Basic Content

This section summarizes the information that must present on a government website once the reader reaches the landing page. The landing page should provide a brief yet clear summary of the site’s content, outlining the Lebanese government entity’s roles vis-à-vis the users and other stakeholders.

The logo plays a vital role in giving the government website the legitimacy and creditability which will allow the visitor to trust the website he/she is viewing. A clear and visible display of the official emblem of the state is a very effective tool to make the website user trust and follow the instructions provided on the site.

• Therefore, government websites must always exhibit the national emblem of the Lebanese State and should comply with the guidelines provided for the proper usage of this emblem.
• Furthermore, government websites must adopt the principle of common badging for all government entities.
• A Government website must include the logo of the government entity owning the website.
  Example:

  The Council of Development and Reconstruction must first exhibit the Lebanese national emblem in addition to its own emblem, something which is currently lacking in almost all Lebanese government websites.

• The name of the government entity must be clearly posted in full and in a uniform manner on the homepage as well as on the subsequent subpages.
• The abbreviation of the government entity’s name should be used on the homepage as well as on all subsequent subpages.
• In addition to the name of the ministry, the name of Lebanon also should appear.
  Example:

  Republic of Lebanon, Higher Council of Privatization.

This adds to the clarity of the website and also helps users to directly identify the website in question, i.e. if it would provide the information the reader is looking for or not. Screen readers used for the visually impaired also relay on the title, therefore the more clear the title is the more effective the first look is.

• The synopsis provided on the website must be as brief as possible, but at the same time it must be informative so as to give an overall view of the function and the scope of the government entity.
• A proper background of the government entity must be included. It should include the presentation, mission/vision/objectives and a brief history may also be posted added either in the synopsis or in a separate additional section.
  Example:

  In the case of the Ministry of Industry, an overall profile of the Lebanese industry may be outlined.
• A detailed description of the duties and responsibilities of the government entity or ministry should be listed and explained to the user.
• The government entity’s responsibilities should be listed in bullet points and elaborated when needed. These points should also be linked to the subpages which elaborate more on each item.
• Moreover, links to other agencies that share similar or complementary responsibilities should be provided.

The landing page should include:

• Name of the minister or manager with the related official title
• Listing of departments with the related area of responsibility
• Detailed hierarchy of the agency with links elaborating on the professional credentials of the management starting with the head of the agency i.e. minister to the different department heads.

The contact us page must present detailed information displayed as follows:

• Name of the organization
• Mailing address
• Street address
• Telephone number
• Fax number
• Email address
• Opening hours
• Technical Contacts for the Website

Emails and telephone or extension numbers of the entity’s departments should be listed.
The basic content page must include titles and links to the major content of the site outlined in the “Primary Content” and “Tertiary Content” sections.

• The ownership of the website should be reflected in the footer of the website, See section Terms and Conditions, and should read similar to the following:
  Example:

  This website is the property of the Lebanese Government Department of Motor Vehicles or alternatively, this website belongs to Ministry of Interior, Department of Motor Vehicles, and Government of Lebanon. Any other wording to the same effect is also acceptable.
• Lebanese government websites must set out the terms and conditions of use on which the content and services are provided to users.
• The terms and conditions should be available from every subpage, preferably in the footer, making them easily accessible.
• A disclaimer is a written statement that attempts to avoid or disclaim liability that could otherwise arise by operation of law. Disclaimers must be extremely clear to be effective so as to avoid any legal ambiguity which might arise in court, See section Terms and Conditions.