Section 2.6 Website Best Practices Guide

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1 Keeping Nova Scotia municipalities in the forefront of e-government Section Introduction This guide is aimed at assisting municipal governments in the development of new websites and updating existing sites. The topics and concepts provided in this guide are based on research into industry best practices and on lessons learned from municipalities who have developed municipal websites over the past few years. 1.1 Background Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations (SNSMR) retained Unisys Canada to prepare a report on best practices and considerations for design, development and maintenance of municipal websites. This guide is based on that report. 1.2 How to use this guide This guide is intended to provide the following: Lists of services and functions to consider including on a municipal website, a guide to the process of design, development and operation of a website, checklists for each step of the process of developing and upgrading a site. This guide has been designed to be used to begin the process of introducing a new website or to grow and expand an existing website. 2.0 Municipal Websites In recent years the online presence of municipalities has grown from simply offering basic information to providing easy access to municipal services online. At the same time, financial pressures have limited the available budgets for municipalities to use in developing and maintaining those online services. Expectations are constantly growing for improved accessibility to the number and variety of services offered online from governments at all levels. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 1

2 Websites are an important tool for municipalities 2.1 Functions of a Municipal Website At the most basic level, a municipal website is a tool for sharing information on a municipality with residents and the general public. A website may also provide an effective way to market a municipality to prospective visitors and new businesses. The brand displayed on the website, the types of information and services provided, and the way in which information is organized, may be an indication (rightly or wrongly) of the level of professionalism offered by a municipality. Basic functions of a municipal website may be similar from one municipality to another. For example any municipal website should offer information on the municipality itself, it s location, number of residents, major industries or attractions, and contact information so that visitors to the site may contact municipal officials for further information. However, in some cases there may be additional features such as podcasts or online broadcasts of council meetings to allow citizens an opportunity to watch their elected officials at work. The selection of what information and services to provide via a website is a decision for each municipality to make based on factors such as budget, available staff resources for maintaining the site, and the demand for online services by residents. Some possible additional services to consider including on your municipal website are discussed in this guide and in Section 6.4 of the Local Government Resource Handbook. Who will be using your site? 2.2 Potential visitors to your website In deciding what services and information to provide online, it is helpful to have some understanding of who the potential visitors to the website will be, and what particular types of information or online services they may be looking for. Some potential visitors include: residents, residents of neighbouring municipalities, businesses within the community, potential investors / businesses in other municipalities, tourists, researchers, the media, municipal employees and elected officials, staff and elected officials of other municipalities, Provincial and/or Federal Government, and school children. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 2

3 Benefits and challenges of a municipal website Information and services can be specifically geared to each particular type of visitor and some preliminary planning can assist in meeting the individual needs of each type of visitor. Visitors to a municipal website may be wishing to find schedules for the latest recreation classes, an link to council members, profile of the latest crime stats in their neighbourhood, and in the future they may be signing up for personalized electronic government in order to receive automatic notifications when a zoning change is made that could affect their property, or when a crime has been committed in their neighbourhood. 2.3 Benefits and Challenges The benefits of a municipal website are varied, and to a large extent, depend on the types of services provided.. Some of the benefits that can be expected from developing a web presence for the municipality include: reduced calls to municipal offices for simple inquiries, and the ability of the municipality to provide more detailed information (including graphics and photos) on topics that are frequently asked about, websites provide a relatively cost-effective marketing tool aimed at tourists thinking about visiting the municipality as well as businesses that may be considering relocating to the area, improved customer service providing access to information about the municipality 24 hours a day, seven days a week, access to municipal information is available to residents and visitors without the need for physically coming to the municipal office or phoning, and municipalities with well thought out websites provide improved visibility and helps to provide transparency and increased confidence in local governments. Visitors may access council meeting minutes, staff reports, by-laws, zoning information etc. all on the municipal website. Some potential challenges: Budgetary constraints may limit: Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 3

4 the types of services offered on the website, the municipality s ability to continually evolve and update the website. the municipality s ability to provide sufficient staff and resources to support the services offered on the website, and the ongoing availability of technical resources and staff to assist in the design, development, and ongoing maintenance and operation of the website. Keeping website information up to date to ensure visitors will have a high level of confidence in the accuracy and relevance of the information and services provided. The digital divide in some areas may be a determining factor in deciding what services will be offered, particularly when those services may have to be duplicated in hard copy for those residents and visitors not able to access computers or the internet. The type of internet service may determine what kinds of graphics etc. included on the site. High speed internet access may not yet be available to all areas, and may not be readily accessible to your target audience. If dial-up service is the only way for residents to access the website, then graphics should be kept at a minimum to reduce download times. As new information and services are introduced on the website, the expectations of the target audience may grow faster than the municipality s ability to keep pace with expectations. The website should be continually evolving 2.4 Evolution of a Municipal Website A successful website is not a static entity. Once the site is created, it will immediately become apparent that there are new items that you might wish to incorporate into the design, and other items which will require frequent updates. An essential aspect of a web presence is to be accurate, up to date and relevant. Some considerations for evolving a website include: Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 4

5 Develop a website strategy or plan for the long term, and review the plan at regular intervals (yearly) to ensure that the website is relevant and is meeting the municipality s needs. Start small and keep it simple. Clarify the wants from the needs. Identify items that will be most essential. Such as: contact information for administrative staff, department heads, councillors, mayor, etc phone numbers for fire, police, public works depts. press releases and other news or important announcements, maps, directories, demographics and other relative information. Ensure that all information is kept accurate, up-to-date, and relevant, Provide a forum for visitors to the site to offer feedback on the information and services provided. This can be a valuable tool when updating or adding additional services. Such feedback will identify when: the information on the site may need to be updated, or corrected, new or different information is required, additional services to residents and visitors can or should be added to the site, and planning revisions to the site. Having access to such feedback information will enable the municipality to prioritize the planned upgrades to the site to meet demand, and will assist in planning the budget for website updates in the most effective manner. 3.0 Technology and Information A website initiative must take into account all stakeholders and potential users. The diagram below illustrates how a website may address the needs of municipal councillors, staff constituents, press/media, potential visitors to your municipality and other users. When planning a new website, or preparing to update a current website, there are four distinct areas of consideration. Addressing each Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 5

6 of these areas will help to ensure that resources are not focussed on one element to the detriment of other areas of importance. Website Lifecycle This will guide you through the phases of a website project from conception through operation and finally redesign, and can help with the process of introducing a website into municipal operations. Website Inventory An inventory will include the potential services and technology that may be included in the site. An inventory can contain not only a listing of the information and services that are essential but can also contain a wish list of future services etc. that may be introduced at a later date. Website Organization and Design The overall design of the site, and the way information and services are organized and accessed is crucial in providing visitors with an accessible and useful site. Overall Considerations A guide through a specific topics that may be overarching in nature and can determine the success and usefulness of the site. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 6

7 Where to start with your website 3.1 Website Lifecycle - The Beginnings Starting the process of creating a new website (or introducing significant modifications to an existing website) can be intimidating. In beginning to examine your website and operations, consider the life cycle shown and described above. Throughout the initiative the overall vision and strategy envisioned for the website should be kept in mind. Keeping the vision and strategy foremost in mind will not only guide the creation or modification process of the website, but will also guide developers over the long term. Any website project should begin with a needs analysis to determine what information and services should be provided. Once a needs analysis has been completed, then discuss specific requirements and begin to design the site. Include each of the categories of potential visitors, identified earlier, in the needs analysis to ensure that the website fulfills all of the intended functions. The needs analysis is the basis for the website development team to work with the designer to include all the essentials in website design. As the site is being developed, each individual function, link and document should be thoroughly tested prior to any release of the website. Have the site reviewed by staff prior to going online to ensure information is correct, links and services work as expected, and that all aspects of the website meet requirements. Once the site has been thoroughly tested, it s time to go live and bring the website online. At this point it is useful to test the site again to ensure that all the functions are operating as expected. Once the site is deployed, there will be ongoing maintenance required to ensure information and services remain relevant and up to date, and to allow for the introduction of other changes. The lifecycle of a website involves continuous change, not only in what functions or services the site has to offer visitors, but changes in design, strategy, and overall appearance as well. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 7

