Government websites are failing at the basics: How to fix them

A new report card called ScanGov monitors and evaluates the fundamentals of government websites in all 50 states and the federal government. The report reveals that half of all states received a failing grade, indicating a need for improvement in transparency, domain credibility, accessibility, and crawlability. The creators of ScanGov, Elias and Luke Fretwell, emphasize that their goal is not to shame governments but to educate and inspire behavioral change. The project has received positive feedback and has already prompted some agencies to make improvements. However, there is still a need for states to prioritize the technical components of their websites and establish dedicated digital service teams. Keywordsgovernment websites, ScanGov, report card, failing grade, transparency, domain credibility, accessibility, crawlability, civic hacking, behavioral change, digital service teams Takeaways

• Half of all states received a failing grade in the ScanGov report card, indicating a need for improvement in the fundamentals of government websites.
• The creators of ScanGov aim to educate and inspire behavioral change rather than shame governments.
• Positive feedback has been received, and some agencies have already made improvements based on the report card.
• States need to prioritize the technical components of their websites and establish dedicated digital service teams to ensure better performance.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction: The Problem with Government Websites 03:15 ScanGov: Evaluating Basic Web Practices 04:43 Inspiring Change through Civic Hacking 09:30 Positive Feedback and Improvements 14:11 ScanGov Report Card: Revealing Failing Grades Related Links to items referenced in the episode:

• ScanGov: Government digital experience monitor
• A Young Civic Hacker Could Be the Next Generation of Gov Tech

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