Decommissioning websites

Key considerations

When decommissioning websites, use retention and disposal authorities to identify:

• content required by legislation to remain accessible or online
• content that can be removed if time-expired or duplicated
• content requiring longer-term retention
• content identified as State archives.

Planning

A detailed archiving plan is essential for website decommissioning and should include:

• identifying required resources (task list, people, time, cost)
• obtaining senior executive approval and support
• engaging affected stakeholders, including website creators, administrators, managers, and audiences (internal and external)
• conducting a website content audit to determine:
  • web page functions and retention periods
  • technical specifications for decommissioned sites, storage options, and content transfers to Museums of History NSW.

Website content audit

A comprehensive content audit is critical before decommissioning or archiving websites. Key tasks include:

• identifying the agency's recordkeeping requirements under relevant legislation
• applying appropriate retention and disposal authorities
• determining web content for:
  • retention in the agency’s records management system or transfer to Museums of History NSW
  • migration to other agency websites or partners during agency restructures or consolidations.

Technology considerations

Agencies must collaborate with IT staff, vendors, and technical partners to ensure proper website archiving or decommissioning. Key actions include:

• checking existing archives (for example, Pandora, State Library NSW's Internet Archive)
• planning the migration of required records to systems that meet recordkeeping standards
• deciding if a snapshot of the website is necessary, based on risk and accessibility needs
• evaluating feasibility of document migration to consolidated websites for reuse or revision
• identifying and resolving broken links
• auditing impacts on vendor contracts, licences, and hardware and software systems
• ensuring appropriate formats are used for content retention, storage and transfer to Museums of History NSW.

Best practice

It is best practice for public offices to manage public expectations in relation to availability and accessibility of web content. Some strategies to consider are:

• providing a notice that the website will be decommissioned, why the website, web page or web content will be removed and when it will happen
• providing contact information that will respond to public enquiries regarding the website and its content
• redirecting users to another website, if applicable or available.