SAN MARCOS -- People looking for San Marcos in cyberland Friday can expect to find a whole new look.

A new city Web site that puts "breaking news" right up front and lets visitors find the information they're looking for in three mouse clicks or less is scheduled to make its debut Friday morning.

The new version, at www.san-marcos.net, replaces a city Web site that dated back to 2001.

Giving the City Council a preview of the new site earlier this week, city spokeswoman Jenny Peterson said it features a more modern look than its predecessor.

The new site also is much quicker and easier to navigate, she said.

"We wanted the site to capture the essence of our community through its look and feel," said Peterson, who oversaw the redesign project. "The design of our new site makes San Marcos stand out among cities both on a regional and national basis. We've also set a 'three click' goal, which means information should never be more than three (mouse) clicks away."

The new site's features include:

- A clearer, more-intuitive layout that offers multiple paths to the same information

- A central spot for city documents

- The ability to conduct online surveys

- A section where people can sign up to receive e-mail notices about such things as new city calendar postings and job openings

- A "frequently asked questions" section

Those and other features are designed to engage the site's visitors and encourage two-way communication between the city and its residents, Peterson said Thursday.

San Marcos has maintained an Internet presence for several years. City officials have said the average lifespan of any Web site typically is about four years.

The redesign got under way last year, when the city hired Vision Internet as a consultant on the effort.

The company used feedback from a public survey and data gathered during the 2007 wildfires to help determine how the Web site should be changed.

City Manager Paul Malone said that data showed the city's Web site got more than 700,000 "hits" during the fires.

"Many of those were from elsewhere and all over the globe," he said. "That was quite an eye-opener for me."

The survey results revealed that the Web site was a primary portal to the city for nonresidents, Malone said. City officials also learned that visitors found the old site difficult to use and that residents were eager for more opportunities to get information and interact with City Hall online, he and Peterson said.

Malone said the city will continue to add to the site, eventually making it possible for people to do things such as file a complaint, track its status and see which city staff member is assigned to handle the problem -- all online.

"I think this is an increasingly e-literate society, as opposed to illiterate," Malone said. "And I think people are increasing looking to glean information in a very fast and easy manner. And now we're just a couple of keystrokes away."

Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.