8 The lifecycle above can be thought of and used in one of two ways: To gather your thoughts and enable the planning of a largerscale, multiple service/technology introduction (i.e. a full-scale introduction of a municipal website) To gather your thoughts and enable the planning of a single service/technology update to an existing website. More detailed explanations and examples of each stage as well as detailed checklists for considerations at each stage of the lifecycle are provided in Section 4 of this guide. What to include in the website 3.2 Website Inventory Before considering introducing a new website or adding new technologies and services into an existing website, examine the possibilities. Section 5 contains a comprehensive list of potential services and technologies that could be included in a website. Use this list to begin the discussion of the needs and requirements that are unique to your situation. Examine other sources for ideas about potential services. Review websites from other municipalities from around the world, and also check out other levels of government, as well as the private sector. Tailor the site for the primary users 3.3 Website Organization and Design There are a number ways a municipal website can be organized. From a usability perspective, the following examples may provide a suitable template to follow to organize information by: type of user visiting the website (target audience) for example, citizen, business, visitor/tourist. type/classification of information (e.g. meeting minutes, maps and directions, contact information, municipal services, etc.). frequency by which it is accessed (sometimes this is a useful format for a number of items that are accessed on a regular basis by visitors, such as news items that are updated on a daily basis, and services such as tax billing, permits, parking fines etc. The design of a website needs to be clear and easily navigable for all potential users. The first page, or home page, should be clear and concise and provide user friendly navigation tools to allow for ease of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 8

9 accessing information. This will be dealt with in further detail in Section 6 of this guide. 3.4 Overall Considerations The following concepts relate to a number of stages in the lifecycle of a website as well as to a number of services in the inventory. These concepts will be more fully explored in Section 7. cost potential costs broken down into those associated with development, deployment and the ongoing operation of a website, usability/accessibility tips on how to ensure a website is usable by visitors and some additional reference material concerning accessibility, location a checklist of considerations to ensure the website can be found with relative ease, guidelines - options for creating or modifying a website, hosting and operation - an outline of options for hosting a website and some guidelines to it s operation, policy development key policies for publishing to a municipal website and some policies around the use of the site, security Municipal websites may manage sensitive information, and this section will provide considerations relative to securing information resources, backup and recovery As users rely more heavily on the website, backup and recovery of information becomes a critical factor in allowing long term access to those records and information, business continuity/risk management - techniques to adapt to technological problems if and when they arise, legislative requirements - an overview of legislative considerations involving the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPOP) and it s implications, Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 9

10 records retention - policies and procedures for the retention of electronic records generated for and maintained on your website, visitor support a checklist of support considerations to deal with issues involving visitors to the site, growth and extensibility maximize return on investment by ensuring that technologies and products purchased (or outsourced to a service provider) can grow and support operations over the long term, technology support considering technology requirements allows for smart purchasing, minimal support costs, and long term usability, vendors tips on how to successfully engage and secure services from vendors, and benefits of sharing adopting a strategy of sharing resources with other municipalities during a website project and in the ongoing operations of a website. What are the basic requirements? 4.0 Website Lifecycle - The Beginnings Starting the process of upgrading a website or introducing a new website is a daunting task. There are budget and time line pressures, and the resistance to change to deal with. In addition, there are challenges inherent in determining what you might need or want the website to accomplish as well as research and analysis prior to selecting the technology required to accomplish your goals. The following checklist may help determine the requirements of a website project. 4.1 Vision and strategy Establishing a vision and setting a strategy for accomplishing that vision will provide continuity and ensure that the project continues on course through to completion. Begin with a vision of what the final product should accomplish. Prepare a document such as a project charter which will define the parameters of the project, establish a time-line for completion, and identify the persons responsible for accomplishing each phase of the project. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 10

11 Outline the reasons for the website upgrade or the introduction of a new website to ensure that each of the driving forces behind the project are met in the final product. These driving forces could be branding the municipality; providing information for tourists, businesses, residents; providing online services to these groups etc. This outline will guide the decision making process as the project unfolds. Select a champion for the website project. A key success factor in any major project can be having an individual who owns the project and is a visionary who can bring the project from the beginning strategy setting stage to the launch. A champion will ensure continued progress despite difficulties along the way. Determine who should be part of the project team. What level of participation will be required from staff, council, information technology personnel, community groups, businesses or organizations within the community. Ensure that each project team member understands what is expected of them and what their role will be in the initiative Hold strategic planning sessions early in the process with team members to establish project goals and set time frames for completion of each step in the process. Establish a reasonable budget and determine priorities including: technology requirements, consulting services, marketing and promotion, and incidental expenses (see section 7.1 for more detailed potential expenditures). Inventory available resources, human resource, technology, etc and have a contingency plan to fill in any gaps that may prove crucial to the overall success of the project. Establish some performance measures for the website. These performance measures can help in the ongoing management and operation of the site in the future. Some examples of performance measures include: number of unique website visits (per day/month/year), Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 11

12 number of times each individual page has been accessed, and customer feedback (eg. online survey) to measure satisfaction levels with the site over time. Identify potential visitors to the site and determine how you can best meet the needs of those visitors, (eg. visitor information, municipal by-laws, etc. Link the website to the municipality s existing communication strategy. Identify the business processes which you may consider providing online. For example, do you envision providing transactional capability online such as, paying taxes, applying for municipal licenses, parking and other fine payments etc. (You may also link to provincial sites where transactional capabilities are currently provided.) When developing a wish-list of potential functions and services for your website, establish a time-frame for these to be offered. For example: short term (within 1 year) medium-term (1 to 2 years) longer term (2+ years) Note the expectations of the website improvement or development. For example what benefits are envisioned? cost savings due to less demand on staff at front desk lower cost than traditional methods of marketing, savings from printing and distributing documents, improving access to council and municipal staff for residents, etc. 4.2 Management of website development project As with any major project, the revamping or new development of a municipal website requires careful management. Some considerations to keep in mind while managing a project such as this will include: Expectations - Managing expectations of both municipal staff and the public is important. Keep the lines of communication open and keep staff informed of what is planned and what the progress to date has been. Continue to seek the input and Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 12

13 advice of staff and constituents and keep all suggestions in mind as the project progresses. Time-line - Anticipate some delays in any major project. Some items may take longer to develop than originally anticipated, such as: acquisition and delivery of software and hardware, installation and configuration of technology, and design issues that are typically underestimated both in the number of issues that arise, but also in the length of time it takes to resolve these issues. Design is essential to the successful outcome of a website project so take the time to address each design issue as it arises. Ownership - This factor is so important that it bears repeating. Have one person take ownership of the website project and ensure they know their role is to see the project through to completion. Resources - Identify the resources you have on hand already. This includes human resources! If there is significant IT expertise or technology available on-site, take advantage of that expertise to help guide the project or to simply offer a second opinion. Benchmark and Best Practices - Talk to other municipalities to learn how their website projects progressed. Ask questions to avoid any potential problem areas, or to learn how they may have dealt with a similar situation. Planning - It is essential to take the time to thoroughly plan the project in advance. Establish what activities need to take place, and who will be responsible for each phase of the project. Ensure the plan is flexible to accommodate the changes that will inevitably occur. Communication - This is a key aspect of any major project. Ensure that all stakeholders are kept informed of the progress of the project and of any issues that may pertain directly to them. Involve stakeholders in the decision making whenever possible to insure that everyone s needs are being met when and where possible. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 13

