This section provides guidelines on how to maintain a Web site - in particular the routine control of site performance, link functionality and content freshness.

Improving quality

Prior to publication, clearance of new Web sites is provided by OCP according to the criteria set out in the FAO Web Quality Assurance Checklist.

The Web Guide Team also monitors FAO Web sites after they have been published in order to maintain their relevance and quality over time.

The various aspects we check for include:

• content quality and whether information is still relevant
• compliance with standard corporate page parameters
• accessibility and usability
• search engine optimization
• information architecture and navigation
• language coverage
• technical quality
• consistency

In depth assessment

Upon request, the Web Guide Team can also provide a comprehensive assessment of individual Web sites which detail:

•    how to improve the usability aspects and increase the visibility of your Web site
•    how to take advantage of social media
•    search engine optimization
•    recommended actions to take, with an indication of the priority and the effort required to implement them

If you would like further information on this service please contact us via Web-Guide@fao.org.