Instructions for Linking to USA.gov
(Formerly FirstGov.gov)
On January 18, 2007, the official portal of the U.S. government will officially change its name to USA.gov. FirstGov.gov will become USA.gov; and FirstGov en español.gov will become GobiernoUSA.gov.
Below are instructions for government web managers to help you change all your current links, text, and logos that refer to FirstGov.gov and Español.gov.
Instructions for Government Web Managers
1) When do I make the change?
All references to FirstGov.gov should be changed to USA.gov NO EARLIER than January 11—but NO LATER than January 18, 2007. This timing is important because the domain name will soft launch on January 11, and we will have various press events on January 18.
On your Spanish pages, all references to Español.gov or FirstGov en español should change to GobiernoUSA.gov during the same timeframe.
2) What do I need to change on my site?
a) Text or logos that refer to FirstGov. gov (you can use either a text link or a logo):
- If you choose to use text links, please use: “USA.gov” (USA should be in all caps).
- For Spanish, use “GobiernoUSA.gov” (USA should be in all caps).
- New logos can be found at:
b) URLs:
- All URLs to the domain www.firstgov.gov (links either to our homepage or any of our internal pages) should be changed to the new domain: www.usa.gov
- All hyperlinks to the domain www.espanol.gov or www.firstgov.gov/Espanol (the Spanish home page) should be changed to www.gobiernousa.gov.
c) Link descriptions you use to describe the site:
- English: "USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal"
- Spanish: “GobiernoUSA.gov, el portal oficial del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos"
d) Alt text for any links
- English: “USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal”
- Spanish: “GobiernoUSA.gov, el portal oficial del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos”
3)Is this a requirement?
Yes, it is a requirement for federal websites. Per OMB Policy (Section F), all federal websites must have a link to USA.gov "on their principal website and all major entry points."
4) What about state and local government websites?
We highly encourage state and local government websites to link to USA.gov (and GobiernoUSA.gov for Spanish pages). This helps visitors who want government information from various levels of government, but might not know where to start. USA.gov helps people find U.S. government information and services at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels.
All but four state portal websites link to FirstGov.gov, and many state agencies, local governments, tribal governments, and U.S. territories link to us.
5) What if I can't change all our links by the January 18 deadline?
We understand that some of you may have a link to FirstGov.gov on almost every page of your website, and that changing it to USA.gov may be harder to change for some agencies than others.
If you're unable to change all your links by January 18th, please focus on making the change on your homepage and most visited pages first.
6) Will the FirstGov.gov URL still work?
Yes. We'll implement a permanent redirect so that anyone typing in FirstGov.gov will arrive at USA.gov. All of your existing www.firstgov.gov and español.gov URLs will redirect to the correct page on USA.gov. However, because USA.gov is our new brand beginning January 18, we want as many websites as possible to use the new name and URL.
7) Do I need to change links to Webcontent.gov?
Yes, but it is not the highest priority. Although the URL for Webcontent.gov will change from www.firstgov.gov/webcontent to www.usa.gov/webcontent, we'll put in a redirect so you don't need to make any changes right now. URLs for Webcontent.gov can be changed after your firstgov.gov and español.gov URLs are changed.
8) Why did FirstGov change its name?
You can read more about the name change, including reasons for the change and new features on the site.
9) Who can I pass this information to?
Because various media events are planned for January 18, please only share this information within your agency until then. If you would like to announce the name change on your website, please feel free to do so—AFTER January 18.
10) What if I have questions about the name change?
Please contact Russell O'Neill, our project coordinator for our name change.
Why It’s Important to Link to USA.gov
- Section 204 of the E-Government Act of 2002 [MS Word document, requires MS Word or MS Word Viewer] designates FirstGov.gov (now USA.gov) as the official web portal of the U.S. government.
- USA.gov serves as the "homepage" for the entire U.S. government by providing a topical and organizational directory of U.S. government websites and a government-wide search index. Having this type of high-level “homepage” helps people start browsing from a known location.
- Visitors to your agency’s website may become frustrated if they’re looking for government information and services that are, in fact, covered by another agency. Having a link to USA.gov will help visitors who need to look elsewhere and who need a “starting point” for government information.
- Linking to USA.gov promotes seamless government by allowing citizens to access the vast amount of information from across government without having to know which agency sponsors the information.
Examples
- DHS has a text link to USA.gov in the footer of each page.
- HUD has the USA.gov logo and link on every page.
- DOJ’s Spanish portal links to GobiernoUSA.gov on every page.
Page Updated or Reviewed: January 12, 2007