14 Documentation - Keep records of correspondence and expenditures related to the website project to ensure there are no surprises. The final product should not be a surprise or a disappointment to any of the stakeholders involved if documentation is kept on all correspondence and budget issues. Implications - A major website project will have implications for staff, existing technologies, business processes, timelines and of course the budget. Also, an important factor to keep in mind is the implications for the public. Consider in particular: Technological implications - This bears special mention as the planned project may have implications on equipment and technology. For example is your existing server adequate for the planned upgrades. Will you require a server with greater capacity for the improvements you have planned? Human resource implications - Will staff require additional training to perform the back-office functions that they will be responsible for such as training, or managing the site? Copyright - Ensure you have the proper authority to publish any information you plan to include on your website. Have permission for using any graphics or photographs, text or images that you plan to include. Know what you want to accomplish with the website before you begin to develop it 4.3 Needs Analysis A key step in a website project is to clearly identify the needs for your website. The needs of your municipality will differ in some respects from other municipalities, and will have a high degree of overlap in other areas. For more detailed information on carrying out a needs analysis refer to Appendix E at the end of this guide. 4.4 Requirements This stage is where you begin to identify the detailed qualitative and quantitative measures that you require for the website. Some examples of requirements are listed below to provide a flavour of the types of things to think about in this stage. Sample Requirements: The website must be able to support 100 concurrent users. All website content should be available in English or French. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 14

15 A website visitor will always be presented with a navigation menu on the left side of all pages within the website. 4.5 Design The website design develops from the items included in the list of priorities. In a small website project, the priority list is developed as the site is being designed. The following checklist provides ideas to keep in mind as your team designs the website to meet its requirements, goals and vision. Elements of website design: consultation - the design process and active ongoing consultation with stakeholders should go hand in hand. documentation - all stages of the consultation and design process should be documented for later reference. flexibility - final design should be flexible to adapt to future modifications or updates as required. user interface - how the site will look, and how users will navigate through the site. This includes basic screen layout, colours, text, etc. that will be incorporated into the design. interfaces - how the website will interface with other systems or link to other websites, including back office systems where data is processed prior to being published on the site, or data received from the site. review - structured reviews to gather feedback on how well the design is meeting stakeholder expectations. Section 6 of this guide will provide specific guidance and tips to help design a professional, well organized website. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 15

16 4.6 Development The development phase of a website project involves using the designs agreed upon earlier and implementing them into a working version of the site. Following is a list of items to consider during the development phase of a website project. Website development If using in-house resources, there are development tools that may aid in the developing the website such as: an HTML editor for developing web pages, graphics software to create or modify images, and FTP software to transfer files between the computer on which you develop the site and the production website. During the development phase, ensure time is allocated to allow for the ongoing review of the project as it is developed. Catching issues/errors early in the process should be a key objective. Digital images/logos etc. that you may want to include on the site require specialized skills and expertise. Ensure that the project has access to skilled resource personnel who can develop such images for the site to provide professional look to the site. There is a proliferation of technologies available for website development. Make sure the technologies selected for developing the site are compatible with the technologies being used to host your site. Using HTML for the pages is a standard practice. In particular, if the site will contain or make use of interactive or dynamically generated pages. Also, be sure you are using technologies that will be available on the production website machines. If your municipality will be using contracted resources to have the site developed, ensure they have a single point of contact for questions and reviews of their work. This will ensure that any issues or problems that arise are dealt with as early as possible in the development cycle. As the website is developed, it is important that the files containing the website content are under a form of version control. This is especially important when more than one person is working with a file. 4.7Testing During the development process a schedule of, testing should be included in order to ensure to ensure the site is working as designed. Ideally, testing happens throughout the development process so errors Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 16

17 Don t Go Live before fully testing the entire site can be caught early. Plan on the following additional types of testing during the website project: Page testing Reviews of individual pages (ideally, as they are developed) to ensure the content / service provided is correct. During page testing, ensure each page appears as expected and that all information on each page has been proofread to ensure it is correct. System testing Testing of the fully developed website to ensure it functions properly as a whole. During system testing, look for the following: That all links work between pages within the website. That all links to external websites function correctly. That you can navigate around the website as required. That all services are provided by your website as expected. Integration testing Testing of any interfaces the website uses (e.g. functionality, a service which looks up information from a database, etc.). Integration testing will be largely dependent upon what other systems (if any) make up your overall website. There may be databases or other technology services linked directly into your website. If this is the case, test the following: Make sure any services dependent upon an internal database work appropriately. Make sure any services dependent upon an external service/database work appropriately. Make sure to test how your website functions if an internal or external database/information service is not available. Your website should show an appropriate and informative error message to users. Production testing Before launching the website, test the production version of the site. There may be (and very likely will be) small differences between the production website (and its associated hardware and software) and the technologies used to develop your site. For all testing, there should be a test plan that identifies the types of testing to be performed. This will help to ensure the site is fully tested before it is introduced to users. The test plan should include test cases that you and your team will perform to ensure the proper functioning of the site. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 17

18 If a contracted resource has developed the website for you, ensure a sign-off step is built in to perform a User Acceptance Test. This is a test which allows you to review the site as built by the contractor and formalize any deficiencies before accepting the final product. After the initial website project has been completed, plan for the ongoing testing of the site: Any future changes made to the site will need to be tested. Depending on the services provided on the site, there may be certain performance or security tests that should be carried out on a regular ongoing basis. The website should be tested with a large number of browsers and configurations on different types of computers to ensure it will function correctly when accessed by users who may be using a wide variety of technology products. Prepare a Rollout plan 4.8 Deployment At this stage of the project the new or revised site should be ready for roll out. If the plan is to roll out the website in phases, ensure those services that will be in high demand are in the first phase in order to gain the attention and interest of users. Staff training is a key component of introducing a new/updated website. Ensure any staff members who will support the users of the website receive sufficient training on the website and how to support its users. Decide on and register a domain name the website. Ensure the name chosen is recognizable to your potential users and easy to remember. If you are using a third party to provide hosting services for the website, they may be of help to you in acquiring the domain name. If you are offering services on the website that may be sensitive in nature (e.g. accepting payment for services, accepting submissions of potentially confidential information) you may need to acquire a web server certificate to ensure submissions of information are encrypted. If you are using a third party to provide hosting services for the website, they may help in acquiring the certificate. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 18

19 Create a list of items to test immediately after the website is moved into production to will ensure any outstanding issues are resolved before users access your site for the first time. Ensure formal agreements are in place with any service providers you are using for the following services: Website hosting Make sure the agreement includes a description of the term of the agreement, specific pricing, services included and excluded, and service levels to be provided (e.g. service availability, uptime, notification of changes, etc.) Support services If you will be relying on contracted services to provide support for any aspect of the website, ensure the agreement for those services includes a list of the services to be provided, services not provided, service levels (e.g. time to respond, time to fix), complete contact information and processes to raise and monitor issues that occur. For any support, maintenance or hosting services performed in-house for your website, be sure that you formally document who in the organization is responsible for the function and the terms of providing the service. In smaller organizations this may not be required and circumstances should dictate how formally this needs to be documented. The goal should be to provide users with effective ways to seek support and to resolve their issues in a professional and timely manner. Consider ways to encourage potential users to begin visiting your website. This can involve advertising in the local media or printing your municipality s URL on communications/brochures. Notify other stakeholder organizations of the new website to encourage them to link to your site. Some potential organizations to notify are: Other municipalities, Community groups, Other Government entities (agencies, Provincial departments, etc.) Provide widely available support to website users, especially early-on. Staff members answering telephone inquiries or greeting walk-in visitors to the municipal office should be trained on the website and able to provide support and information for users. When initially deploying the website, try to do it during a down time so that any interruptions you experience (either with respect to Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 19

