Website Evaluation and Redevelopment Overview
The website evaluation process provides an opportunity for government departments and agencies to achieve an improved delivery of online information with the potential to benefit both users and government.
The lifecycle of agency websites should include a regular process of evaluation. This involves assessing the effectiveness of an agency’s online services and measuring performance and success to understand:
- relevance to the needs of users and customer channel preference
- alignment to agency/government strategy
- security risks and issues
- currency and accuracy of content
- scope and use of available technical infrastructure.
The Australian National Audit Office Audit report Measuring the Efficiency and Effectiveness of E-Government [PDF, 1.2MB] recommends developing whole of government principles for measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of the Australian Government’s web presence at a whole of government level.
The process of reviewing information and services provided online by an agency may present an opportunity to decommission individual websites or consolidate a number of existing websites.
Consolidation of websites is essentially a process of closing down individual websites and either archiving the content or migrating it to an alternate website as appropriate. Some of the drivers behind a decision to evaluate and possibly redevelop or consolidate websites are included below.
Alignment to strategic priorities
The evaluation process may provide an opportunity to realign websites with the agency’s current strategic priorities, addressing questions such as:
- What is the purpose of the websites?
- Who is the intended audience?
- How do the websites contribute to achieving agency outcomes?
Minimise risk
Assessing portfolio websites enables an agency to identify any previously unknown risks. Preparing for consolidation ensures that these risks can be reduced and managed.
Evaluating and redeveloping websites minimises the risk of:
- duplicated or outdated content
- broken links and non-returning pages
- inaccurate content
- security breaches
- user dissatisfaction
- inefficiencies.
Improve service to users
Redevelopment of websites can improve service for users in a variety of ways including the use of common information architecture, prioritised content based on user needs, consistent content, standard browse features and search tools that work across the portfolio of websites. These measures may make it easier for users to discover relevant sites and content and allow the agency to provide information and market services more effectively.
Reduce cost
Consolidation may reduce the costs of running and maintaining websites. Cost reduction opportunities should be identified as part of the business case. Consolidation should reduce infrastructure, content management and support costs. Other cost reductions may include redeployment of software licences and reduction in domain name or support fees.
Leverage infrastructure
The assessment process may expose under-utilised infrastructure that can be redeployed or better utilised.
Better support for technology and content
Consolidating the technology environment ensures that central cost effective support can be provided. Staff who may have worked on one site using a unique skill can benefit from a more consistent environment, allowing them to work across multiple sites within the agency. Maintaining consolidated sites is easier and less time consuming particularly in terms of content, hardware and applications.
Easier to decide in-house or outsource
Once the technology and infrastructure environments are consistent and stable, the decision to retain management of sites in-house or to outsource them becomes simpler. The evaluation process carried out prior to consolidation provides a sound and clear basis for contract discussions.
Greater transparency
An effective evaluation process can ensure that all websites remaining within the portfolio or agency have their costs, operating procedures and technologies well documented. This leads to cost reductions, improved governance and service delivery driven by agency policy.
