Our aim for our website and digital services is an experience so good that people choose to use them. Our content principles reflect our digital first approach and vision for digital services as detailed in our Digital Plan.
We’re local government and our services have to be inclusive and need to work for everyone. People don’t have a choice about using our website. Most people visit because they need to find information or complete a transaction.
Content on plymouth.gov.uk
Content on plymouth.gov.uk generally falls under four main types:
- information - finding out information that helps users complete a specific task (for example, how do I get planning permission?)
- transactional services - completing tasks specific to the Council – applying, paying or reporting (for example, reporting a missed bin)
- engagement - engaging with residents on council issues (Consultations)
- promotional - keeping residents up to date with what’s going on (News)
We also publish content that we are legally required to (like statutory notices) and for transparency reasons (like spending).
Around 100 different services are represented on plymouth.gov.uk, all have different needs.
They broadly fall under 4 categories:
- GOV.UK style - services that are text and transaction based. Users of these are looking for specific information or want to perform a transaction as quickly and easily as possible. For example, Council Tax, benefits, planning, bins
- Traded services - Council run services that are selling something and competing with the private sector. Need to be visually appealing and have own identity. For example, Catered, Schools Library Service, Building Control
- Blended services - services that are not necessarily in competition with the private sector but might benefit from images and videos and be more appealing. For example, libraries, parks
- News – keeping residents up to date with what’s happening, key messages about the Council
Our publishing principles
Content refers to the words, actions and images on our website. It is not just about words, but how we manage headings, links, images, meta descriptions, form text and more.
Our content design principles guide the way content is written, added to and maintained on the Plymouth.gov.uk website.
As a quick guide, content on Plymouth.gov.uk will:
- meet user needs
- prioritise the most popular tasks
- help channel shift for information and transactional needs
- be accessible and meet Web Content Accessibility Standards (WCAG) 2.2 standards
Our content publishing principles have been written following best practice from the Government Digital Service (GDS), the NHS and other local authorities.
User needs not Council needs
Plymouth City Council has signed the Local Digital Declaration.
“We will go further to redesign our services around the needs of the people using them - this means continuing to prioritise citizen and user needs above professional, organisational and technological silos” Local Digital Declaration
Focusing on user needs is a key principle of our Digital Plan.
Content should only be published if it meets a user need, unless we have to publish for legal or transparency reasons.
User stories, analytics and other available data will be used to determine what people want and need to know, and also to find out what no-one reads or needs.
The website is for everyone
Our website should work for everyone, regardless of whether they use a phone, tablet, PC or assistive technology to access it. Content will be designed to be responsive and to meet accessibility regulations.
Our web pages are clear, easy to scan and written in Plain English.
Our users are mostly on mobile devices, have little time and have something they need to know or do.
Create less content
It’s easier to create content than to maintain it. All content needs to be maintained and has an environmental impact.
We should only be creating content that users need and that we can maintain. Out of date, inaccurate content means people won’t trust us, will phone or visit, or even give up completely.
Unnecessary content gets in the way of important information and transactional content, clutters up search results, and makes it harder for users to find what they need.
We will not duplicate content. If we’re not responsible for it and where it exists elsewhere, we will create a link to it. This avoids copyright issues and any changes made that may not be reflected in our pages.
Consistency
Consistency is important and the content style guide should be followed to maintain consistency across the site.
Service areas and subject matter experts will be a key part of the publishing process and will need to check content for accuracy and make sure any legal position is clear.
Relevant and findable content
Content needs to be findable. If people can’t find the content they need, the more likely it will be duplicated across the site. People should be able to get to the right page via a search engine or plymouth.gov.uk search using words that make sense to them.
Information, feedback and data will be used to identify problems and continually improve the site.
Content that is no longer relevant or useful will be unpublished to avoid cluttering the site with out-of-date information.
We will plan ahead, maintaining a calendar to know when the peak publishing periods are. For example, School admission, elections.
Collaborate and create seamless journeys for users
People shouldn’t have to understand how local government works to get what they need. The customer journey should be seamless and if needed, to work across different service areas.