Vendor Selection Guide · 2026

How to Choose a Government Website Company

With ADA Title II compliance deadlines approaching, more cities, counties, and special districts are choosing a new website partner. Here’s how to evaluate one — the criteria that matter, the exact questions to ask, and how national platforms compare to a local agency.

The Eight Criteria That Matter

What to evaluate in any vendor.

ADA / WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility — built in

This is now a legal requirement, not a nice-to-have. Ask whether accessibility is engineered in by default or bolted on as a paid add-on. The right vendor treats WCAG 2.1 AA as the baseline for every page and every document.

Custom design vs. locked templates

National platforms often lock you into rigid templates shared with hundreds of other entities. A custom-built site reflects your community and adapts to how residents actually use it. Ask what you can and can't change.

Document & PDF accessibility

Agendas, minutes, budgets, and notices all have to be accessible under ADA Title II. Ask specifically how the vendor handles PDFs — it's the most commonly missed requirement.

Ongoing support & maintenance

Who do you call when something breaks? Is support a ticket queue overseas, or a named person who knows your site? Compliance isn't one-and-done — every new document has to stay accessible.

Security & hosting

Government sites are targets. Ask about hosting infrastructure, uptime, SSL, backups, and how security patches are handled. Modern edge hosting should be standard.

Migration & training

How does your existing content move over, and will your staff be trained to update the site? A good vendor handles migration and leaves your team confident, not dependent.

Transparent, predictable pricing

Watch for long lock-in contracts, per-feature fees, and surprise renewal increases. Ask for the total cost of ownership over three years, including support and accessibility work.

References & real examples

Ask to see live sites they've built for entities like yours, and to speak with a current client. A confident vendor will connect you without hesitation.

National Platform vs. Local Agency

Two very different models.

	National platform	Local agency (like MMM)
Design	Shared templates	Custom to your community
Accessibility	Often a paid add-on	WCAG 2.1 AA by default
Support	Ticket queue	A named team that knows you
Flexibility	Change requests & fees	Adapts to how residents use it
Contracts	Multi-year lock-in common	Transparent, no lock-in

General comparison of models. Evaluate each vendor on its own merits and ask the questions below.

Copy-and-Send

Nine questions to ask any vendor.

Send these to every company you’re considering. The answers separate the serious partners from the rest.

1.Do you build to WCAG 2.1 Level AA by default, and can you prove it with an accessibility audit?
2.How do you make our PDFs and documents accessible — agendas, minutes, budgets, notices?
3.Is our design custom, or a shared template? What can our staff change ourselves?
4.Who provides support after launch, and what's the typical response time?
5.Where is the site hosted, what's the uptime, and how are security updates handled?
6.How do you migrate our existing content, and do you train our team?
7.What is the total cost over three years, including support and accessibility maintenance?
8.Is there a long-term contract or lock-in? What happens to our site and content if we leave?
9.Can we see live examples and speak with a current government client?

Common Questions

Choosing a vendor, answered.

What should a city look for in a government website company?

The most important criteria are: ADA/WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility built in by default (now a legal requirement), custom design rather than a locked shared template, accessible PDFs and documents, responsive ongoing support, secure modern hosting, straightforward content migration and staff training, transparent pricing with no long lock-in, and real references from comparable government clients.

Are national government website platforms or local agencies better?

It depends on your priorities. National platforms offer standardized templates and large feature sets but can mean rigid designs, ticket-queue support, and long contracts. A local agency typically offers custom design, direct and personal support, and flexibility, with a named team that knows your site. For most small and mid-size cities, counties, and special districts, a responsive local partner that builds accessibility in by default is the better fit.

What questions should we ask a government website vendor?

Ask whether they build to WCAG 2.1 AA by default and can prove it; how they make PDFs accessible; whether the design is custom or a shared template; who provides support and how fast; where the site is hosted and how security is handled; how content migration and staff training work; the total three-year cost; whether there's a lock-in contract; and to see live examples and speak with a current government client.

How much does a government website cost?

Costs vary widely based on size, features, and whether accessibility and support are included. The most useful number is the total cost of ownership over three years — including design, migration, hosting, ongoing support, and accessibility maintenance — rather than just the upfront build price. Ask every vendor to quote on that basis so you can compare fairly.

Evaluating vendors? Start with a free audit of your current site.

My Media Matters builds custom, WCAG 2.1 AA-compliant websites for cities, counties, chambers, and special districts — with direct, local support and no lock-in. See where your current site stands, free.

Get a Free Accessibility Audit 580-789-6640