After 15 years, GobiernoUSA.gov, the trusted source of government information in Spanish, begins a new era. As part of our fifteen year celebration, we are announcing our new name: USAGov en Español.
There is no major change - our content is the same - we’re still the trusted Spanish language source of information. We’re simply ensuring that our new name resonates with Spanish language speakers. The change will also:
- Unify the brand: As we incorporate the Spanish language version of USA.gov under the USA.gov brand instead of having two different identifiers.
- Reduce technical complexity: This effort includes a change to a singular domain from two distinct domains, which will save resources by reducing the hosting footprint as well as the technical complexity of our website.
- Align with industry best practices: Many major brands do their Spanish language version of their brand as “brand en español” instead of having two distinct entities.
To recognize and celebrate the continued success of the program, here are 15 years of highlights and milestones the team has achieved:
2003: Launches FirstGov en Español, the U.S. government’s official Spanish-language web portal, to comply with Executive Order 13166 "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency" (August 11, 2000)
2004: Creates Multilingual Community of Practice
2005:
- Wins Best Services for Specific Audiences Award from Web Managers University (now known as DigitalGov University)
- Supports Hurricane Katrina response efforts, and becomes the official channel for all federal emergency online communications
2006:
- Provides government-wide guidance for Spanish language use
- Launches an email notification service to alert website visitors of new information on their topics of interest
- Builds partnership with Univision.com - the popular site features a "government channel," using our content to inform the public
2007: FirstGov en Español changes its name to GobiernoUSA.gov
2008:
- Among first in government to have a presence on social media (Facebook and Twitter accounts in Spanish)
- Develops the first 508-compliant news widget
2009: Implements a comprehensive social media strategy in Spanish
2010: Undergoes redesign to continue to meet the needs of our visitors
2011: Among first websites to implement a mobile-first customer experience
2012:
- In partnership with FTC, HUD, and SSA, hosts live social media chats
- In partnership with USCIS, produces a series of educational bilingual videos (total of 1,112,470 views on YouTube)
- Garners record number of followers on social media (147,457)
2013:
- Launches a blog on Tumblr where users can engage with the government in Spanish
- Launches the site in responsive web design making it available anytime, anywhere on any device
- Publishes the Official Directory of Spanish Names for Federal Agencies
2014:
- Implements the COPE model (Create Once, Publish Everywhere) improving content efficiency and knowledge sharing between teams including the Contact Center
- In partnership with SBA, hosts one of the first Google Plus webinars on free courses for new entrepreneurs
2015: Launches a bilingual education campaign on diabetes prevention (over 250,000 impressions via email blasts, page views, and across social media channels; answers more than 200 questions)
2016:
- Releases consumer education videos branded as the “Profesor Sabelotodo” (76,283 views)
- In partnership with Department of Education and Univision Contigo, hosts the first bilingual Facebook Q&A (answered over 40 questions on FAFSA form)
2017:
- Continues to support FEMA as the official channel for all federal emergency online communications for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria; sends a team member to Puerto Rico to help build FEMA's digital capacity
- Among first government programs developing Facebook videos in Spanish to engage and share timely government information with the public
2018:
- Garners highest web sessions in history (more than 4.2 million website visits)
- Continues to collaborate, guide, and share best practices with agency partners to improve the public's experience with the government
- Begins testing artificial intelligence (AI) work to support customer experience objectives
- Integrates with USAGov brand as USAGov en Español
Our goal for the future is to continue to create more opportunities for partners and the communities we serve so they can easily communicate with us and find the information and services they're looking for.
Thank you for continuing to be part of our journey!
