8 Technical Elements of Website Design and Development

The technical effectiveness of your government contractor website is just as important as the design if you want to grow your business.

Websites remain the #1 resource federal buyers rely on throughout the procurement process, and increasingly, AI-powered search and answer tools (like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews) are part of that research process too. That means your site’s technical foundation needs to work for human visitors and AI systems.

Built into every website are many technical features that can either improve the website’s performance or slow it down and impair the user experience — damaging your brand. To build the most effective website and design the most satisfying experience for your visitors, consider the following.

Technical Features to Improve User Experience

These eight technical elements are building blocks to ensure your website is functional, easy to use, efficient, and effective. If these aren’t included in your website design and development process, the website can be slow or broken. That creates a frustrating user experience and results in the loss of prospective buyers.

Here are the top technical features you need to consider:

• Speed
• Mobile-friendliness
• Browser capability
• Security (SSL certification)
• Page redirects
• Sitemap
• Accessibility
• Hosting

1. Speed

The first technical element on the list is speed because it can make or break your website’s effectiveness. Load speed affects both user experience and search engine ranking.

You have about 2-5 seconds to make an impression on your visitor.

Your visitors need to know they’ve come to the right place for the information they’re searching for, and they need to resonate with what you’re presenting.

If your website visitor has to wait for the site to load, they will be frustrated from the start and may (likely) bounce. What can they expect from working with you if your website can’t load quickly? For many visitors, the loading speed is the first impression of your company through your website.

Similarly, search engines place websites on the top search results page based on performance metrics within their algorithms. Page speed is the metric indicating how fast your web page content loads into your visitor’s browser. You can check how your site is doing on Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Some speed signals the search engines look for include:

• First Contentful Paint (FCP) – how long until the first content elements show up
• DOMContentLoaded (DCL) – how long for the initial HTML document to finish loading

Google’s Core Web Vitals (CWV) measures overall website usability but focuses heavily on speed. CWV is one of the many criteria that impact where your website will appear on the search engine results page (SERP). Page speed is also part of what determines whether AI tools can efficiently crawl and reference your content. The higher your position (i.e., position one on page one of a Google Search), the more traffic you can expect to attract organically.

To ensure a fast speed, compress large files, optimize your code, use the most direct navigation path possible, and leverage caching. A fast website is the first key to an effective website.

2. Mobile-Friendliness

The second technical element to consider is responsiveness or mobile delivery, also called “mobile-friendliness“. These terms all refer to how your website presents on different devices in various aspects, sizes, and ratios.

The combination of possibilities is enormous, which means your website needs to have this flexibility, or responsiveness, built into the code to present quickly and correctly, no matter where. The scaling is not infinite, thank goodness. There are breakpoints where the website can detect a mobile device and be programmed to resize appropriately, with a well-suited configuration for that device. Webpages must be optimized for specific breakpoints and sizes, and may appear slightly distorted on devices with uncommon aspect ratios.

These issues must be considered and configured in your website design and development. This includes navigation, image configuration, text sizing, and many other factors.

3. Browser Capability

Browser Standards

Websites are designed and built in accordance with WC3 industry standards. These technical specifications and guidelines support delivering web data anywhere, anytime, on any device, to anyone.

Delivery occurs through web browsers that interpret website data and display it accurately according to standards. Sometimes there can be glitches in how one browser displays information compared to another.

Part of excellent web development is to review how each browser renders the design and content to ensure a great user experience. The most effective websites are built to the strictest standards to produce the fastest, most “vital” results.

Mobile-Friendly Within Different Browsers

One colossal task for website design and development companies is building web pages and websites that meet these standards across all devices and browsers. You can imagine the enormous number of combinations and technical challenges of this task.

Consider these critical technical demands before choosing a partner to build or update your government contractor website. Select the best web design agency that not only understands these requirements but can help your website support your company’s growth initiatives.