20 technology or support) in the first few days do not impose significant issues to your users. Ensure that as your website is deployed, it is registered with the major search engines so that potential users of your site can find it with ease. Keep the website current 4.9 Ongoing Management and Maintenance The longest aspect of the lifecycle is the ongoing use of the website by users. To be successful, a municipal website should be kept up to date and reflect changes within your municipality. Review Section 7.5 for options to include maintain the website over time. In order to properly manage a website over time, consider the statistics you wish to collect on the website and arrange for the required programming to be included during development of the site. Some suggestions include: number of unique visits by visitors, duration of visits by users. number of hits for each page of the website. peak usage times during the day/week/month/year. Pages from which people arrive at the website (i.e. referring pages). errors encountered in using the site. transaction counts for services on your site ( requests submitted, transactions processed, etc.). and browser versions and configurations used to access the site. Establish a clear management structure is in place for the website. rd Some activities may be performed in-house and some by 3 parties, but there should be someone in the organization who takes ownership of the website and can oversee any processes or procedures involved with the ongoing maintenance of the site. The person responsible for the site should have copies of any documented agreements and processes in place. When changes are made to the website over time, any requirements regarding design, development, testing or other project documentation should be updated to reflect those changes. As the website is an official part of a municipality s communications strategy, it is critical that sufficient time is allocated to manage how information gets published to the site. Some considerations include: Who should be allowed to publish information to the website? Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 20

21 What is the review process that must be followed before information can be published to the website? Who should be involved in reviews? Consider performing ongoing surveys of website users (either through traditional means or via online surveys) to ensure the site is meeting their needs. Links to external sites should be checked on an ongoing basis Organizations change website addresses and update information regularly. Some links may become dated or disappear. Broken links make a website dated and frustrating for users so care should be taken on a regular basis to ensure any broken links are fixed as soon as possible. Budgeting is always an issue with any municipal endeavour and website development or rejuvenation will require funding as well. Items to keep in mind when setting the budget for website development and maintenance include: upgrades (if you are hosting the website yourself), support of the website s users (e.g. diagnosing problems, providing guidance), support contracts, maintenance and changes to the services, applications and technology, new services to be included at later phases of the development, and rd 3 party support, maintenance and/or hosting services that may be required. Determine whether 24x7 support will be required, or will it be sufficient that issues wait until normal business hours to be resolved. Different support levels will have different costs consider carefully what is needed. Over time, it is essential that the files containing website content for your website are under a form of version control. It is important to track what version of a file is on the production site. This can be particularly important when more than one person has access to these files. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 21

22 What on-line services can be provided on the site? 5.0 Website Inventory While the previous section dealt with the steps in the process of implementing a website, this section provides ideas for actual services offered on a municipal website. Treat these lists as checklists and use them when you are thinking about adding functions/services to your website. 5.1 External Information and Service Possibilities The list of possible services to be offered to citizens and businesses is presented in the following 5 categories: Static informative content This list of information ideas features content that is static in nature and can likely be represented on a single web page. This information changes infrequently. Dynamic informative content - This list contains potential service ideas that require a website to be more dynamic in nature. These services require information to be updated more frequently and may involve integrating the website to a database containing information to allow users to query the information. Collaborative services This list of ideas deals with potential functions to improve communication between your municipality and the users of your website. Transactional services A list of potential transactions you may want to offer on your site. These services involve a user submitting information to your website for processing. Other services This is largely a list of more future thinking service ideas. For all of the services listed below, consider how to obtain the information (i.e. where does the information currently reside?). Will the data need to be simply written in an HTML format for your site? Is the data currently in a database format that can integrated directly into your website? Ideas for Static Informative Content Static information available on a municipal website would include the following contact information : Mayor, Councillors, Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 22

23 Senior administrative staff, Police, Fire, and Public Works, Water Commission/Water Services, Recreation, Waste Collection/Recycling Depts. etc. Department heads, directory of all departments/divisions within the municipality including: General information contact numbers, Locations of service centres / municipal office, Descriptions of the vision and goals of that department/division. By-law enforcement officer, list of by-laws with text or descriptions, Other static information of use to potential site visitors would include: Library information, List of sports and recreation facilities, parks, arts and cultural facilities, museums etc., Listings on municipal programs available, Down loadable application forms for program registration, licences and permits etc. Public transportation information (if applicable), Municipal planning and development documents and strategies, Municipal tax information, Information on starting a business in the community, Maps of the municipality / community, Listings of boards and committees, Municipality business plans and budgets, Website policies (e.g. Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, etc.), General information on the municipality, such as the history and background of the community, Volunteer information, and List of FAQ s and their answers Dynamic Informative Content Dynamic information allows the website visitor to interact with the website in some way. For example, search services allow a user to perform a search of the site using keywords to find information on a particular topic of interest. Off the shelf search engines are available, or municipal website developers may capitalize on the Google search service available from Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 23

24 Some examples of dynamic information useful on a municipal website would include: Information on recreation programs, Events listings, Up to date weather information, Tenders and request for proposals information, Employment opportunities, Details of council and committee meetings, Official municipal press releases, Municipal news updates, Emergency measures updates, Functionality to produce printer-friendly versions of your pages to allow users to print without images, and taking into account standard page sizes), What s New information to highlight news and/or changes to your website Collaborative Services Some collaborative and interactive services that may prove popular on a municipal website include: Interactive chat rooms for discussions of municipal topics, Message forums, capability to contact staff, Online surveys and opinion polls, Submission of requests for service and complaints, Links to other government departments and agencies such as: Other municipalities, Provincial departments, Federal departments Reviewing various private sector websites may offer additional ideas for adaptation to a municipal website as well Transactional Services Many governments have placed significant focus on adopting technologies and processes to allow the processing of transactions via the Internet. For additional information on e-government, specifically as it pertains to transactional services, see Section 6.4 of the Local Government Resource Handbook. Some transactional services that may be appropriate for a municipal website include: Registration services (e.g. for recreation programs), Payment services for fines, licences, permits, documents, Electronic submission of application forms (e.g. for volunteer positions, for job openings), Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 24

25 Electronic filing of legal documents Other Services The future holds limitless possibilities for further development of a municipal online presence. It is a good practice to keep a list of future ideas to discuss and review on a periodic basis to determine if it is feasible to include them in the website. Some services that may not be too far in the future are outlined as follows: Electronic (online) voting, Webcasting services (to webcast council meetings, town hall meetings, etc.),and Collaborative technologies to allow remote attendance and participation at official meetings (by staff or the public). 5.2 Internal Information and Services Although the focus of this guide has been on information and services to provide to individuals and businesses external to the municipal organization, there are services and information which could be offered internally to administrative staff, councillors and employees. Budget considerations may limit the type and number of services utilized by municipalities. Some internal services that may be of interest include: HR services including payroll, manuals, benefits; Directories and contact information, Internal newsletters, Publishing information for internal review, Management information concerning internet usage and use of the municipal website, and Guidelines, policy and procedural manuals. Develop a website that corresponds to your municipal size and ability to maintain it 5.3 Starting Points The potential services a website can offer are many and varied. No website project would attempt to tackle the introduction of all (or even most) of the ideas presented above. The first steps in developing a web presence are outlined below. Small municipalities: Start small, but provide flexibility for future growth, Review the services ideas in section and include those which are most important to your municipality, Include a search facility on your website, Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 25

