The Digital Government Authority (DGA) is aware of the importance of approving and constantly updating regulations to keep pace with current and future requirements, play a key role in enhancing digital performance within government entities, improve the quality of services provided, and enhance the experience of the beneficiaries of those services, in line with the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030. The strategic directions of the Digital Government emphasize the importance of adopting digital regulations by providing an effective and flexible regulatory environment that adapts to future changes.

Given that DGA is the competent Authority for all matters related to the digital government and is considered the national reference in its affairs, and based on its mandate to regulate the work of the digital government and ensure integration among all government entities, and based on its competencies and tasks stipulated in Article 4 of its Statute, which include “establishing technical standards for digital transformation models in government sectors and overseeing compliance therewith;” the “Controls for Improving the Quality of Digital Content for Government Websites and Digital Platforms to Enhance their Visibility on Search Engines” have been prepared accordingly to effectively contribute to creating a regulatory environment that supports sustainable government digital transformation.

By issuing this document, the DGA aims to improve the digital content published on government entities’ websites and digital platforms and to specify the requirements for enhancing their visibility on search engines. By doing so, the DGA contributes to the development of government websites and digital platforms to align with the requirements of various search engines, such as Google.com and Bing.com, ensuring they appear among the top search results for the keywords and terms used by beneficiaries and users searching for those websites. 

In its commitment to improving the performance of government entities, accelerating digital transformation, raising the efficiency and quality of government websites and digital platforms, and enhancing their visibility on search engines, the DGA has issued the document titled “Controls for Developing the Quality of Digital Content for Government Websites and Digital Platforms to Improve Their Visibility on Search Engines” This document is part of the regulatory framework governing Digital Government operations, which effectively contributes to creating high-quality digital content that is easily accessible to various categories of beneficiaries. This initiative aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, supports the strategic directions of the digital government, and draws upon international and local best practices and key performance indicators related to improving websites and digital platforms.

Digital content is the primary factor attracting beneficiaries as they browse government websites and digital platforms and utilize the digital services provided. It serves as a key instrument in fulfilling the purpose behind the establishment of government websites, digital platforms, and various digital channels, such as websites, smart applications, and digital portals, with the aim of achieving the strategic goals of the beneficiaries of these channels. Digital content includes various forms, including written content, audio and video clips, images, shapes, charts, and more.

Search engines are considered one of the main sources of traffic to websites and digital platforms visited by beneficiaries. Visitors can utilize search engines to access services, find answers to inquiries, or search for products or services offered by government entities on their websites and digital platforms. Search engines identify websites containing topics related to the user’s search, then organize and index them for display.

The document outlines the details of these controls, their intended objectives, their scope and application, and compliance and oversight procedures.

This document aims to define the controls for improving the quality of digital content on websites and platforms affiliated with government entities in order to enhance their visibility on search engines and achieve the following objectives:

• Preparing and planning for the development of content on government websites and digital platforms in line with the needs and requirements of beneficiaries.

• Enhancing the visibility of government websites and digital platforms among the top results on search engine pages.

• Increasing traffic to government websites and digital platforms and enhancing the accessibility of digital services to boost their usage.

• Improving the user experience of beneficiaries of government websites and digital platforms and improving their utilization of the provided services.

The DGA has established these controls to determine the requirements for improving the quality of digital content on government entities’ websites and digital platforms, new and existing, to enhance their visibility among the top results on search engines. Government entities must implement and comply with these controls as outlined below:

• Controls for improving the quality of digital content on government websites and digital platforms to enhance their visibility on search engines, which include:

• Controls for preparing and developing digital content; to improve the quality and effectiveness of digital content and meet the needs and expectations of beneficiaries, which include:

1. Planning for preparing, developing, and updating digital content.

2. Producing and auditing digital content.

• Controls for publishing digital content on government websites and digital platforms; to facilitate access to published content for the target audience identify the most effective websites and digital platforms, and deliver content through them.

• Controls for improving and continuously enhancing the visibility of government websites and digital platforms on search engines; to define the technical requirements (Technical Optimization), which include:

1. Improving government websites and digital platforms to enhance their visibility on search engines.

2. Continuously enhancing the visibility of government websites and digital platforms.

• Controls for monitoring the performance of digital content and the efficiency of government websites and digital platforms to enhance their visibility on search engines; to measure reach and interaction rates of published digital content and take the necessary corrective measures to continuously improve and enhance the content.

The controls apply to:

• The private sector that acts as a developer or operator of digital government-related activities.

• Government entities.

The following terms and expressions, wherever used in this document, shall have the meanings assigned to them, unless the context requires otherwise.