Drupal GovCon 2024: Drupal’s Pivotal Role in Government CMS and Accessibility

At this year’s Drupal GovCon in College Park, Maryland, I presented the results of some data generation/analysis work I have been working on. I started with data from the GSA TTS’s Site Scanning Program but also started a large series of Google Lighthouse scans for Federal government websites to better compare Drupal government sites.

Drupal’s Dominance in Government CMS

Leveraging the Site Scanning Program, I was able to quickly build on the work that the GSA TTS is already doing.  They are analyzing approximately 26,000 government sites weekly to evaluate different elements. I suspected that Drupal was the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the government sector, and I was surprised to see just how popular it was. Where the CMS was identifiable, 55% of government sites surveyed were using Drupal. This likely excluded headless Drupal implementations, and perhaps others. This is not just a testament to Drupal’s flexibility and robust features, but also to the platform’s strong alignment with government needs.

Emphasizing Web Vitals for Improved CX

I also wanted to underscore the importance of Google’s Web Vitals, which have become a standard measure of customer experience (CX) in the web industry. In the presentation, I advocated for government agencies to integrate Web Vitals into their current strategies to improve CX to ensure that their online services meet the highest standards of performance and user satisfaction.

There has been some great work with the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memo M-23-22, but it hasn’t come back to a single comparable test. It also overlooks key elements of the customer experience like load times. Citizen trust erodes when it is clear that government websites do not value the user's time.

Accessibility and Drupal’s Superiority

One of the key highlights of my presentation was the comparative analysis of accessibility across different CMS platforms. Through extensive Google Lighthouse scans, Mike demonstrated that Drupal outperforms other CMSs, including WordPress, in delivering accessible websites. In our analysis, 9 out of the top 10 most accessible government sites are powered by Drupal, showcasing the platform’s commitment to inclusivity and user-friendly design.

1. va.gov (Drupal)
2. uscis.gov (Drupal)
3. cms.gov (Drupal)
4. namus.nij.ojp.gov (Drupal - BuiltWith.com)
5. cisa.gov (Drupal)
6. usmarshals.gov (Drupal - BuiltWith.com)
7. ferc.gov (Drupal - BuiltWith.com)
8. treasury.gov (Drupal)
9. whitehouse.gov (WordPress)
10. uspto.gov (Drupal)

I am proud to share that CivicActions is responsible for two of these sites and to note that all of our contributions to Drupal Core have given Drupal sites a leg-up on accessibility.

A Community Success

I also wanted to highlight that Drupal GovCon 2024 was a terrific experience. It is great to meet with old friends from the community, as well as meet new ones. I enjoyed connecting with other digital leaders in the Digital Services Coalition. CivicActions, Bixal, Mobomo, and MetroStar all contributed to the event’s success. It was also a powerful opportunity for us to meet with our clients and for us all to learn from the great presentations. We all want to build terrific government digital services, and it was inspiring to be surrounded by others who are as passionate about open-source innovation and are effectively driving real change in the public sector.