Accessibility, findability and service design — the three things residents notice immediately.
Council websites serve everyone, which makes them harder to design than almost any commercial site.
Accessibility is non-negotiable. WCAG 2.2 AA is the baseline, and it should be tested continuously rather than audited once at launch.
Findability matters more than structure. Residents search for tasks — bin day, rates, permits — not departments.
Design for the top twenty tasks first. Everything else can live in a well-organised archive.
And publish performance openly. Trust grows when a council shows its own service metrics.