The importance of KPIs as a measure of success for government websites
Residents rely on (local) government websites for access to essential services, information, and transparency. In practice, however, measuring the effectiveness of these websites is a challenge. This is where Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) come into play. Let's take a deeper dive into why KPIs are crucial to the success of government websites.
The essence of KPIs
KPIs serve as measurable units that reflect an organization's success in various areas. For government websites, KPIs can range from user experience to accessibility and from security to the achievement of policy goals. By using KPIs, your team can set goals and evaluate its performance in a structured way. This also provides tools for internal communication and accountability to stakeholders. But what exactly are KPIs?
Accessibility as a priority
One KPI for government websites is accessibility. Having the website tested and addressing any issues that are identified is not usually the biggest challenge. It is mainly the operational processes and policies relating to accessibility that are seen as bottlenecks. Setting simple objectives that focus on the core problem can already make a big difference. For example, you could set a goal to have templates for Word documents ready by Q2 2024, hold a (repeat) awareness session with internal stakeholders to raise awareness, or reduce the turnaround time for resolving reported accessibility issues to 7 days.
Safety as a benchmark
We all know that online security has become increasingly important due to the growth of both online services and cyber threats. You would therefore expect government websites to be fully compliant in this regard. We examined 101 third-party subsites and concluded that no less than 74% cannot yet be considered completely secure. Various sites even process personal data. We see that this often depends on the supplier. It is therefore necessary not only to gain insight into this, but also to establish KPIs to guarantee security.
Of more than 100 municipal websites examined, as many as 74% are not yet completely secure.
Increasing civic engagement
Websites often have different objectives. These may include providing information about products and services or policy development, but also about events or for the purpose of participation. KPIs that measure the degree to which objectives are achieved provide valuable insights, such as the number of downloads of completed forms on which residents are asked to plant a tree on a campaign website, the number of times a video has been viewed or shared for city marketing, or the frequency with which the ambition agreement has been downloaded. This data can help evaluate the effectiveness of online services. And steering policy developments also helps to identify the needs and concerns of society.
Performance KPIs
In addition to accessibility, security, and citizen engagement, it is important to relate KPIs to themes that promote overall user-friendliness and contribute positively to issues such as search engine optimization. Examples include the frequency of monitoring for broken links, HTML errors, and the correct application of open standard documents.
Continuous improvement through analysis
Implementing KPIs is not enough; attention must also be paid to continuous monitoring and analysis. By regularly evaluating KPI data, you can gain insight into trends, identify bottlenecks, and develop strategies for improvement. A cyclical process of measuring, analyzing, and adjusting is the key to successfully implementing KPIs on your website.
Ready to get started with your online landscape?
At Shift2, we understand the complexity of managing websites within local governments. Before you can get started with your KPIs, it is important that you have a complete picture of your online landscape. We are happy to help you map this out. To do this, we take a look at all your websites, including those of third parties. Below you can read how we do this:
- First, we make sure we have a clear picture of your organization's current online landscape. We analyze existing websites and identify opportunities for improvement.
- We provide an overview of your online landscape and insight into important KPIs within performance;
- By deploying our consultants, we provide extra hands. We take care of the process for you, saving you time.
- Based on the analysis, we highlight specific areas for quality improvement. These include web management, legislation and regulations, accessibility, etc. We provide practical solutions to take your online landscape to the next level.