4. Security (TSL and SSL Certification)

SSL refers to Secure Sockets Layer, and Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the successor protocol to SSL. The terms are often used interchangeably. SSL/TSL is an essential security feature for keeping your website (and your website visitors) safe.

SSL is the standard technology for keeping an internet connection secure and safeguarding any sensitive data sent between two systems, such as filling out a form, making a payment, or sending an email. Any data transfer must remain protected (and not shared with anyone with mischievous or criminal intent).

SSL is represented by a “lock” icon next to the URL that lets visitors know the site is protected. SSL/TSL is a licensed feature layered onto a website and is purchased or renewed annually.

SSL also promotes trust between a company and its website visitors. SSL instantly assures a visitor that you have their best interest in mind and are working to protect their data.

Credibility is yet another benefit of SSL from the visitor and browser perspectives. When not present, a browser can signal that the website is “not secure”, sometimes even resulting in the page not being presented at all. A warning message can cultivate suspicion and translate to questions about the safety or security of your company in general.

With a touch of irony, the worst-case scenario is a data security company whose website is missing a SSL/TSL certificate. Don’t be that company!

5. Page Redirects

All webpages should be visible, but sometimes visitors will see a “webpage not found” or a “404 error” page. This page needs to be redirected (or forwarded) to a live page.

From a visitor’s perspective, a “404” can break trust and says you don’t have the information they are seeking. This likely results in the visitor leaving and never returning, a big loss for your marketing investment. From a search engine perspective, it indicates the website is unreliable and may result in it being penalized with lower rankings.

The solution to 404s is to forward or “redirect” a previously “not found” page to a live webpage. This is like moving to a new home; you let the post office know you’ve moved and provide your new address. With a website, you have to tell the browser to present a different page.

Moving website pages around is common, as is updating a URL, but both can leave a trail of broken links and are bad practice. Redirects can fix these issues and let the browser (and the search engines) know the page has moved and now has a new address. The redirect is a seamless part of the visitors’ experience—they shouldn’t even notice. They will know that they found the information they wanted. Your job is to make it easy for them.

6. Sitemap

The next technical feature to address in your website development is the sitemap. A sitemap is a documented representation of your website’s organizational structure. It reflects the hierarchy of a website’s pages and gives visitors a quick view of what is available, helping them get where they want to go faster. It can also help search engines understand what content is available and how it is structured. This tells the search engines how to present the available data or content.

A sitemap is also a helpful SEO tool. It can organize pages in a way that search engines (such as Google) can index and help connect you with your audience. The sitemap is “submitted for indexing” to help speed up that process.

7. Accessibility

Another technical website effectiveness consideration is called accessibility. Accessibility means your website is easy for people with disabilities to use. These may include persons with visual or hearing impairments or those who cannot use a mouse or keyboard.

There are industry standards for accessibility features, written by W3C, the same organization that sets browser standards. These accessibility standards refer to Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act of 1973, often referred to as “508 compliance”.

There are three levels of compliance: A, AA, and AAA, with AA being the most common (if required). The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has even developed a compliance checklist to help web development companies meet these expectations.

Government agency websites must be accessible, which makes sense as they must serve everyone their agency serves. Strictly speaking, other entities are not required to have websites that meet 508 compliance. However, companies that provide services to the general public are increasingly under pressure to meet accessibility standards.

Lawsuits brought against companies for failure to comply include a victory for a blind man who sued Domino’s Pizza because he couldn’t use its website or mobile app, as neither had accessibility features. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor, changing expectations for businesses. Back in 2020, with the help of Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), San Francisco’s LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired sued payroll processor ADP for failing to provide accessible websites and mobile apps. The suit was successfully settled with accessibility features added to the web and mobile applications for people who use screen readers. With today’s diverse user base, it is both a necessity and an expectation that websites and mobile apps be accessible to everyone.

8. Website Hosting

The final technical element in this list is website hosting. Professional hosting can significantly impact website speed, thus improving the user experience and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s essential to make an informed choice.

