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News overview

30th September 2020

News overview

30th September 2020

Content policy for Ísland.is

The purpose of the content policy is to ensure that everyone involved in content work for Iceland.is is working at a pace to maximise the quality of content and the network for users of the website.

At the beginning of the project the ambitious project of formulating a content policy for Iceland.is was undertaken.

At that time, there were 164 independent websites of different institutions and 74 My Pages, with the major goal of bringing them together constantly and on an Icelandic basis. It is clear that in such a vast project where many people are working hand in hand, it is important to have one common vision and policy to follow.

Purpose

The purpose of the content policy is to ensure that everyone involved in content work for Ísland.is is working at a pace to maximise the quality of content and the network for users of the website.

In preparing the materials policy, web policies and materials policies of Icelandic websites and similar foreign models were examined. Based on that development a foundation was formed which has changed in line with the experience and learning of the project.

Content Policy

The content policy today focuses on the three main conditions that a good information website needs to meet:

  1. The information must be on the website

    Research what information people need regarding public services? What do people actually need to know about, for example, passports, death certificates, divorces and health insurance? The goal is to give people the information they need so they can take the next step. Articles are commonly intended to answer the following questions from users:

    - What is the service?

    - Do I have a right to receive it?

    - How do I apply?

    - What happens then?

  2. People need to find them
    Good network classification, descriptive titles and subheadings help people find the right information. It should be kept in mind that many users find the content with the help of search engines such as Google or internal searches on the web, so the title of an article must be descriptive and distinct from other search results.

    A large number of users rely on the classification of the content in the network. It is important to examine which groups of users are searching for the material and for what purpose. The same article can be used for different user groups who search for the content in different ways. Continuous measurements, reviews, and changes to the network are necessary as more branches are added there.

  3. People need to understand them

    Users of the website have all sorts of problems. Young people, older people, people learning Icelandic, people who do not know the Icelandic government system, people with reading difficulties or visual impairments, people who are under stress or under pressure, and so on. The content on Ísland.is needs to meet the needs of all these groups as well as possible. This includes inter alia:

    • write to users' needs

    • write descriptive headlines

    • have the most important content at the top of the page

    • use the same vocabulary as people use between themselves

    • write short and simple sentences

    • using headers and point lists to help people scan the material

Partners

The content strategy was created by Stefna ehf. in good collaboration with Digital Iceland and other teams.