Mapping your online landscape in 6 steps
Every organization wants an overview, but where do you start? In this blog, we explain step by step how to structurally map your online landscape - from domain overview to prioritization. No long policy notes, but practical tools.
Step 1. Collect all domains and subdomains
Together with your team, compile a list - in Excel, for example - of all domains and subdomains in use. Think of external project websites, departmental pages, redirects, old campaign sites, etc. Use for this, among other things:
- The dashboard of Digitally Accessible
- Input from departments - engage in conversation to find out what pages they manage that you don't yet have visibility into
- IT data on DNS and SSL certificates - check with your IT colleagues
- Possibly: the annual report
Sample topics include: budgets, parking, civic affairs, the swimming pool, sustainability, job site, social map, Notubiz, cemetery and the participation website.
Step 2. Map management
If you have an Excel, you can easily add the following in columns. By site:
- Under which team does management fall?
- Who owns it?
- Is your organization decision-making or do you share the website, and decision-making authority, with another party (as in partnerships)?
- What is the function or purpose of the site?
- Does the site have specific technical functionality, such as a reservation system or budget module? Or is it more of a theme site like the swimming pool or a museum?
Websites without complex or unique functionality are often easier to make fully accessible, secure and user-friendly. You can also take quicker steps with Web sites over which you, as an organization, have full decision-making authority. This often makes these sites a logical starting point.
Step 3. Categorize existence by site
For this, you can use the following categories:
- A: Legally required
- B: Not required by law, but necessary for primary service delivery
- C: Nice-to-have
- D: None of the above - it can be phased out
This classification helps to get an overview of sites that no longer add value. Moreover, you can determine your ambition level per category. For example, in terms of monitoring: A sites you monitor every quarter, and B sites every six months.
You can also apply this to topics such as the frequency of an accessibility survey, the involvement of the data protection officer, purchasing requirements, mandate for changes, budget allocation, etc. Of course, you don't have to come up with all of this right now. But categorization is a first step, making this possible in the future.
Step 4. Test the technique
This relates to the performance of the site provider. Check on:
- Security. For example, you can already check an initial basic security at https://internet.nl/. This should score 100% at all times. Does the connection turn out to be insufficiently secure? Immediately check whether personal data is being processed.
- Accessibility of technology. You can already get an initial insight through the inspect function (on the site, right-click > Inspect > Lighthouse. Select Accessibility and analyze). Again, this will need to be 100%.
- Usability. You can check this, for example, at https://validator.w3.org. Copy and paste the URL and click on "Message filtering". Are there more than 10 errors? Then this may indicate a structural problem at the vendor.
Please note that you are dependent on your supplier in this regard. Are there any technical defects? Discuss these before proceeding. For example, you can work so hard on accessible content, but if the technology turns out not to be accessible, the website will unfortunately never be accessible.
Step 5. Check the content preconditions
These are things you can check or add to yourself:
- Is there a current accessibility statement?
- Has a recent accessibility study been done?
- Is a cookie notice required and correct?
- Is there a valid privacy statement?
- Will the website be archived?
Step 6. Analyze and prioritize
For each site, you set priorities based on risk, impact and opportunities for improvement:
- Geef twee punten voor alles wat technisch voldoet: twee punten voor 100% veiligheid, twee punten voor 100% op technische toegankelijkheid en twee punten voor <10 gebruikersfouten. Voldoet het niet? 0 punten.
- Award one point for each content prerequisite that satisfies: a valid accessibility survey, valid statement, correct cookie banner, etc.
- Add up the scores for each site. The sites with the lowest scores reflect a clear degree of priority.
- Basics in order: look especially at the technology. Are there sites that score extremely low on security, accessibility and user errors? Then it's a waste to focus on things like a cookie banner or accessible content, start by talking to the vendor.
- Set priorities: what do you pick up first, and what can wait? In image to the right, you can see how we prioritize ourselves after we map the online landscape.
Important: Not everything has to be done at once.
Adjust the follow-up to what is feasible for you and your team. You now know what the priorities are and where to start first. The first steps have already been taken. That keeps follow-up manageable and focused.
Also getting started with your online landscape?
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Also read how we helped Municipality of Beverwijk map their online landscape.