26 Include basic functionality that allows contact with municipal staff via . This can be as simple as showing addresses on the website, Consider including a few elements from sections and Balance this with the goal of keeping your first website simple, yet functional for its expected users, Include additional services as budgets allow and there is a need or demand for those services. Medium to large municipalities: As for small municipalities, start small but include the flexibility to expand the number of services offered as requirements and budgets allow, Include dynamic and interactive services (5.1.2 and 5.1.3) according to needs demand and budgets allow, Introduce functionality and additional services in a phased approach to keep the website updated and interesting for visitors, Maintain a list of priorities for future additions to the website to be introduced in phases. Many of the services discussed above are complex in nature. A number of factors need to be considered when contemplating additional services to a municipal website. Issues of privacy, access to information, security etc. may require careful consideration before a new service is introduced. Allow sufficient time and resources to thoroughly investigate all the implications of introducing new services. Moving forward with your wish list 6.0 Website Organization and Design After reviewing the information and service ideas presented in the previous section, you were probably left with a feeling of being overwhelmed. The list of possible items to include on your website is virtually limitless. Thought needs to be given on how to structure a website so as to best present the information and services to users in a logical, straightforward fashion. Regardless of the information and services offered on a website, there are some general goals which all municipal websites should strive to achieve. General Organization and Design Goals Incorporate methods by which two-way communication can occur between the users of your website and the staff, councillors and officers of your municipality. Consider whether it is preferable to include individual staff addresses, or a general address so that Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 26

27 visitors can have questions answered or have a staff person contact them to provide further information. Accessibility and ease of navigation through the site is essential to the success of any website. Potential users will have a wide range of skills and abilities in using computers so it is important to keep the site simple and easy to use. Further information on ensuring the website is accessible to potential visitors is offered in Section 7.2. Minimize, or better yet, avoid the instances where users require special software or browser plug-ins to access features on the site. The only generally accepted piece of additional software a user should have in order to access aspects of your website is for the viewing of PDF documents. When PDF documents are available on a website, include a link to the site where the required software for reading these documents may be downloaded free of charge. Content on your website must be written in plain language. Sites that are bilingual should offer the option for users to select the language they prefer. Use bullet points and lists wherever possible, Minimize the use of long paragraphs of text, Provide a strong structure to any written materials through the use of headings and sub-headings. Write professionally, yet avoid using jargon or technical terms, Keep the use of large images to a minimum, Wherever possible, create links to find other Government services, (i.e. Provincial/Federal services), All information provided on your website must be kept accurate and up to date, All websites must be law abiding and clearly state all terms and conditions to users, Security is an essential component of any website. Review Section 7.7 for specific tips on securing your site. 6.1 High-Level Organization Options There are some key concepts to keep in mind when beginning to design a website. First, the main page (i.e. entry page) for a website must provide a high-level overview of the municipality and provide the required navigation and search features to allow users to find the information they are seeking. Secondly, remember that website visitors should be able to easily navigate to any page on the site, and return to the main page. Websites should have all pages self-sufficient and self-contained. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 27

28 There are four predominant organization models for informationcentric websites. Once a visitor has reached the main page of the site they should be able to navigate through the remainder of the site by selecting the information they need. Information may be organized by Type of User, Type of Information, frequency of access or by life event. Consider these and other possible criteria to determine which may best meet the requirements of the municipality. Type of User Organize information by the type of user accessing the website Secondary Pages: Citizen Information: Tax Information, Police services, Fire services, Water services, Waste collection services, By-law information etc. Business Information: Permit Information, Tender information and processes, etc. Visitor Information: Maps, Events, Recreational and Cultural facilities, etc. Type of information: Secondary Pages: Municipal Services: Police services, Fire services, Water services, Waste collection services, By-law information, etc. Contact Information: Individual staff contact information, General contact information Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 28

29 Council Proceedings Agendas of upcoming meetings, Staff reports, Council minutes. Frequency of access Information and secondary pages are organized according to the frequency the information is accessed. This could include an index page containing links to the specific information throughout the website. This method is best used in conjunction with one of the other organization models. Life event Information is organized according to the life events that visitors would be experiencing. Secondary Pages: Making a Payment: Property Taxes, Parking Fines, Licenses, etc. Obtaining a Permit: Special event permits, Burning permits, etc. The Main Page of website provides users with an overview of the entire site and allow them to easily navigate to the specific information they are seeking. This page should provide a very broad view of the municipality and its website. Secondary Pages provide more detailed information on each of the main topics from the main page. The lower level information pages typically contain more specific information, contact information, and services. The Do s & Don ts for page design 6.2 Website Design Considerations Detailed design activities are concerned with specifying the design of a website to a level sufficient to begin developing the site. The following section contains items to consider in documenting the design. Careful documentation of what is discussed, will make the development phase of thee project more straightforward and less susceptible to re-work. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 29

30 6.2.1 How to Design a Website Early in the designing process for a website it is helpful to draw a website map. This drawing should show all of the pages in the website and how they are linked to other pages within the site. (There is a an example of a website map in Appendix B.) Use drawings like this to walk stakeholders through the design process and to solicit feedback. For a small website, it may be possible to include all pages on the website map. If you are designing a larger site, you might need to roll- 0up some of the lower level pages on your website map to avoid the map becoming too cluttered and rendering it more difficult to use for design discussions. The Website Map Sketch mock-ups of the Main Page and Secondary Pages to solicit feedback from stakeholders. These should be complete mock-ups so reviewers can gain an appreciation for the overall design. Consider using software drawing tools for your designs. This will allow you to keep them in electronic format for use in design documents. Someone with specialized graphical design skills can be hired to help with the colours, logos and overall presentation of your website. Determine the browser and technology standards required by users to access the information and services of your website. Make sure these are stated on your website. Do not design the website to only work with one particular browser Page Design and Layout Creating diagrams showing the overall layout for pages within the website allow for consistency in design. All pages on the site should have a similar layout and colour scheme. Using a drawing like the one in Appendix C will facilitate design discussions on the overall layout of the web site. Specify the resolution standard supported by your website. Today, most Government websites support 800x600 resolution. Whatever resolution you choose, ensure the website is easily viewable at that resolution. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 30

31 Design pages such that no horizontal scrolling is required. If these elements are to be used on the site, consider how they will appear: Markings for mandatory fields for data to be submitted by users, Relative positioning of labels for data fields (e.g. to the left of the field, above the field), Standards for the presentation of data (e.g. tabular in a web page, in a separate PDF for download, etc.). Error messages that the user may obtain from time to time while using your site. Also, specify in the design diagram when you will use control elements such as drop-down lists, check boxes and radio buttons to ensure they are used consistently. Consider how you will address the following navigational topics: Pop-up windows - Pop up windows may cause a problem with some users who have pop-up window protection installed. Breadcrumbs - If the website has pages that go a number of levels deep, consider using breadcrumbs to show users their current location. Breadcrumbs show the path of pages taken within the website structure. This is typically shown near the top of a web page. Organization of navigation controls - navigation controls include links, buttons etc. within pages. Make sure navigation is as consistent as possible across throughout the website. The overall look and feel of the website is important for easy reading by the visitor. Specify the fonts and sizes to be used. Keep the number of different fonts to a minimum, and do not use fonts sizes less than 10pt. Decide how colour will be used throughout the website. Do not use colour to denote meaning to a piece of information as those who are colour-blind may not be able to detect this. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 31

