Best Practices
The Federal Web Managers Council, of the Interagency Committee on Government Information (ICGI), recommended these best practices in its June 2004 report to OMB: “Recommended Policies and Guidelines for Federal Public Websites.” They are practices that many federal agencies have adopted to make their websites more citizen-centered.
They can also help you implement “OMB Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites,” as mentioned in the cover memo from OMB.
Management and Governance
- Top 10 Practices for Great Government Websites
- Use Government Domains
- Show U.S. Sponsorship
- Avoid Advertising
- Establish Linking Policies and Procedures
- Ensure Continuity of Operations During Emergencies
- Collaborate in Developing Cross-Agency Portals
- Avoid Duplication
Managing Content
- Focus on top tasks rather than information
- Provide Dates and Ensure Content is Current
- Organize Content Based on Audience Needs
- Write for the Web / Plain Language
- Have an Effective Homepage
- Avoid Publishing Information for Employees
- Use Basic Common Content, Terminology, and Placement
- Contact Information (“Contact us” page)
- Organizational Information (“About us” page)
- Site Map or A-Z Index
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Online Services
- Forms and Publications
- Jobs and Employment Information
- Information about Regulations
- Information about Grants and Contracts
- Site Policies and Notices
- Manage Links
- Link to Appropriate Cross-Agency Portals
- Link Back to Your Homepage
- Link to USA.gov (formerly FirstGov.gov)
- Use Standard Metadata
Usability, Accessibility, and Design
- Provide Common Access for a Broad Range of Visitors
- Use Appropriate File Formats
- Provide Appropriate Access to Data
- Use Consistent Navigation
Improving and Evaluating Your Website
- Develop a Plan to Evaluate Your Site
- Tying Website Evaluation to Mission Achievement
- Know Your Audience and Do Market Research
- Measure Customer Satisfaction
- Do Usability Testing
- Measure Visitor Traffic
- Fix Broken Links
- Measure Technical Performance
- Inform Audiences of Website Changes
- Market Your Site
- Apply for Awards and Get Recognized
Using Technology
Other "Best Practice" Resources
- Short checklist of all requirements and best practices
(PDF, 26.2 KB, August, 2005 requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
- Detailed checklist of all requirements and best practices
(PDF, 98.7 KB, March, 2006 requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
- Examples of agencies that have implemented these best practices
- What other governments are doing
- Best practices for email, phone, and other customer service channels (developed by the Citizen Service Levels Interagency Committee)
Page Updated or Reviewed: March 10, 2008