With this in mind we take a task-focused approach to help people get straight to the information or service they need.
Our main website is Derbyshire.gov.uk. We also have over 20 other websites that are specific to some of the services we provide, these include Schools Net, Safer Derbyshire, Digital Derbyshire and various partnership websites.
Any website we create becomes part of our online digital portfolio, therefore we must be represented appropriately.
We follow our digital style guides and standards across our online services which follow the principles set out in the gov.uk style guide. We aim for our websites to meet the World Wide Web Consortium Accessibility Guidelines (version 2.1) 'Double A' standard. This is currently the minimum standard for council websites.
Writing for the web
We follow gov.uk's writing style guide:
- be concise – make content brief and to the point
- meet the user need – publish only what users need to know to complete their task
- know your audience – their search terms, questions and how they read
- include keywords in content to boost search rankings
- use the active voice (not passive)
- break up text into subject areas with headings and sub-headings
- 'front load' headings, sub headings, titles, bullet points and links to put the most important information first
- use words that are easy to understand – good content is easy to read
Most people that visit Derbyshire.gov.uk or our other websites access it through Google. We therefore write our web content in a way to ensure that our web pages appear as high as possible in search engines such as Google.
You can find out more about writing for the web in our digital style guide.
Changes to existing pages
We manage Derbyshire.gov.uk and our other websites using a content management system (CMS) called Contensis.
Content for Derbyshire.gov.uk is created by digital communications officers, with services responsible for the accuracy of the content and supplying factual updates.
We also have content authors from our services who have access to specific sections of the websites to make updates to content. Most of these updates come to our digital communications team for approval before being published.
If you're not a content author, you can contact the digital communications team to request a change to an existing page, email: econtent@derbyshire.gov.uk
Our digital communications officers will ensure that the content follows our style guide, is user friendly and optimised to rank highly in search engines.
New pages
To get new pages set up or to request a change to the structure of a section please contact the digital communications team, email: econtent@derbyshire.gov.uk
Our digital communications officers are best placed to make these types of changes. They'll use their expertise to recommend the most user friendly approach.
New websites
Creating a new website needs careful consideration and planning to make sure it meets both the business and user need.
We can help you choose the right platform to meet these needs. We can design and build the website, create content and provide training so you can maintain the website.
There are other options available if you want a new website. Using a third party supplier is a more costly and time-consuming solution. However, in some cases, it can be the most suitable option.
If you're interested in creating a new website please contact the digital communications team, email: econtent@derbyshire.gov.uk