All Resources

Checklist of Requirements for Federal Websites and Digital Services

The relevant laws, policies, and regulations for federal agencies.

Note

You should regularly review your agency’s websites and other digital products and services to ensure they comply with all relevant laws, policies, and regulations.

Overarching Policies

These high-level policies cover basic requirements for all websites and digital services.

More on 21st Century IDEA

Accessibility / Section 508

Ensure access for people with disabilities, including motor, auditory, cognitive, seizure/neurological, and visual impairments; ensure content is “perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.” Teach staff how to create accessible products, and conduct accessibility testing before launch, or when making significant changes to, digital products and services.

More on Accessibility

Analytics

Understand customer needs, set performance standards, collect and address customer feedback, and use data to continuously improve your programs.

More on Metrics

Coordination During Incidents of National Significance

Federal websites must provide timely and accurate information during incidents of national significance. During such incidents, the Department of Homeland Security has the authority to coordinate all U.S. government communications to ensure consistent public information through an integrated federal incident communications system. Coordinate emergency response-related web communications with your Federal Web Council representative.

Inform the public about your policies on digital rights, copyrights, trademarks, and patents. If your organization uses or duplicates private sector information, protect the property rights of the source. (These protections apply to any material posted to federal public websites, such as documents, graphics, or audio files.)

Customer Experience

Understand the needs of your customers, collect and address customer feedback, and use data and feedback to continuously improve your programs. Ensure that information collected from the public minimizes burden and maximizes public utility. Use social media and other third-party platforms to listen to and serve customers. Secure OMB approval before collecting information from the public (surveys, forms, etc.), and include the OMB control number on the collection. Enable digital interactions with the public and deliver services via your customers’ channel of choice.

More on Customer Experience

Design

Use the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) to deliver a great digital experience by integrating design principles, following user experience guidance, and using USWDS code.

Follow current government design standards when creating new websites or making significant changes to existing websites.

More on Design

Domains

Federal executive branch agency websites must use only .gov or .mil domains unless the agency head explicitly determines another domain is necessary for the proper performance of an agency function. The 2011 freeze on creation of new .gov domains has been lifted; coordinate with agency CIO and GSA to request a new .gov domain. Clearly display the name of your agency on every page on the website.

Governance

Establish a digital governance structure to provide accountability and enforce policies and standards. Manage and fund your digital presence as an integral part of your overall business, communications, and customer experience strategies. Leverage existing infrastructure, shared tools, best practices, and communities of practice, and coordinate within and across agencies to create efficiency and reduce duplication. When missions overlap, collaborate with other agencies to develop cross-agency websites (portals); coordinate across government to disseminate emergency response info.

More on Governance

Information Quality

Create content that’s accurate, relevant, easy-to-use, and conveyed in plain language. Maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information and services provided to the public, and make information and services available on a timely and equitable basis.

Mandatory Content (incl. FOIA)

Include all required content and links, including FOIA info. Include a text link back to your homepage on every page of your website (typically in site header.) (If you use a graphical link, it must have appropriate alt text).

Mobile

Improve priority customer facing services for mobile use. Shift to an enterprise-wide asset management and procurement model, including mobile-related procurements.

More on Mobile

Multilingual Websites

Comply with the requirements of Executive Order 13166, based on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination on the basis of national origin.

More on Multilingual

Open Government/Data/Content

Publish information in ways that make it easy to find, access, share, distribute, and re-purpose; Structure content and tag with standard metadata. Make open data, content, and application programming interfaces (APIs) the new default, and make existing high-value data and content available through APIs. Use challenges and prizes to promote open government, innovation, and other national priorities.

Paperwork Reduction

Information you collect from the public should minimize burden and maximize public utility. Get OMB approval before collecting information from the public via surveys, forms, etc., and include the OMB control number on the collection. Use OMB’s Fast-Track PRA Review Process to speed the PRA approval process. Use digital processes (forms, filing, signatures, etc.) and deliver services via your customers’ channel of choice (online, apps, etc.) whenever possible. Designate a single point of contact for small businesses, and post the contact information on your website.

Performance Measurement and Reporting

Regularly evaluate all digital products for performance and cost effectiveness by collecting and acting on metrics and customer feedback, conducting usability testing, and measuring return on investment. Establish performance measures to demonstrate mission achievement; Make your annual performance plans readily available to the public.

Plain Writing

Federal executive branch agencies are required to write all new or significantly revised publications, forms and publicly distributed documents in a “clear, concise, well-organized” manner.

Privacy and Identity Management

Implement security and management controls to prevent the inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information. Provide service through a secure connection. Provide a link to your privacy policy on every page, or in your overall site policies. Conduct a privacy impact assessment of your website. Post a “Privacy Act Statement” that explains your legal authority for collecting personal data and how the data will be used.

Prohibition on Advertising

Comply with existing laws that prohibit federal public websites from being used for direct or indirect lobbying. Consult your agency’s legal staff for guidance to ensure that your site does not advertise for, nor provide preferential treatment to, private individuals, firms, or corporations.

Records Management

Work with your agency Records Officer and follow NARA guidance to establish and maintain inventories, priorities, and records schedules, and regularly delete or archive content that is obsolete and is not required by law or regulation. Create content inventories which identify categories of information (e.g., press releases or publications), not specific documents. Post inventories, priorities, and schedules for posting additional content on the website for comment.

Ensure your website includes a search function which follows industry standard best practices. Write content in plain language, using the words of your customers, so they can easily find what they need when searching the web or your website.

Security

Implement security and management controls to prevent the inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information. Provide adequate security controls to ensure information is resistant to tampering, remains confidential as necessary, and is available as intended by the agency and expected by users. Implement management controls to prevent the inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information. Provide general information to the public about your security protocols.

Technology Standards

Use the most recent and up-to-date technical standards for your digital services. Provide service through a secure connection.

Third-Party Services/Social Media

Use social tools to interact with customers and improve the customer experience.

In this page