease of being able to get people information and be able to get people information of all aspects of Natchez.”

One of the most pleasing aspects of creating the site, Combs said, is the affordability of the services. Visit Natchez has worked with Sapphire Technologies in Austin, Texas, which Combs said has provided an excellent service at a good price.

Though Combs said she would have to pull the invoices to determine the actual price, she said the cost was “very, very surprising” given the service.

“It’s in the low five figures,” Combs said.

The website will continue to see improvements and Visit Natchez is always open to suggestions, Combs said.

The revamped site can be viewed at www.visitnatchez.org