5 Ways to Make Your Public Agency Website an Engagement Magnet in 2026

As residents become more digitally savvy and their expectations evolve, your public agency’s web presence matters more than ever.

The latest CivicPlus® Resident Satisfaction and Trust Report highlights the significance of a functional, accessible, and resident-centered website. The report found that:

• 54% of residents believe the quality of a municipality’s website is a direct reflection of community leadership.
• 63% of residents say that accessibility features on government websites are highly important, and 59% believe that making those websites accessible should be a priority.
• 88% of residents who rate their municipal website as extremely or very easy to navigate report trust in their local government—a figure that is cut in half among residents who find the website difficult to navigate.
• 39% of U.S. residents intend to engage more with their local government than they did in the previous year.

These insights reinforce what many local government leaders already know: An agency’s website is a key touch point for residents and an opportunity to either build or diminish trust, engagement, and reputation.

In this article, we’ll explore five ways to ensure your website drives engagement and builds trust.

1. Prioritize Accessibility and Inclusivity

To be truly useful, your website must be accessible to all residents, including those with disabilities. As websites increasingly serve as the digital front door to local government, accessible digital content is essential for providing information, services, and resources.

The most recent final rule from the Department of Justice (DOJ) transforms this requirement into a legal mandate. The ruling clarifies that digital content, including websites, PDFs, and video content, must align to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

WCAG is categorized by the POUR principles of web design—perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust—and lays out a framework so that websites are usable, clear, and supportive of assistive technologies.

Compliance Deadlines

The DOJ mandate also outlines the deadlines by which public agencies must comply:

*Education entities should review official DOJ guidance and seek legal counsel to determine their ADA Title II compliance deadlines.

While the notion of accessible digital content resonates with residents and local leaders alike, the “how” has posed more of a question mark for public agencies.

A joint study completed by CivicPlus and CivicPulse found that an overwhelming majority of local government leaders believe web accessibility is important for fostering trust in government (84%) and that ensuring accessible web content is the government’s responsibility (83%). It also found that only 13% of local officials said they feel very familiar with the mandate, while 38% said they are unaware of the decision altogether.

Bottom line: There will soon be legal risks associated with inaccessible digital content, compounding the existing risks of diminished resident experiences, engagement, and inclusivity. When attempted manually, the remediation process for website pages and PDFs requires a high level of technical expertise—something that few local government agencies are currently staffed to accommodate.

Of course, designing with accessibility in mind from the start delivers long-term strategic benefits. By opening the digital door to a wider range of residents from the outset, agencies strengthen equity and inclusion while creating a strong foundation for ongoing compliance.

2. Enable Easy Access to Government Services and Information

To drive engagement, it’s imperative to make your website a one-stop shop for residents to self-service their needs online. This includes key services such as:

• 311 requests
• Permits and licenses
• Utility bills
• Information requests
• Municipal code
• Payments
• Access to public meetings

57% of surveyed residents expressed strong interest in a unified municipal billing platform. When combined with residents who are “somewhat interested” in this portal option, the figure jumps to 87%.

Digitizing requests, forms, and other submissions is one of the most powerful first steps local governments can take to improve self-service and engagement. Beyond reducing the need for residents to make phone calls and in-person visits to government offices during business hours—something not all residents can do—it also gives staff members more time to focus on serving the community in more impactful ways.

Websites should not only provide easy, 24/7 access to these services from any device, but also make it easy for residents to quickly find and search for them. Website navigation best practices will help with this, as can adding an agent to your site.

3. Treat Your Website Like the Central Hub It Is

Digitizing forms and requests boosts self-service and engagement, but your website should also unify departments and services for a cohesive resident experience.

In addition to helping residents more easily make sense of processes, programs, and resources, it also gives them new visibility to the scope of resources and services your local government currently provides.

Here’s how to do it:

• Keep your website up to date: Ensure that basic information—like staff directories and FAQs—stays updated throughout the site and page content is fresh. The right CMS makes ongoing updates and simple navigation easy.
• Communicate effectively: Only 35% of individuals report high satisfaction with the communication they receive from local government. Use multi-channel mass communications to keep residents informed of both routine updates—like farmers markets, road closures, and upcoming events—and emergency situations alike. The right CMS integrates key updates for consistent communication as well as makes it easy for residents to manage their subscriptions and personalize their communication preferences.
• Improve site search: On average, a third of visitors use the search feature on the website. Make the search feature prominent and easy to find. The right CMS will also include social media posts, information requests, and municipal code in site search results, putting all of those resources at your residents’ fingertips.
• Public meetings: Making public meetings easy to find and attend (whether in-person or remotely), supporting compliance and driving participation.
• Parks and recreation events: Help residents find and attend the incredible programs, special events, and activities that build a thriving, vibrant community.

When websites are used as a central hub for local government services, the impact is powerful.

As one CivicPlus customer stated, “Our staff and the public are so tired of having to sign in to different systems. With CivicPlus, we have a platform that offers a single log-in whether you’re signing up for alerts or watching a board meeting, and people really like that. It’s the same for staff. They log into CivicPlus through one interface and can navigate to the different tools.”

4. Optimize for Mobile and User Experience (UX)

Nearly 90% of U.S. adults have smartphones and mobile devices account for increasing online traffic. Agencies must prioritize mobile-friendly navigation to improve content accessibility, discoverability, and resident convenience.

Here’s how to do it:

• Use a responsive layout: A consistent user experience across devices makes it easier for residents to access content without having to resize, scroll, or zoom in or out. It can also improve search engine optimization (SEO) rankings.
• Optimize website speed: Slow websites frustrate residents. Test loading times and make changes if needed.
• Simplify your web design: Cluttered web designs can be challenging to navigate on a smaller screen. Use white space to make content readable and limit the number of calls to action (CTAs).
• Consider your font and button usage: To ensure all residents can read your agency’s content on mobile devices, use a large, simple font and black text on a light background. In addition, make your buttons large enough for residents’ thumbs to navigate, and position them at the bottom of the page for easy access.

5. Foster Community Dialogue and Transparency

CivicPlus research shows that 82% of residents think it’s important for officials to be transparent about their administrative decisions, and 78% support their local government spending tax dollars on software that makes it more efficient to disseminate information. They want to be involved.

Here’s how to use your public agency website to increase transparency and encourage community input:

• Make it easy to find and attend upcoming public meetings, and eliminate barriers to entry by livestreaming town halls.
• Integrate your 311 system, provide visibility into in-progress requests, and provide ongoing updates every step of the way.
• Make it easy for community members to report accessibility issues on the website.
• Prominently feature board application forms.
• Clearly display contact information for department heads and other local leaders.

In addition, tools for public comments, forums, and Q&A sessions with officials make it easier for residents to share their thoughts and opinions and feel heard by local leaders.

Build the Website Your Community Deserves in 2026

By creating a thoughtful, strategic digital front door, local governments can increase community engagement and improve how they connect with residents.

Every community is different, and websites should reflect the needs, priorities, and interests of the residents who use them. When websites align with community expectations, they become a powerful tool for connection, support, and lasting engagement. Take a self-guided tour to learn why over 5,000 public agencies have already chosen CivicPlus to drive engagement with their residents.