NPS.gov is the public face of the parks and programs of the National Park Service. In 2013 we defined a new vision for the site:
NPS.gov is our digital brand ambassador to the world, the communications backbone of the National Park Service that helps to create, grow, and sustain an interactive community of visitors, friends, and supporters for the centennial and beyond.
In response, we began a multi-year effort to transform NPS.gov into a world-class digital experience and communications tool. We analyzed visitation statistics, reviewed customer satisfaction surveys, and worked with a design firm to develop a new look and functionality. We made many of those changes in time for the National Park Service’s 100th birthday in 2016 and continue to upgrade the site today.
Transforming the NPS.gov experience is no small task. NPS.gov is the primary destination for virtual visitors looking to plan trips to parks or learn more about our nation’s natural and cultural heritage. The site includes more than 100,000 webpages, with more than 1,000 web authors contributing content. Management is distributed among NPS employees in parks, regions, and national offices across the United States. A quick look 2020's figures shows just how busy NPS.gov is:
- 117 million different visitors
- 193 million sessions and 547 million pageviews*
* A session is a group of interactions that occur within a given time frame. Pageviews are the total number of pages visited.
The transformation included several major pieces:
- Transition to a shared-content publishing model that uses tags to create relationships between content and make that content available across NPS.gov
- Mobile-friendly design that makes the website look good on any device, from phones to tablets to computers—especially important for our ever-increasing mobile audience
- Collection of structured data—essential information about parks and programs (such as locations, operating hours and seasons, and contact information) that can be shared with NPS and external websites, maps, and applications
- Updated appearance and functionality for the 21st century
We aren’t finished yet, but we are making good progress toward the goal of improving the overall user experience of NPS.gov.
Last updated: July 12, 2022