32 Specify how headings, normal text, table text, links, and other textual elements on the site will look. Specifying these will help to ensure that your site has a consistent look and feel. Consider including help information within your website. A Frequently Asked Questions (or FAQ) section will save time and resources by providing the information that is most requested. Also, a contact address for website help will help to ease frustrations for the users. Pay special attention to those services/functions which are more complex and involve a user submitting information to your website. If the site is presented in English and French, make sure it has a similar look and functionality in both languages. Keep in mind that French text can be quite a bit longer than English and the design will need to take this into account. How to get around the web site Navigation Design Ease of navigation is crucial to the success of a website. A number of factors can contribute to ease of navigation: ensure users can access information in a minimal number of steps from the site s main page, make navigation options clear to users, make links clearly visible to users. Do not use underlined text within your site as some users may expect that underlined text to function as a link, if providing links to external sites, consider if a disclaimer message should be displayed indicating this to users, and a Site Map may offer a clear picture of the overall design and organization of the site. 7.0 Overall Website Considerations There are a number of concepts that span many phases of a website project and also span a number of the electronic services described above. Understanding these concepts can be critical to the success of any website initiative. For each topic below, a brief description is provided followed by a checklist of items to take into consideration. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 32

33 Bottom line... What are the costs? 7.1 Costs of a Website Initiative Throughout a website initiative, it is essential to keep on top of the costs incurred and potential ongoing costs of maintenance. During budgeting exercises, be sure to account for all foreseeable costs, and allow sufficient contingency budget for additional items you may decide to add during the project. Potential development costs include: Third party contracted for design, development or consulting during the website project. Special tooling / software to help in the design and/or development of the website. Potential deployment costs include: Third party contracted to help deploy the website. Registering the website s domain name. Acquiring a web server certificate (if required). Training for staff who will support the website. Promotional or marketing activities. Software, hardware, or network facilities if you are deploying the website using in-house technical infrastructure. Potential operating costs: Third party services for hosting, supporting and/or maintaining the website. Yearly renewal of the web server certificate (if required). Renewal of the domain name. Support / licensing costs for hardware and software if operating your own web server / technology infrastructure. Ongoing network costs for internet access if operating your own web server / technology infrastructure. Periodic technology upgrades of infrastructure components purchased. Plan on a 3-4 year replacement cycle. Keep in mind the range of users and the level of service they may requre 7.2 Usability/Accessibility of a Website Perhaps the single most important and visible aspect of a website is its usability. Users will form an opinion of a website based how easy it was to find, on how it satisfies their needs, how easy it was to find information within the site and its visual appearance. During the design of the website, the following points should be taken into consideration. Remember that website users will have a wide range of skill levels and abilities, and the site should be accessible by as many constituents as possible. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 33

34 Website pages should be quick to download for users. Too many large graphics can slow the download time and be a significant source of frustration. Website should have acceptable performance for use via dialup internet connection. Particularly in rural areas, this can be a major irritant for users if a site is designed for broadband or high speed internet and users have access to dial-up access only. Elements of the website may make it less accessible to some users. Special features of your site may be blocked by software or firewalls on users machines. Testing the website from a variety of locations can help to eliminate some of the frustrations before it goes live. Whenever possible test the site from: a variety of differently configured computers, a variety of different computer types (e.g. Windows, Mac, etc.), and industry standard browsers and release levels. Ensure that information can be easily accessed by users. Consider performing some focus group work on early versions of the website to determine if the focus group members find the site easy to navigate. Wherever possible, design your website to require no additional software for use except for a standard Internet browser. Consider how usable your website is for people accessing it with supportive technologies. Test your site with some of the common technologies to ensure that people with disabilities can access your site and gain from the benefits of it. See Section 9 for links to websites containing specifications on how to design an accessible website. 7.3 Locating a Website People need to be able to easily locate your website online. Many people use search engines to find websites that contain the information they are looking for. Here are some tips on how to ensure search engines can locate your website and to ensure that search engine results referencing pages within your website will be meaningful to your users. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 34

35 Register your website with all of the major search engines. You can do this yourself of have another organization do this for you, Use metadata within the HTML pages of your site to describe the content of each page. Metadata is descriptive data internal to an HTML file which describes the content of the page. This will allow search engines to index into your website based on search queries submitted by their users. Metadata should be as specific as possible so users are directed to pages that meet their search criteria specifically., Choose a domain name that is associated with your municipality, is memorable, and where possible, does not use abbreviations. Options for Creating or Modifying a Website When beginning the process to create a website, or beginning a major overhaul to an existing website, the work, as well as the number of options and choices to accomplish that work may seem daunting. Some options and ideas for the creation or modification of websites. Option 1 - In-house resources Use In-house resources. Determine if the required skills are currently within the organization to perform the following functions: Design - layout of web pages, website organization, graphic design, and branding. Development - creating HTML pages using a website editor to create content. Testing. Option 2 - Independent contractor Determine what skills are required and contract locally for those with the skills and expertise to accomplish the task in the local area. Option 3 - Student / Co-op student For many aspects of website creation, students can be an invaluable resource. Students can create web pages, design, organize and test the site. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 35

36 Option 4 - Combination Depending on the financial resources available, it might be best to consider using a number of available resources. For example contract out for development while training in-house staff to maintain the site. Options for running the website 7.5 Hosting and Operation of a Website Determining how a website will operate can be an intimidating process. There are a number of technical and process considerations to take into account to make the right choice for your municipality. Some options and ideas for the ongoing hosting and operation of a website include the following: In-house - To set up and maintain a website, a number of things are required: a web-server machine, internet provider to offer network connectivity to the web server, a DNS name for the site. This is the name a user will type into the browser to access the website. technical resources- Staff with the required technical abilities and the time required to support the site. This resource person will be expected to: provide support when the website is not functioning correctly, help the municipality update website information and/or teach others within your organization to update information, keep your network connection active and ensure your web server is up to date with all required operating system and security patches. This option requires a considerable allocation of budget and staff resources and may not be the best option for smaller organizations. Independent Contractor - In this option, contract with a third party to provide the web server and network connectivity for the website. Typically, you will pay for this service on a monthly basis and the third party will be responsible for maintaining all network and hardware components of the website. The municipality will be responsible for updating information on the website. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 36

37 Consider other non-commercial third parties who may provide hosting such as other municipalities, libraries, community groups, etc. This is the most commonly chosen option. Third Party Hosting - Have a third party provide the hosting for your website as well as update the website under your direction. This option is only a meaningful choice if you have no technical skills within the organization that can be dedicated to updating the site content. Shared Services - Partnerships with one or more other municipalities may provide the resources to develop websites for each participating municipality. Pooling financial resources with other municipalities may enable the acquisition of website hosting and/or other technical skills for the ongoing operation of the websites. Consider also pooling experience and lessons learned so in order to learn from each others mistakes and experiences. Guidance for future website growth 7.6 Policy Development for a Website As electronic services and facilities are added to the website, policies need to be developed to govern the use of technologies and the access to information produced. Below is a list of policies to consider developing as the website grows. Appropriate Use Policy - Depending on the services available on the website, consider incorporating an Appropriate Use Policy. If the site has interactive components such as chat rooms, forums for discussion, acceptance of electronic transactions, payment capabilities, this policy should be accessible to users to instruct them of the appropriate use of the services provided. Policies like this sometimes have other names like Terms of Use, Acceptable Use Policy. Ensure the municipality s legal advisor reviews these policies prior to adopting them. Information Management Policy - This kind of policy governs record retention timelines and destruction or archival of information processes. Such policies are critical for records management particularly when information is made available to the public via the website. Please refer to the Local Government Resource Handbook Section 2.2 for more detailed information on Records Management. Publishing Guidelines - If the website will follow a model allowing a number of individuals or departments within the Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 37

