Government agencies need functional websites - just like every other sector of the economy. A website is the perfect way to communicate important information, whether it’s how to apply for a building permit, where to file your taxes, or when your trash will be picked up each week. Having a well-designed, secure website should be a top priority for every government agency, from local government to state and federal agencies.
Drupal is an open-source content management system (CMS) that can be used to build websites for all types of organizations - including government agencies. Drupal requires a bit more coding skills than other content management systems. However, it is a great choice for government websites because it is highly secure, compliant with relevant privacy laws, and scalable.
Inclind is a collaboration of award-winning website designers and developers. We work with government agencies to build functional and attractive Drupal websites, including design and development, website redesigns, conversion optimization, and continued support and maintenance. If you want to create or update a website for your government website, reach out to learn more about how we can help.
What Is Drupal?
In the past, building a website required knowledge of how to code - which limited the ability of the average person to have their own website. If a person or business wanted a site, they would typically have to pay someone to create one for them. Today, content management systems - CMS - can be used to build a website with little to no coding experience.
A CMS can either be open-source (like WordPress and Drupal) or proprietary (like Adobe Experience Manager). The main difference between the two is that with an open-source CMS, the source code is available to anyone - which isn’t the case for proprietary software. This makes open-source CMS less expensive and often more customizable. As an open-source CMS platform, Drupal is maintained by a community of developers. It is free to download, although you typically pay for certain features and customizations.
Drupal is PHP-based and permits the use of Gutenberg for building pages. It uses themes and modules - similar to WordPress’ themes and plugins - as a core part of its system. When building a website, a user will start by picking a theme. They will then add modules to add certain features, such as making the website accessible or including contact forms.
There are more than 3,000 Drupal themes and over 47,000 modules. Many of these themes and modules are available free of charge or low cost. This makes Drupal a more cost-efficient way to build a highly customized website for a government agency.
Why Drupal Is Great for Government Websites
More than half of government websites around the world are built using Drupal. People rely on government websites for benefits, services, and information. That is why it is so critical that a government site can handle a lot of traffic and is secure.
There are a few key reasons why Drupal is so popular for government agencies. Below, we break down some of the top reasons why this CMS might be the best option for your government website.
Scalability
Drupal is built using modular architecture. It uses different tools, like lazy loading, caching, CSS optimization, and image compression, to make sure that its websites load quickly. This helps to make sure that your website performs well - which is incredibly important given that demand for certain government websites might be incredibly high at certain times (such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people needed to access information about shutdowns and vaccines).
This modular architecture makes Drupal a very “scalable” CMS. In other words, it is easy to scale up your digital presence with Drupal because you can run multiple websites on one CMS. If you need to add a new website that addresses a specific issue, you can do that from the same CMS. You can also easily add features such as making your website available in multiple languages.
Security
Government agencies are prime targets for cyberattacks, whether the goal is to steal confidential information, achieve a political goal, or simply cause chaos. For this reason, government websites must be secured to prevent ransomware attacks, data breaches, and fraud.
Drupal is an excellent choice for government websites because it is well-known for its high levels of security. In addition to having high standards for coding, Drupal has a strict review process for any coding that is used on its platform - making it the most secure open-source CMS. Drupal also has its own security experts who work to make sure that the platform is as secure as possible.
Accessibility
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), websites are required to be accessible. This means that everyone should be able to access the information on a website, regardless of their disability. Having an accessible website is particularly important for government agencies, as a failure to do so could mean constituents are blocked from getting information, services, and/or benefits.
Drupal is a great CMS for accessibility. Drupal includes many standard accessibility features so that websites built on the platform are automatically more accessible. These features include adding alt text to photos, keyboard navigation, color contrast, and semantic HTML markup to assist screen reader technology. There are also specific modules for Drupal that can be used to improve accessibility, such as Editoria11y, CKEditor Accessibility Auditor, and All in One Accessibility.
Affordability
Most government agencies do not have huge budgets for things like website design and development. This means it may be impossible to use a proprietary CMS, which can be incredibly expensive. Fortunately, Drupal is a fairly low-cost CMS - particularly for a relatively straightforward website.
The cost to build a website using Drupal can vary considerably. It is free to download, and many themes and modules are free - as is a lot of community support from developers. However, once you start adding more complex features, custom development, and design and branding work, the cost can rise to $30,000 to $40,000 or more. This is still typically far less expensive than most proprietary software costs.
Multilingual Capability
There is no official language in the United States. In our increasingly diverse country, it isn’t unusual for many constituents in a given area to speak various languages. Government websites should be available in the most common languages spoken in that region to make sure that everyone can get access to the information that they need.
Drupal automatically includes a language translation feature that makes it simple to build a multilingual website. This feature can detect the probable language of visitors using their URL, browser settings, and IP address. It can then translate the website into another language - which means that your government website will be more accessible to a broad swath of the population.
Building a Government Website? Contact Inclind for Help
Government websites have unique needs compared to other industries. Government agency websites must be both secure and accessible. They should also be scalable and flexible to expand the website as needed as your mission changes. Our team of outstanding website designers and developers can help you build a site for your government organization using Drupal. We can also offer website maintenance and support.
Based in Delaware, Inclind works with a range of businesses and organizations throughout the United States to help them build secure, functional, and attractive websites. We understand the concerns that government agencies often have when it comes to building and maintaining a website. We use our knowledge of these needs, the latest technology, and the types of attacks that governments will likely face to help our clients build the best possible website using Drupal, WordPress, or another CMS.
We are always here to talk if you want to learn more about our web design, development, and support services for government organizations. You can call 800-604-8139 or fill out our online contact form to talk to one of our team members about your government website.