Looking after our important and most viewed pages

Making Our Most Important Pages Better

We want our most-used and most-important web pages to be easy to use and understand. To help with this, we check them every year.

What We Do

We pick 100 pages to check. These are:

• Pages lots of people visit
• Pages that are important for legal reasons (called statutory services)

We give each page a score:

• Good – works well for everyone
• Moderate – okay, but could be better
• Poor – needs fixing

How We Check

We use a special scoring tool to look at things like:

• Is the page easy to find?
• Does it explain things clearly?
• Can people use it without needing help?
• Is it written in plain English?
• Does it work well for everyone, including people with disabilities?

We work in pairs to score each page and agree on what needs improving.

What Happens Next

We look at pages that score moderate or poor in more detail and the issues that have been identified. We use a tool called Silktide to check how well the page works after we have made changes and we keep track of everything in a master list.

Our checks

Here are the checks that we use against each page in our top 100 list.

1. Clear page title and description – The page title clearly reflects the topic or action. The description summarises what the user will find or do. This helps users quickly understand the purpose of the page and improves searchability.
2. Easy to find – The page is accessible by the site’s main navigation or landing pages and appears in search results using common terms. This reduces user frustration and makes sure key services are found.
3. Audience and purpose – The page clearly states who it is for and what the user can achieve. Ensures relevance and helps users self-identify if the content applies to them.
4. Plain English and readability – Content is written in plain English, avoids jargon and meets a reading age of 9 to 12. Acronyms are explained. Makes content accessible to a wider audience, including those with lower literacy or cognitive impairments.
5. Logical layout and structure – Headings and subheadings are used consistently. No tables or dropdowns unless essential. Improves scan ability and accessibility, especially for screen readers.
6. Transaction design – If there is a transaction, there is one clear button. The button is used appropriately (not for navigation or external links). Supports user action and reduces confusion.
7. Self-contained content – The page makes sense on its own without needing to visit other pages. This saves users time and avoids fragmented journeys.
8. Service expectation – Timescales, steps, and the customer journey are clearly explained where relevant. This sets expectations and builds trust.
9. Accessibility – Page meets or exceeds the site’s average accessibility score. Linked documents are accessible and used only when necessary. Ensures inclusivity and compliance with WCAG standards.
10. Maintenance and support – Page has been reviewed in the last 6 months. Contact details or further help are clearly signposted. Keeps content accurate and ensures users can get help if needed.