38 municipality to publish their own material, it is helpful to develop an internal policy to guide the process by which content is added to or updated on the site. This type of policy should state how approvals should be obtained and recorded prior to any information being uploaded onto the website. Disclaimers - Consider including disclaimer language to inform users that information contained on the site may be out of date and that users should seek an official record depending on their use of the information. That information contained on the website may be out of date and that users should seek an official record depending on their use of the information. That links to third party sites will redirect a user to a site which is not under the editorial control of the municipality and that views, opinions and statements on any such site are not the responsibility of your municipality. It may be wise to seek the counsel of the municipality s legal advisor to determine what disclaimers and language should be used on the website. Advertising Policy - Advertising is strongly discouraged on government websites. If you are considering having advertisements on the site, develop a policy to govern how advertisers are selected and how advertisements are positioned on the site. How secure is the site? 7.7 Security Citizens and businesses accessing the services on the website need to be certain that any information accessed or submitted and any transaction processed via the website will be secure. Websites which are informational in nature and feature largely static content will have significantly less security issues than a website featuring a number of interactive and/or transactional services. The checklist below contains some items to consider to ensure the security of the municipal website. Any data accepted from a user which may contain private information should be encrypted. Ensure the website employs a web server certificate for these types of transactions. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 38

39 All technology (hardware, software and networks) used to provide the website and its services must be secure. When a third party is providing these services, ask them about the steps taken to make the technology secure. Consider performing an independent audit of any technology provider(s) to ensure services and technologies are secure. If the website is running on in-house technology infrastructure, an audit should be done on a routine basis to ensure the facility and technology are secure. The following technologies need to be considered in any security analysis: Web server, Network(s) on which the web server resides, Any remote administration protocols used to manage the technology when not on-site, Databases connected to the website, Operating systems, and servers connected to the site. Remember that Security involves more than technology. All business processes associated with the website need to be secure. Think about what business processes interact with the website users (e.g. support, payment, etc.) and ensure information collected by these business processes and communications with these business processes are secured. Remember to keep permanent records of the website for the municipal archives 7.8 Backup and Recovery of Information As more information is added to the website, keep in mind how the information created, managed and/or stored in electronic format is backed up and maintained so it is not lost in case of a technology failure. Some questions to consider regarding the backup and recovery of information include: Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 39

40 How will information that is stored electronically be backed up to ensure it is available should the primary service malfunction? Should a copy of backups be kept off-site? Is there a regularly scheduled time to test the information contained in backups to ensure it is recoverable? Are you actively testing the ability to recover? How quickly does the information need to be restored from backups? Does the municipality have the ability to manage backups within the organization or should this function be outsourced to a third party provider? If the website is processing transactions online, how will any data submitted by a user be maintained? Include protocols that ensure the backup and recovery of information. Consider keeping a backup copy of the website on a separate machine that you can use for ongoing testing purposes. What is the backup plan? 7.9 Business Continuity As more information is added to the website, it becomes more critical to have a backup plan in place to deal with technology failures, or disasters. Some items to keep in mind would include: What are the workarounds available should the site become unavailable for use? Are there services provided on the website that are mission critical? If so, create a plan for delivering these services without the website. Is Business Continuity a concern for the technology solution? Does the website need to be always available or are there acceptable limits to the length of time the site can be down? Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 40

41 The more critical the system and the information contained on it, the more important it is to have a business continuity plan. Provide for regular testing of the business continuity plan to verify that it is acceptable. Preferably on a yearly basis. Review the business continuity plan on a regular basis and revisit it each time a new service is added to the site in order to determine if changes to the business continuity plan are required. As users become more reliant on the site for access to information, the municipality will be at greater risk of customer/ resident frustrations should an outage of significant duration occur. Plan for situations such as this to ensure there are alternative methods of communicating with residents. Alternative plans should include potential additional capacity in other service delivery channels such as call centres, counter staff etc. to meet growing demands during website outages. If the website is hosted on a third party site, ensure that agreements are in place that clearly outline each party s responsibilities should services be compromised regardless of the cause. Don t overlook the legal concerns 7.10 Legislative Requirements, FOIPOP and Privacy Any technology introduced for the website will need to operate within legislative requirements. Close attention should be provided to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) legislation. Refer to Part 20 of the Municipal Government Act for further details. Many of the records published on the website will have FOIPOP considerations that will need to be taken into account. Any technology introduced for the website will also need to operate within privacy legislation and requirements. Close attention should be provided to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Seek advice from your legal advisor and have them review the website and its operations to ensure compliance with any and all privacy requirements. Plan to seek reviews for all new services added to your website. If outsourcing is being considered, for some of the website management/hosting to a private company, consider the implications Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 41

42 USA Patriot Act of using a service provider who may store some of the data within the United States. Any data which physically resides in the United States may be accessed by American authorities using powers provided to them under the Patriot Act. There is currently substantial debate on the risk of this occurring. Nonetheless, you should take this into consideration and seek additional information and opinions if you are considering using a service provider who will store data in the United States Records Retention The artifacts that are produced, retrieved and/or managed via your website need to be considered in the light of records retention requirements. Public notices, data provided by your constituents via the website, among many others, are good examples of records for which a retention policy will be needed. Itemize each potential record type managed within the website. Give particular attention to new records that have arisen due to your introduction of the website. Some examples of new record types are: Data submitted by a citizen via the website, Public messages left by citizens and/or municipality staff on the website. Consider what record retention requirements (if any) are placed on each type of record due to FOIPOP. If any technology components of the website are outsourced to a third party provider, ensure you have considered record retention and that any requirements are part of the formal agreement you have with your provider (i.e. to ensure that records are retained as per your policy and/or legislative requirements) Supporting Website Visitors Regardless of how well you design a website, requests for support from users are inevitable. A well designed website, with clear navigation and search functions, organized in a logical fashion, will have a lower ongoing support burden. Another factor to consider is the complexity of services offered on the website and the overall stability of the site from a technology point of view. If your site has Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 42

43 some inherently complex features or if your site experiences technology problems, the support burden will be high. The following are factors are essential for website support: Provide clear direction and contact information to users to allow ease in contacting the municipality when they encounter difficulty using the website. Expect additional support efforts to be required when: a new or revised website is introduced, significant changes are made to the site, new services or functionality is introduced, technological or availability issues occur with the site, Provide methods by which site visitors can submit questions via . Provide a FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions section on the site with information frequently asked about Growth and Extensibility Any hardware, software or other technology product purchased should be flexible enough to allow for growth and should adapt to changing requirements as the municipality s needs change. Some considerations for flexibility of the website include: Keep future plans in mind and purchase solutions that can be modified or work well with other products. This is a key strategy for making successful technology acquisitions. Develop a long range plan outlining how often you expect to upgrade various technologies used by the website in order to effectively budget and plan for inevitable changes. For smaller municipalities not wanting to make major investments in technology, training and time to support the website, consider contracting with a third party to provide website hosting and maintenance services. There are many organizations in the local market who will be able to perform these services at a high quality level for a reasonable price. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 43

44 Ensure there are plans for the ability to increase network bandwidth as more and more users access the website over time Support for Technology When purchasing new technology for a municipal website, be aware that the job is not done once the website is implemented. Typically, most of the work and cost will arise during the operation of the site. Some of these costs will arise from ongoing changes and updates to the website and addressing any issues that may arise. The ability to support website users, meet new requirements, and address issues will be crucial to the overall success of the initiative. Ongoing support for technology Some questions to keep in mind when reviewing the requirements for ongoing technological support include: What is the track record of the products under consideration for the website? Is there sufficient budget allocated for ongoing support, maintenance, and possible cost overruns whether part of the original licensing agreement or unexpected maintenance issues? Who will be responsible for supporting the initiative? The vendor who sold the product, A third party recommended by the vendor, Staff resources within the municipality, Independent contractor. Are ongoing upgrades / support included in the original licensing agreement? If contracting for support, are the service levels acceptable? (ie: time-frames for fixing problems, responsiveness, etc.) Consider purchasing technology from companies in the local area. This may help to obtain support when issues arise during operation. Open source tools usually have large support communities as well as a large body of knowledge on the use of the tool. Open source tools may be an economical way to develop and support Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 44

