Content
Make your content work for you
Your website exists to deliver good content to your visitors. In order to accurately represent the voice of your organization digitally, you need to understand the content you have, what information your customers are accessing, and how it speaks to them.
Goals
- Translate your website customers’ needs and behaviors into the guideline for your site’s information architecture—how your content is organized for use
- Understand how to evaluate your content and perform a content audit
- Learn how to assess your website content for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Know how to turn your analytics and customer insights into concrete steps for improving your SEO
Understand USDA Guidance and Learn More!
Evaluate for Plain Language (Required)
Content Strategy and Life Cycle
Complete a Redundant, Outdated, and Trivial (ROT) Analysis
Perfecting Your Information Architecture (IA)
Enhancing Findability with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Follow Federal Guidance and Mandates
- 21st Century IDEA Act
The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) lists requirements (including some outlined here separately) that new and redesigned websites must:
Sec. 3(a)
Comply with Section 508 accessibility requirements
Have consistent appearance
Not overlap with or duplicate legacy websites
Have a site search feature
Use industry-standard secure connection (https)
Be designed around user needs based on qualitative and quantitative data
Have an option for a more customized digital experience
Be fully functional on common mobile devices
Section 3(b)(2)(A)
Report to Congress their agency’s most-viewed or most-utilized websites and services
Sec. 3(e)
Comply with U.S. Website Standards (the U.S. Web Design System)
- Plain Writing of 2010
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires that federal agencies use clear communication that the public can understand and use. Executive departments and agencies must follow Federal Plain Language Guidelines, follow Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Guidance on Implementing the Plain Writing Act (PDF, 269 KB) and have a plain writing section on their website. Visit USDA’s Plain Writing page for more information and training.
- USDA Records Management Policy
USDA Department Regulation 3080-001 details the rules and regulations that Records Officers within each Mission Area, Agency must follow. For a list of regulations related to Electronic Record Management within the USDA, see Electronic Records: Office of Chief Information Officer. For comprehensive guidance on managing web records, see NARA Guidance on Managing Web Records.
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This page was last updated July 31, 2019.
Tell Us What You Think
The USDA Digital Strategy is being produced iteratively and relies on feedback from you to tell us what content you need to see, as well as what is and isn’t working. To send feedback, email us at feedback@usda.gov.
