Web Standard: Web Area Format
Note
All EPA public content pages and web applications are required to follow this standard.
The web area presents content on a specific topic in a single, consolidated web area with self-contained navigation. Content may come from several EPA offices. All content in a web area has the same area navigation.
Web Area Goals
- Provide a collection of topical information in a way that addresses the needs of the most significant audiences for that topic.
- Elevate the most relevant and appropriate content for your audiences to the top level.
- Provide updated and relevant content (see One EPA Web Principles that Guide Content Development).
Principles
- An Editor-in-Chief (EIC) is responsible for the development and active management of each web area, including reviewing the metadata, managing and reviewing content, fixing broken links, responding to comments/questions etc.
- The site is actively managed and updated.
- Web area development includes:
- Reviewing content about a topic on existing areas to see if it needs to be rewritten to a specific audience, written more for the web, written in more plain language, etc.;
- Identifying information needed to meet the needs of top audiences;
- Incorporating the use of statistics to make decisions;
- Removing duplicative or conflicting content on epa.gov;
- Creating a consolidated resource that, if appropriate, includes information from headquarters and Regional offices.
Web Area Development and Maintenance
Before you request a web area, you will need to complete the following tasks:
- Identify the purpose of the web area.
- Identify 1-3 top audiences to properly focus content selection; for each of those audiences, identify the 1-3 top tasks they seek to accomplish when they come to epa.gov.
- Determine whether special review by the AA for the Office of Public Affairs (contact ODC at OPA_PublicWeb_Team@epa.gov) and/or whether any special approvals are necessary for high-profile content.
- Read the Instructions to Complete the Web Area Request Form.
Editor-in-Chief Responsibilities
- Ensure that metadata for all content, no matter the file type, exists and is appropriate.
- Maintain and update the area, complete metadata review, manage and review content, review results of usability testing, fix broken links, respond to comments/questions, etc.
- Regularly evaluate content for usefulness and applicability to targeted audiences.
- Read the Step-by-Step Guide for EICs Developing and Maintaining Web Content.
- See Roles and Responsibilities of One EPA Web Editors‐in‐Chief for more information.
Recommendations for a Web Area
Recommended Content Elements
The following content elements are required unless the top tasks identified don't support including them. They must be linked from the homepage, but the location of the links or content is flexible.
Learn about [Topic Name] – If you can describe it in 50 words or less, you don’t need a basic page but if you can’t describe in less than 50 words, you need a basic page. Does not have to be titled “Learn about.” Make the title of the page very obvious to the user.
- This is basic information about a topic.
- It should summarize:
- What is the issue?
- Why should you care?
- What is EPA doing about it? (e.g., regulations, partnerships, outreach, enforcement, research, grants)
- What can you (as a person or as an organization) do about it?
- “What you can do” and “What EPA is doing” content must be linked from the homepage.
- “Learn about” content should not be presented in a question-and-answer format and should not duplicate FAQ content.
Science and Technology Content
- A page, or part of a page, that provides current and accurate information on what EPA is doing scientifically.
- Using the phrase "science and technology" is recommended when appropriate. It's acceptable to use other phrases to describe your science and technology content.
Laws and Regulations Content
- Content about laws and regulations must follow the guidelines set forth in “Creating and Editing Regulation Pages” and should follow the Regulatory Template Web Standard.
- Laws and Regulations content specific to a topic should be housed in a web area rather than in EPA's Laws and Regulations web area.
Geographical Content
- If a web area is about a particular geographic area (Puget Sound; Libby, MT; Gowanus Canal; Atlanta), all geographic content should reside there. For example, information about lead in drinking water in the District of Columbia should reside in the D.C. web area rather than the lead web area or drinking water web area.
- Exception: content currently stored in a major database (for example, a database of all National Priority List (NPL) sites) should remain in that database, and you should link to it.
- Integrate with existing geographically-built databases, such as My Environment or Cleanups in My Community.
- Consider working with the EIC of the My Environment/Envirofacts web area to create queries specific to the web area topic.
*Always required: Contact Us Links
- Contact us links (at the top and bottom of webpages) go to a page with a contact form. The WebCMS automatically generates a Contact Us page, although you will need to customize it. See Web Standard: Contact Us Page.
- Reminder: Do not include your Contact Us page in your Sidebar Navigation.
- You should respond to inquiries within ten business days, and you are strongly encouraged to set up a confirmation email to acknowledge that the question has been received. Learn how to set up a confirmation email.
Look and Feel/Navigation
Homepages/Landing Pages
- Visit the Landing Page standard.
Left Sidebar Menu
- Learn how to Create Sidebar Navigation.
- Visit the Sidebar Web Standard.
Other languages
- Do not create webpages in languages other than English.
- If you need to create new content in Spanish, please contact Lina Younes at younes.lina@epa.gov in the Office of Digital Communications. Lina manages espanol.epa.gov.
- If you need to create new web content in languages other than English or Spanish, please contact Lina Younes at younes.lina@epa.gov. Lina coordinates foreign language content other than Spanish.
About this Standard
Original effective date: 01/01/2004
Last approved on: 02/14/24
Web Council review by: 02/14/27 (or earlier if deemed necessary by the Web Council)