The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that a complete redesign of its Web site, SBA.gov, will launch this fall.
The new SBA.gov will make it easier for small businesses, lending institutions, small business counselors and other members of the small business community to more quickly find the information they need through a simplified navigation structure. In addition, new features will allow users to tailor their experience to provide information that is specific to their needs and location.
The new Web site also will offer a dedicated lender area that helps banks and other financial institutions that partner with the SBA.
“Our goal as an agency is to get information, tools and services into the hands of small business owners more quickly so they can spend more time doing what they do best – creating the jobs that will drive our economic recovery,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “Through a new, personalized and dynamic SBA.gov, we will be better able to support job growth across the country.”
The site redesign is part of the SBA’s goal to create a dynamic online presence that delivers information to customers wherever they are online. To achieve this goal, the agency recently began using social media to reach constituents through a variety of online channels such as Facebook and Twitter. The agency also recently launched an improved search function on the current SBA.gov Web site which vastly improves the speed at which users can find the information they are looking for in advance of the launch of the new site this fall.
The redesign is also the Flagship Initiative of the SBA’s Open Government Plan and addresses all three of the agency’s Open Government goals – transparency, participation and collaboration – by providing direct access to agency programs and operations, allowing users to customize their online experience, and, beginning next year, incorporating community features such as discussion forums and public feedback tools.
For more information on the SBA’s online expansion, visit www.sba.gov/next.