The days of government websites as a static, digital brochure are long gone. These days, even local governments try to provide people a highly functional, citizen-centric platform that’s not only feature-rich, but also provides greater functionality. With the rise in the demand for digital content, local governments need access to a reliable and robust content management system (CMS) that can actually deliver experiences citizens want. This is where professional website development companies shine – companies that have notable experience in building government websites and can provide a few government website examples or projects they’ve worked on.
Here are a few reasons why off-the-shelf CMS isn’t enough.
- Ease of use for administrators: We live in a world where people need constant access to the latest information. Thus, this is what people demand and expect from government websites as well. If you go through some of the best government website examples, you’d find out many government offices have made a transition to providing useful information to citizens – especially ones that are related to emergencies, traffic-related, related to election, time-sensitive details, and more. Having a reliable CMS at your disposal would allow anyone from your office to make an update, thereby saving time and money.
- Content and design preservation: When you opt for an intuitive CMS, the design and content are separate functionalities – one not affected by the other. Therefore, when set with specific parameters, the people using the CMS can change the content without the fear of accidentally tweaking and breaking the design of the site. This is of particular help in government websites where tons of information gets published every single day, each of which may well have been updated by someone who has zero knowledge of website design or development.
- Security and compliance: Government websites are supposed to adhere to certain guidelines and be accessible to all. Therefore, irrespective of whom you hire for the job, make sure, your site follows the rules laid down. Moreover, with cyber attacks on the rise, it is becoming increasingly important to safeguard government websites from data breaches and the risk of online exposure. So, talk to your agency about how they can offer a secure CMS, and how they plan on protecting the website from DDoS attacks, disaster recovery, and more. See to it that your agency offers multiple levels of security and covers cyber attacks.
- Hosting: When you team up with a professional agency with prior experience in working with government websites, check if they offer access to a robust CMS and provide reliable hosting services. The two together can help you deliver industry-best services to people depended on the site. Only a professional agency would be able to support the hosting needs of a government website. They should also be able to offer redundant networks and firewalls to keep your data safe and live 24/7.
- Online services: Perhaps the most important function of a government website is to provide citizens an online service that is reliable and saves them the trouble of having to come visit the office even for the most basic tasks. So, people should be able to access information, pay bills, download bills, register for services, make reservations, and more. Being able to provide people access to such services from the comfort of their homes, is a great initiative, one that needs to be duplicated in government offices across the country.
- One-stop solution: A content management system functions as a repository for all that’s made available to the citizens. Pairing with different vendors for different plugins often leads to compatibility or integration issues. It also leads to vendor management headaches. This is why, some of the best government websites, rely on a single CMS for every need. Your agency might be able to provide a few government website examples on how it can integrate every feature together using a single CMS.
Key takeaway
While there are tons of web development companies, only a handful have the experience and the expertise to handle the needs of government websites. So, find an agency that’s willing to offer you something more than a generic CMS, can handle website redesign within your budget and meets your security resources.