Web hosting is one of 3 services that website owners always need to publish a site:

• A Domain Registration (Registrar) is the company you pay to assign your domain name to your company.
• Web Hosting is where your website files are stored.
• Domain Name Server (DNS) Hosting is a service that connects your domain name (at the Registrar) to web files (at the web hosting service).

Each of these three services is independent and can be purchased separately through individual companies. However, many providers also try to bundle all three services, which can be confusing.

Before buying, make sure you are confident your website will perform and protect you, your company, and your website visitors. Your reputation is on the line.

Here are some essential details to keep in mind:

Always own your domain:

• Buy it with your credit card and treat it as a business asset
• Don’t lose control of this, or you can lose your whole website, its historical value, and all your followers.
• Keep the account login and password in a safe place, and be selective about who has access to this data.

Maintain ownership of the DNS hosting account:

• Your DNS settings are the pathway to your website and an asset of your business.
• Keep the login and password in a safe place, and be selective about who knows this information.

Website hosting options:

• Some companies choose to host their website themselves on internal servers. These need to be configured to deliver fast service to search engines and include all safety, security, and accessibility compliance factors.
• Most companies, however, will work with a website development company and SEO provider. These companies should be experts in providing security, maintenance, and optimization services.

3 Common Website Myths & Misconceptions

While the above factors address the technical aspects of a website, below we discuss some myths and misconceptions that create confusion. Let’s clear them up.

1. The coding and technical aspects of my website are the same as SEO. FALSE.

The technical aspects and requirements of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are often confusing.

The technical build determines how the website performs once you get there. So the top priority in building a technically sound website is creating an excellent user experience — making it easy for them to find you and the info they are searching for. “Easy to find is one area where the technical build overlaps with SEO.

SEO’s top priority is optimizing your website for the search engines. SEO is about getting the right people to the website in the first place – people who are looking for the information published on your website.

There’s a new layer to consider: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — the practice of optimizing content so AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overview can find, understand, and accurately cite your company. A technically sound, well-structured website is the foundation on which both traditional SEO and AEO/GEO depend. But discoverability by AI systems increasingly requires clear, well-organized written content as well.

One example of overlap is speed. High speed impacts the website visitor’s experience and is used by Google (and other search engines) to rank for SEO.

2. Publishing a website means a company will automatically get found online. FALSE.

Getting found online requires additional work, such as search engine optimization. A high-ranking site is updated regularly (well-maintained) and is used frequently and for extended periods by real, unique visitors. This includes:

• Regular content updates and additions
• Engagement from visitors to the site
• Content directly related to search terms and other factors the search engines deem as a relevant and healthy site

3. It’s easy to know who visits a website. TRUE and FALSE.

You can track metrics such as how many visitors come to a website and how they get there. But you cannot see exactly who the visitors are (or follow up with them) unless you secure their contact information.

To capture contact information, you need to offer high-value content or information a visitor will download in exchange for it.

Some services can track repeat visitors based on IP addresses, but there are limitations that you should investigate before accepting the data without question.

Summary: Launch Your Website With Confidence

All of these technical components can be overwhelming – there is a lot to consider.

The best website design companies will hold your hand through each element in a digital marketing program, especially a website launch, and help you make decisions confidently. Your online marketing program can unfold as a seamless process with the proper support.

A Website Design and Development Company Can Help

The best news is that you don’t have to navigate these technical details alone.

Ocean 5 Strategies is a top growth agency that specializes in helping govcon businesses throughout the USA and beyond. We are based in the Washington, DC metro area and involved in the local government contracting community.

Contact us for a Free Website Assessment covering messaging & positioning clarity, AI & search discoverability (SEO/AEO/GEO), trust & credibility signals, visitor conversion potential, site speed & technical performance, navigation and visitor journey, mobile-friendliness, and technical structure.