Top 10 Best Practices for Government Websites

What to do:	How to do it:
1. Meet all laws, requirements, policies and directives for federal public websites.	Federal laws and regulations Requirements and best practices checklist
2. Document and follow a web governance plan.	Management and governance resources Governance self-assessment checklist (PDF, 19 KB, 1 page, August 2008)
3. Implement a content strategy.	How to Manage Content Plainlanguage.gov
4. Focus on top tasks.	Designing Task-Focused Websites
5. Collaborate across agencies and within your own agency to avoid duplication.	Don't duplicate content Link to appropriate portals
6. Regularly conduct user testing with actual customers.	Usability and design Usability.gov
7. Use performance metrics (not opinion) to influence design and drive improvements.	Digital metrics for federal agencies
8. Make sure that people can find your most important content using search.	What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Site Search Basics
9. Engage your customers to create a two-way dialog.	How to Collect Customer Feedback Social Media and Web 2.0 in Government Open Government and Citizen Engagement
10. Stay current with the latest research and best practices.	Find a training class

Content Lead: Natalie Davidson
Page Reviewed/Updated: October 18, 2012

What to do: