Home > Requirements & Best Practices > Top 10 Best Practices for Government Websites

1. Meet all laws, requirements, policies, and other directives for public websites

  References:

• Federal laws and regulations
• Requirements and best practices checklists

2. Document your governance structure, including roles, relationships, responsibilities, rules, and review processes

  References:

• Management and governance
• Governance self-assessment checklist
  (PDF, 19KB, 1 pg, 8/2008 requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

3. Develop, document, and implement a strategic plan that both incorporates visionary changes and corrects problems with web content

  References:

• Outline for a strategic plan

4. Focus on top tasks

  References:

• Designing task-focused websites

5. Create and manage content effectively and efficiently

  References:

• Managing content
• Plainlanguage.gov

6. Collaborate within your agency and across government to manage content and eliminate duplication

  References:

• Don't duplicate content
• Link to appropriate portals

7. Follow usability best practices

  References:

• Usability and design
• Usability.gov

8. Evaluate the effectiveness of your website

  References:

• Ways to evaluate your site
• Evaluating your website/web metrics

9. Make sure the public can find your content

  References:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media and Web 2.0 in Government

10. Create opportunities for the public to interact with their government

  References:

• "Contact Us" Pages
• E–democracy

Content Lead: Sheila Campbell and Rachel Flagg