45 the website over time and may provide a cost effective solution. What do the industry experts say about the product under consideration? Is the technology receiving favourable reviews by the experts? Is the technology currently being used by a large number of organizations? Is the service based on current technology standards? If not, are you comfortable with the longer-term maintainability and supportability of the product? Have other municipalities in Nova Scotia used the product, and if so, what has their experience been with it? 7.15 Working with Vendors When introducing a new website or significant changes to an existing website, you will likely be working with a variety of vendors such as: Technology products Companies that will sell hardware and/or software that will be required for the website. Technology services/consulting Service providers who may help round out technology experience the municipality may be lacking in due to insufficient staffing and/or experience levels. Some companies may provide both products and services. Website hosting and maintenance services Companies that for a monthly or yearly fee will host the website and provide the hardware, software and network services to allow the website to be available to its users. Selecting a Vendor When selecting any vendor there are a number of items to keep in mind: Has the vendor been in business for a long period of time? Are you comfortable that the vendor can meet your needs? Contact previous customers of the vendor to determine their level of satisfaction with the transaction. For vendors of technology products and technology/services consultants consider the following: Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 45

46 Customer references for similar products/ services, Experience and skill levels in the types of product and services under consideration, Is the price in line with products and services offered by other vendors? A large discrepancy in pricing can be a warning sign. For vendors of website hosting and maintenance services, ask the following: Are the websites the vendor hosts similar in scope, size, and complexity to the site you are considering? If so, this can be an indication of a good alignment of their services to your requirements. What has been the experience of other clients of the vendor? Talking to other clients may help determine their level of satisfaction with the services provided. Ask about turn-around time to resolve problems, and the number of issues encountered in running their website. This will provide a perspective on the quality of service provided by that particular vendor. What are the total costs for the vendor s services, and how does this compare with industry standards? What is the level of support provided? Is it sufficient to meet the ongoing needs of the municipality? How quickly can the vendor increase network bandwidth and/or service space allocated to the website in case of spikes in demand for the municipal website? If you intend to operate a very large website featuring advanced services and you have outsourced the support, maintenance and hosting to a third party, consider reviewing the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) Section Opinions on Control Procedures at a Service Organization for quality standards you may wish to discuss / implement with your service provider Benefits of Sharing As you begin a website project or as you operate a website, the following potential models may provide experiences, technology and resources that can be shared. This may improve the quality of the Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 46

47 website, reduce the time it takes to introduce new services and functions, and reduce the total cost to the municipality. Advantages of shared services Forming a group of municipalities to share experiences and lessons learned from the development and operation of websites can be beneficial for all involved. If you are considering acquiring your own technology and infrastructure to host the website, look into the possibility of sharing the use of these purchases with other municipalities. There may be cost savings for all concerned when technology is shared. Discuss this option with experts in shared technology models to identify the benefits and challenges. Hosting services is another area where savings may be achieved by sharing with other municipal units. A group may be able to receive a better price and/or better services than an individual municipality. Some levels of service may not be cost effective for smaller municipalities, but when combined with a number of similar municipalities, that level of service may become more cost effective. 8 Conclusions and Summary Creating a municipal website, whether a first site or a major modification to an existing website, can be a daunting task. Undertaking a website project in a situation of limited budget and limited technological resources makes the process even more challenging. Municipalities in Nova Scotia and across Canada are creating new websites or making modifications to their existing website in order to better serve citizens and businesses by providing easily accessible information, and transactional capabilities. They are also using their website to provide a marketing presence to tell the world about the municipality, its people and potential opportunities. When undertaking any website project keep in mind the suggestions provided in this guide as you begin the project. Engage municipal councillors, staff, citizens, businesses, potential vendors and consultants early and often to ensure everyone has a full understanding of the requirements, and that all parties understand directions and decisions. Provide vision and leadership throughout the project, and keep in mind the long-term nature of a website. Technologies and processes put in place today will need to be kept current and relevant over time. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 47

48 Once the website goes live, dedicate sufficient time and resources to keep it up-to-date to maintain a high level of trust and confidence in the new website for what is sure to be a wide variety of users. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 48

49 9.0 List of Resources The following resources may be useful as you consider adding new information and services to your website. For further information on this guide, please contact Municipal Services at (902) The following resources were used in the creation of this guide. Part 20 of the Municipal Government Act - Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Municipal Government Act Web Content Accessibility Guidelines / Section 2.2 of the Local Government Resource Handbook: Records Management - GovernmentResourceHandbook_2.2.pdf Section 6.4 of the Local Government Resource Handbook: Transition to Single Window Government - GovernmentResourceHandbook_6.4.pdf Municipality Update Initial Findings Report by Dianne Webber, Unisys Canada (available from Municipal Services). Website Design and Content Standards for the Province of Nova Scotia (Communications Nova Scotia) Illustrated Handbook for Web Management Teams - Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) Code of Practice for Information Security Management (ISO 17799) Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 49

50 Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) Section Opinions on Control Procedures at a Service Organization. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 50

51 Appendix A Glossary Term Definition DNS Domain Name Service FAQ Frequently Asked Questions FTP File Transfer Protocol HTML Hypertext Markup Language PDF Portable Document Format SNSMR Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 51

52 Appendix B Sample Website Map Diagram Below is an example of a website map. Consider creating a diagram like this for your website to facilitate design discussions. Use the lists of potential services and functions in Section 5 of this guide to help you draw a website map for your municipality. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 52

53 Appendix C Sample Page Layout Diagram The diagram below shows an example of a page layout diagram. Consider creating a diagram like this for your website to facilitate page layout and design discussions. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 53

54 Appendix D Reference Websites This section contains excerpts from a number of Nova Scotia municipality websites to provide some concrete examples of the design considerations and services discussed in this guide. Excerpts of the following websites will be provided: Trenton ( This site provides a very good example of an organization based around the type of user accessing the site. You will notice the dominant links provided for Businesses, Visitors, Services (Residents). Wolfville ( This site provides a very good example of an organization based on the type/classification of information that a user may want to access. Notice the extensive links on the left side of the main page of this site. River John ( This site demonstrates that municipal sites can be about communities. Notice the use of links to surrounding areas, extensive information on businesses and events lists for the community. Cape Breton Regional Municipality ( This site is a very good example of the organization of a larger municipal site. Notice the use of a number of navigation options quick links in the upper right corner and left side of the main page, a FAQbased view onto the website as well as a user-based navigation scheme. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 54

55 The website excerpts shown in this appendix are related to the diagram below and the discussion in Section 6.1 of this guide. Please review the website excerpts in conjunction with the diagram below of a high level representation of a website organization. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 55

56 Trenton Main Page Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 56

57 Trenton Secondary Page Example Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 57

58 Trenton Another Secondary Page Example Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 58

59 Trenton Information Page Example This page is accessible from the Municipal Services page shown in the previous example. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 59

60 Wolfville Main Page Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 60

61 Wolfville Secondary Page Example Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 61

62 Wolfville Another Secondary Page Example Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 62

63 Wolfville Information Page Example This page is accessible from the Emergency Measures page shown in the previous example. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 63

64 River John Main Page Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 64

65 River John Secondary Page Example Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 65

66 Cape Breton Regional Municipality Main Page Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 66

67 Cape Breton Regional Municipality FAQ Page Example Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 67

68 Cape Breton Regional Municipality Secondary Page Example Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 68

69 Cape Breton Regional Municipality Information Page Example This page is accessible from the Citizen Information Services page shown in the previous example. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Section Page 69